Mar 08, 2024 DFPS Council Meeting

[00:00:03]

GOOD MORNING.

IT IS NOW 9:10 AND I AM OFFICIALLY CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER.

[I. ORGANIZATIONAL ITEMS]

SO WE NOW I'M DECLARING THAT WE HAVE QUORUM.

I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME EVERYONE HERE AND ANYONE WHO IS WATCHING ONLINE.

IF WE COULD PLEASE WE'LL START DOWN AT THE FAR END OF THE BEAUTIFUL LADY IN THE BEAUTIFUL COAT.

AND I MEAN TOP AND YEAH, RIGHT IT'S YOU.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND IF YOU COULD JUST TELL YOUR NAME AND WHERE YOU'RE FROM, AND WE'LL JUST QUICKLY GIVE THAT INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE AND THOSE WATCHING.

GOOD MORNING, I AM LISA HACKETT.

I AM FROM HUNTSVILLE, WALKER COUNTY.

I'M GLAD TO BE HERE. THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US.

HELLO. GOOD MORNING, JULIE KRAWCZYK.

I'M FROM DALLAS. AND THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COMMISSIONER AND CHAIR FOR YOUR GRACE, WITH MY TARDINESS AND ALL OF YOU.

THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING.

I'M DOCTOR CONNIE ALMEIDA, AND I AM FROM FORT BEND COUNTY.

THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING.

I'M ENRIQUE MATA AND I'M FROM EL PASO COUNTY, AND IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE.

HELLO. MY NAME IS MICHELLE TREVINO, AND I LIVE JUST RIGHT UP NORTH IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY IN LEANDER.

THANK YOU. OKAY.

ALSO HERE UP HERE WITH US IS COMMISSIONER MUTH, AND VICKI KAY IS NOT QUITE HERE YET, BUT WILL BE.

OH. SHE'S HIDING.

OH, SHE'S TINY AND SHE'S AT THE OTHER END HIDING BEHIND SOMEBODY.

THAT'S NOT FAIR.

ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING TO TRY THIS.

VICKI KOZIKOUJEKIAN, IS THAT CORRECT OR CLOSE? KOZIKOUJEKIAN. KOZIKOUJEKIAN, KOZILOUJEKIAN.

KOZIKOUJEKIAN.

I'LL PRACTICE THAT AT HOME BEFORE OUR NEXT MEETING.

BLESS YOUR HEART.

WELL, LET ME ALSO TELL YOU IF AT ANY TIME YOU FEEL SO INCLINED, I'M CAPABLE OF CHANGING NAMES.

WE COULD SHORTEN IT OR SOMETHING.

OR IT COULD JUST BE VICKI KAY.

ANYWAY AND MEGAN IS HERE.

WILKINSON IS FILLING IN FOR THE COUNCIL LIAISON FOR THIS PARTICULAR MEETING.

AND WE DO HAVE QUORUM AND RECOGNITION OF GUESTS.

OR WERE YOU GOING TO DO ANY OF THE PRESENTATION FIRST? WHAT? I'M HAPPY TO TO DO THE.

WELL, LET ME LET ME JUST MAKE SURE WE GET ALL OF THIS STUFF HERE.

THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME.

YEAH, THERE WE GO. COMMISSIONER MUTH AND HER TEAM.

AND WE WILL BE HEARING FROM AND WHO WE WILL BE HEARING FROM TODAY.

OKAY, AND BEFORE WE DO THAT, EACH OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE GIVE YOUR NO, WE DON'T DO THAT, YOU DO YOUR, YEAH PLEASE, YOU DO YOUR REPORT.

I DON'T. YES, WE WERE, BUT I WOULD.

I CAN'T TELL FROM THE WAY I USUALLY WRITE IT DIFFERENTLY.

SO WE WILL RULE AND REVIEW AND ACCEPT A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES FROM THE LAST MEETING.

ANYBODY HAVE A MOTION? I SO MOVE, WE APPROVE THE MINUTES.

OKAY. ANYBODY SECOND? SECOND. SECOND.

OKAY. ANYONE OPPOSED? OKAY. THE MINUTES HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED.

OKAY. WE GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE IDEAS.

[II. GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS]

JUNE THE 14TH, SEPTEMBER 13TH AND DECEMBER 13TH, ALL IN 2024.

OKAY, LET'S GO BACK AND LET YOU DO YOUR SHTICK.

[III. COUNCIL ACTIONS/INITIATIVES]

I SINCE WE LAST MET IN DECEMBER, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S BEEN A WHIRLWIND OF ACTIVITY SINCE THEN, I WANTED TO SHARE SOME UPDATES WITH YOU ABOUT

[00:05:08]

ON FEBRUARY 1ST, WE RELEASED AN ANNUAL PLAN.

THAT ANNUAL PLAN IS REALLY HIGHLIGHTING FOUR KEY AREAS OF FOCUS OVER THE COMING YEAR.

IT DOESN'T, IT'S NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE WORKING ON, BUT IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE FOR THE PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDERS A VIEW INTO SOME KEY PROJECTS THAT THE AGENCY IS WORKING ON AND KEY PRIORITIES.

AND WE DO HAVE FOUR MAIN CATEGORIES THAT THE ANNUAL PLAN IS BROKEN INTO.

SO THE EVOLUTION OF OUR CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM, LOOKING AT SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE BEING DEVELOPED, INCLUDING SOME THINGS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT ON THE AGENDA LATER TODAY, LIKE OUR NEW RATE STRUCTURE, THE TEXAS CHILD CENTERED CARE AS WELL AS FOCUSING ON ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE AND INVESTIGATIONS, LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN DIVERT CALLS THAT ARE NOT TRULY ABUSE OR NEGLECT FROM STATEWIDE INTAKE TO HELP MANDATORY REPORTERS UNDERSTAND WHEN A FAMILY MIGHT NEED SUPPORTS VERSUS A CALL IN TO STATEWIDE INTAKE.

SO WE HAVE A NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES AROUND THAT AREA.

AND THEN THE SECOND MAJOR AREA IS AROUND STRENGTHENING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES.

SO SEVERAL OF OUR APS ACTIVITIES ARE INCLUDED IN THAT, SUCH AS THE COMPLEX CARE TEAMS THAT WE ARE PILOTING.

AND THEN MEETING THE GROWING NEEDS OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IS ANOTHER CATEGORY THAT WE HAVE HIGHLIGHTED IN THE REPORT.

AND REALLY, THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS FROM WORKING WITH OUR PROVIDERS TO INCREASE CAPACITY SO THAT WE HAVE MORE THERAPEUTIC FOSTER HOMES AVAILABLE. JUST A MORE SERVICES ALONG THE CONTINUUM FOR KIDS THAT ARE IN OUR CARE AND ALSO JUST HOW WE ARE ADDRESSING THE ELIMINATION OF OUR CHILD WATCH OR CHILDREN WITHOUT PLACEMENT.

AND OUR GOALS TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS CONTINUE TO DECLINE.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST IN ANY WAY, IS OUR EFFORTS AROUND SUPPORTING AND RETAINING OUR WORKFORCE.

AS YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE HIGH TURNOVER FOR OUR FRONTLINE STAFF.

IT'S INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING JOBS, WHETHER YOU'RE IN APS OR INVESTIGATIONS OR CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES.

SO WE HAVE UNDERTAKEN A COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT TO LOOK WITH.

IT'S A STAFF DRIVEN EFFORT TO LOOK AT WHAT THINGS CAN WE DO THAT WOULD HELP IMPROVE THAT EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE, FROM RECRUITMENT ALL THE WAY TO THEM BEING ONBOARDED AND BEING AN EMPLOYEE THAT WE HAVE WITH THE AGENCY.

SO I ENCOURAGE YOU, I THINK I SHARED WITH YOU ALL A COPY OF THAT ANNUAL PLAN AND MY UPDATE A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, BUT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO PERUSE THAT.

I ALSO WANTED TO THANK THE COMMUNITY FOR EXCEPTIONAL ITEM INPUT THAT WE RECEIVED.

AS YOU MAY RECALL, IN PREPARATION FOR THE UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE SESSION, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO IS SORT OF LOOK STRATEGICALLY ABOUT WHERE WE WANT TO REQUEST ADDITIONAL FUNDING FROM THE LEGISLATURE, AND THAT'S PROCESS IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS. WE AT THE AGENCY ARE IN THE THROES OF REVIEWING SOME OF THOSE IDEAS, BUT WE DID AFTER OUR COUNCIL MEETING IN DECEMBER, WE RELEASED A REQUEST FOR STAKEHOLDERS TO PROVIDE SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT AREAS THAT THEY THOUGHT SHOULD RECEIVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING.

AND WE DID RECEIVE ABOUT 30 RECOMMENDATIONS AND RESPONSES, WITH A NUMBER OF IDEAS RANGING FROM INCREASED ADOPTION SUPPORTS TO LOOKING AT EMPLOYEE SALARIES TO CONTINUED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SUPPORTS FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, SO WE WILL HAVE MORE TO COME AS WE CONTINUE TO REVIEW THOSE AND IDENTIFY WHICH ITEMS ARE GOING TO BE MOVING FORWARD.

ALSO AS PART OF THIS PROCESS, WE GET INPUT FROM PROGRAM STAFF.

OH. IT WAS WRONG AND I THOUGHT, OKAY, ALSO FROM THIS ALSO FROM THIS PROCESS, WE GET INPUT FROM OUR PROGRAM STAFF ABOUT WHERE THEIR GAPS OR CHALLENGES ARE, AND WE WILL USE THAT TO DEVELOP OUR LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATIONS REQUEST THAT WE WILL SUBMIT IN THE FALL OF THIS YEAR.

ANOTHER BIG EFFORT THAT WE'VE HAD IS THE FORMATION OF A NEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE, PARTNERS FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.

[00:10:02]

AND IN JANUARY, WE RELEASED AN ANNOUNCEMENT SEEKING APPLICATIONS TO BE PART OF THIS NEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

AND I WAS VERY PLEASED WE'VE RECEIVED WE RECEIVED ALMOST 100 APPLICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC, WHICH REALLY DEMONSTRATES TO ME THE STRONG INVESTMENT AND INTEREST IN THE WORK OF THE AGENCY AND A DESIRE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH US TO CONTINUE THE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SYSTEM. SO WE ARE REVIEWING THESE APPLICATIONS.

WE WILL PLAN TO HAVE THE COMMITTEE FORMED AND WE'LL KICK OFF THE NEXT.

WE WERE PLANNING TO HAVE A MEETING IN THE APRIL ISH TIME FRAME.

THE COMMITTEE IS GOING TO ESTABLISH WORK GROUPS.

SO WHILE PEOPLE MAY NOT SERVE ON THE CORE COMMITTEE, THERE WILL BE A NUMBER OF WORK GROUPS, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO KEEP THE COUNCIL INFORMED OF THAT, BECAUSE THERE MAY BE WORK GROUP DISCUSSIONS THAT YOU ALL ARE ALSO INTERESTED.

AND WE DO SEE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TIE IN THAT COMMITTEE WITH THE COUNCIL TO COME AND PRESENT ON SOME OF THEIR DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS MOVING FORWARD.

ON TEXAS CHILD CENTERED CARE, THE NEW RATE SYSTEM.

I THINK IT WAS LATE LAST WEEK.

WE RELEASED THE BLUEPRINT.

SO IT IS A VERY COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENT JUST TO REMIND EVERYONE, IN 2019, THE AGENCY WAS DIRECTED TO EVALUATE OUR EXISTING RATE METHODOLOGY FOR OUR PROVIDERS IN CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES.

AND IN 2021, THE LEGISLATURE FURTHER DIRECTED US TO DEVELOP AN ALTERNATIVE STRUCTURE TO THE CURRENT STRUCTURE THAT'S BEING USED.

AND THAT EFFORT IS WHAT WE NOW CALL TEXAS CHILD CENTERED CARE.

AND IN THE LAST SESSION, THE LEGISLATURE FUNDED THIS.

IT IS I AM NOT UNDERSTATING, I DON'T THINK, TO SAY THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL CHANGES THAT THE SYSTEM WILL SEE OCCUR.

AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE CHANGES IN THE BLUEPRINT BECAUSE OF THE MORE THAN 20 DIFFERENT RATE STRUCTURES THAT THERE ARE THAT ARE REALLY BUILT AROUND THE NEEDS OF AN INDIVIDUAL CHILD OR YOUTH.

THERE ARE ADDITIONAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTS THAT ARE BEING PROVIDED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THAT INDIVIDUAL.

AND I THINK WE'VE SHARED BEFORE, WE ARE WORKING ON THE MODIFIED CANS ASSESSMENT, SO THAT CANS ASSESSMENT WILL INFORM WHAT IS THE BEST AND MOST APPROPRIATE PLACEMENT AND SERVICE PACKAGE FOR EACH OF THE YOUTH.

SO THAT BLUEPRINT IS ALSO AVAILABLE.

IT'S REALLY DENSE BECAUSE IT OUTLINES EVERY ASPECT OF WHAT SERVICES WILL HAVE TO BE PROVIDED UNDER EACH OF THE SERVICE PACKAGES, BUT IT IS A VERY THOROUGH DOCUMENT AND REALLY WILL HELP OUR PROVIDERS GET READY FOR THE TRANSITION.

AND JUST ALSO TO REMIND YOU THAT IT'S STARTING IN JANUARY OF 2025 IS WHEN WE WILL BEGIN ENROLLING CHILDREN AND YOUTH AND USING THIS NEW SYSTEM. IT'S NOT A SWITCH THAT WE CAN SWITCH EVERYONE TO.

IT IS A PROCESS THAT WILL TAKE TIME, BUT WE'RE LESS THAN A YEAR AWAY FROM LAUNCHING IT.

SO I DO REALLY WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE STAFF.

CASEY TESETA AND HER TEAM THAT PULLED TOGETHER THIS COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENT, AND IT IS A LIVING AND BREATHING DOCUMENT.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH PROVIDERS ABOUT CLARIFICATIONS OR CHANGES OR OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE THAT AND UPDATE THAT DOCUMENT.

AND I TOLD YOU, WE'VE BEEN VERY BUSY IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST LAST FRIDAY WE ALSO RELEASED THREE NEW REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS FOR NEW REGIONS FOR COMMUNITY BASED CARE.

SO THE HARRIS AND SURROUNDING COUNTIES THE BEXAR COUNTY AND EL PASO WERE THE AREAS THAT WE RELEASED THAT RFA FOR THE RFA IS OPEN.

WE WILL BE RECEIVING BIDS IN ABOUT 60 DAYS.

WE ALSO HAD ANOTHER MAJOR MILESTONE WITH COMMUNITY BASED CARE.

AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, THERE ARE THREE SEPARATE STAGES FOR COMMUNITY BASED CARE, AND WE'VE BEEN HEARING FROM SOME OF OUR PROVIDERS OVER THE LAST FEW COUNCIL MEMBERS.

NOBODY WAS IN STAGE THREE.

STAGE THREE IS THE LAST AND FINAL STAGE OF COMMUNITY BASED CARE, SO WE DID MOVE SOME OF THE REGIONS INTO STAGE THREE ALSO SINCE OUR DECEMBER MEETING.

SO LOTS OF MOVEMENT AROUND THE COMMUNITY BASED CARE WORLD.

AND JUST AS A REMINDER, ALSO, STAGE THREE IS REALLY INCENTIVES AND REMEDIES WHERE THE SSDCS CAN BOTH BE

[00:15:08]

IF THEY AND THE INCENTIVE IS FOR IF THEY ARE USING A LOWER AMOUNT OF PAID CARE DAYS THAN THE BENCHMARK BASELINE, THEY EARN THE INCENTIVE THAT THEY CAN THEN INVEST BACK INTO PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS.

AND WHEN PAID DAYS AND CARE INCREASE, THAT'S WHERE POTENTIAL FOR FINANCIAL REMEDIES CAN CAN OCCUR.

SO OUR STAGE THREE IS NOW LIVE IN REGION ONE, WHICH IS THE PANHANDLE.

AND THAT'S SAINT FRANCIS IS THE CONTRACTOR, REGION TWO, WHICH IS BIG COUNTRY.

AND TEXOMA, WHICH IS TO ENGAGE IS OUR CONTRACTOR.

AND THEN SEVEN COUNTIES OF REGION THREE W METROPLEX WEST, WHICH IS OCOK.

AND WE WILL BE MOVING BELONG INTO STAGE THREE ON JUNE 1ST OF THIS YEAR.

AND BELONG HAS THE SORT OF DONUT AROUND THE SAN ANTONIO AREA.

SO I, ONE LAST STAFFING ADDITION THAT I DID WANT TO ADD IS DURING THE LAST SESSION, WE RECEIVED SOME NEW POSITIONS FOR THE AGENCY, AND ONE OF THE POSITIONS THAT WE CREATED WAS A NEW WORKFORCE DIVISION.

AND AGAIN, REALLY FOCUSING ON THE THE WORK FROM THE WORK GROUP AND HOW WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF RETAINING, HIRING, RETAINING, HIRING THE RIGHT PEOPLE, SUPPORTING THEM THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, RETAINING THOSE STAFF.

SO KIMBERLY MADDOX, WHO'S HERE TODAY, KIMBERLY CAN STAND UP AND WAVE.

SHE LEADS THE WORKFORCE DIVISION, WHICH INCLUDES OUR HUMAN RESOURCES, OUR TALENT AND ACQUISITION GROUP, AND THEN OUR TRAINING GROUP, THE CENTER FOR LEARNING AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE. AND WE'RE REALLY PLEASED TO HAVE KIMBERLY JOIN US.

SHE HAS A LONG CAREER.

I WON'T SAY HOW LONG IT IS IN PUBLIC SERVICE.

SHE'S WORKED FOR SEVERAL AGENCIES, AND FOR THE LAST DECADE OR SO, SHE'S BEEN AN EXECUTIVE FOR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

SO SHE STARTED WITH US IN FEBRUARY.

GREAT WELCOME.

HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

I KNOW THAT WAS A LOT AND ONLY CAPTURED A FRACTION OF WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS, BUT I WANTED TO SHARE THOSE HIGHLIGHTS.

AND YOU'RE STILL STANDING.

I'M STILL STANDING.

GOT A STRONG TEAM BEHIND ME, SO FORTUNATELY, I'M NOT DOING ALL THE WORK MYSELF.

I HAVE A COMMENT MORE THAN A QUESTION.

I JUST I WANTED TO SAY I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THE EFFORT THAT YOU AND THE STAFF PUT INTO MAKING SURE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE FREQUENT UPDATES, MATERIALS AND INFORMATION TO KEEP US CURRENT. SO THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM.

OKAY. I DO HAVE A.

OH. COMMISSIONER, I DO HAVE A QUESTION.

YES. THAT WAS VERY DETAILED AND VERY INFORMATIVE.

AND I TOO APPRECIATE THE UPDATES THAT THAT ARE SENT OUT TO THE COUNCIL BETWEEN MEETINGS.

DEFINITELY THE RESTRUCTURING, THE RATE RESTRUCTURING IS A MAJOR INITIATIVE, AND SO I'M THINKING SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE IS HAVING THE TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS TO SUPPORT THESE THINGS.

SO YOU KNOW, JANUARY 2025 IS GOING TO BE HERE REALLY SOON.

CAN YOU JUST, YOU KNOW, BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT THAT, OR ARE YOU ARE YOU HAVING TO DEVELOP A NEW SYSTEM, A NEW PLATFORM, OR JUST KIND OF ENHANCING WHAT YOU HAVE? I'M NOT ALWAYS THE, THE THE BEST PERSON TO TALK IN DETAIL ABOUT OUR TECHNOLOGY, BUT I CAN TALK I THINK I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.

SO AS PART OF THE LEAD UP, AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE REASONS THERE IS A LOT OF READINESS WITH SUCH A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT ON THE STATE SIDE, WE HAVE A LOT OF READINESS ACTIVITIES AND OUR PROVIDERS HAVE A LOT OF READINESS ACTIVITIES.

SO FROM A TECHNOLOGY PERSPECTIVE, WE ARE MAKING CHANGES TO THE EXISTING IMPACT SYSTEM, AND THAT IS PART OF WHAT IS ALREADY WHERE THOSE SPRINTS FOR DEVELOPMENT ARE ALREADY OCCURRING AND ARE ON TRACK.

BUT SOME OF OUR SSCC PARTNERS AND PROVIDERS WILL ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SOME CHANGES.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO DURING THE SESSION WAS GET SOME FUNDING FOR TRANSITION GRANTS TO HELP THEM MAKE THE NECESSARY SYSTEM CHANGES, THAT THEY HAVE TO BE READY FOR THE NEW RATE SYSTEMS AS WELL.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

OKAY. CORTNEY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF? HELLO, MY NAME IS COURTNEY JONES.

I'M ORIGINALLY FROM DALLAS, TEXAS, BUT I LIVE HERE IN AUSTIN.

OKAY? AND I WAS WAITING FOR HER TO GET HERE SO THAT WE COULD GO BACK TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND HAVE THEM QUICKLY GIVE US AN UPDATE ON WHAT KIND OF

[00:20:03]

AND START DOWN THERE.

I'LL START HERE.

OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER.

I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING HERE IN DECEMBER.

I HOPE EVERYBODY HAD A NICE END OF 2023.

I HAVE BEEN BUSY, BUT I'M VERY PLEASED THAT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WORK WITH SOME OF THE STAFF COMMISSIONER.

SO ONE, I ATTENDED A FUNDRAISER ON A SUNDAY AND THE MONEY WAS FOR DUVAL COUNTY FOSTER KIDS AND WELL, I WAS SO IMPRESSED.

NOT THAT THE COMMUNITY JUST ALSO CAME OUT, BUT YOU HAD YOUR STAFF MEMBER THERE.

HERE IT IS ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON WHERE THEY NEED TO SPEND TIME WITH THEIR FAMILY.

INSTEAD, THEY ARE AT A FUNDRAISER.

AND THAT WAS REALLY NICE TO TO SEE THAT.

I WASN'T AWARE OF THAT UNTIL AFTER THE FACT THAT YOU KNOW, WE HAD A STAFF MEMBER THERE.

SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THAT.

I ATTENDED A COUPLE OF CHRISTMAS PARTIES FOR THE FOSTER KIDS IN JIM WELLS COUNTY AND DUVAL COUNTY.

I GOT AN INVITE. SO I WAS ABLE TO GO OUT THERE AND SEE ALL THE SMILING FACES AND THE FAMILIES THAT ARE TAKING CARE OF THIS AND THE.

AND LISTEN TO THEM AND SOME CONCERNS.

AND OF COURSE, I DID DIRECT THEM TO THE STAFF IF THAT WASN'T RESOLVED TO, YOU KNOW, GET BACK WITH ME AND I WOULD FORWARD IT TO OUR LIAISON HERE.

AND I DID EXPLAIN TO HER, MY POSITION IS NOT TO GET, YOU KNOW, JUST TO GET THE INFORMATION AND PASS IT FORWARD.

SO I WANT TO THANK. AND I DID A RIDE ALONG.

I DID A RIDE ALONG WITH CPS FOSTER CHILDREN IN THE SOUTH TEXAS AREA.

WE DROVE.

WE DROVE.

YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST GOING TO BE AROUND THAT AREA, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE RADIUS 30 MINUTES.

NO, IT WAS A DISTANCE FROM A TO B AND COMING BACK.

AND THE PERSON THAT I WAS RIDING WITH A VERY FULL OF PASSION FOR THESE KIDS IN FOSTER CARE AND THE WAY SHE TOOK CARE OF HER DOCUMENTATION AND EVERYTHING.

BUT, WHAT I FIND SO IRONIC IS THAT SHE WASN'T EVEN FROM THAT AREA WHERE THE CENTER IS AT.

YOU KNOW, SHE HAD TO COME INTO THE WORKPLACE, WHICH WAS A GOOD 45 MINUTES, AND THEN DRIVE OUT TO THIS PLACES.

SO MAYBE WE CAN WORK WITH SOME OF THESE STAFFS THAT DO DRIVE IN THAT MAYBE FROM THERE THEY CAN DRIVE FROM THEIR HOME TO THESE LOCATIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE PASSING BY THERE. BUT I HAD A GREAT TIME.

IT WAS A TEAR JERKER, YOU KNOW, AT TIMES.

BUT I'M VERY PLEASED WITH THE STAFF THAT GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND BECAUSE IT'S MORE THAN THE 40 HOURS.

YOU KNOW, I WAS LISTENING TO HIM, THE INTERACTION WITH THE STUDENTS AND THE WELCOMING, YOU CAN FEEL THE ENERGY AND THE POSITIVE THERE. SO I HAD A GREAT, YOU KNOW, TIME AND I'M CONTINUE TO DO THAT.

AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THIS COMMUNITY EVENT.

AND I FORGET WHAT REGION I'M IN, MORE OR LESS OR WHAT'S MY NEIGHBORS.

AND SO I WENT DOWN AND I STARTED MARKING SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT MAYBE I CAN ATTEND, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE EVENTS IN THE REGION THAT I'M IN, YOU KNOW, CLOSE BY.

LOOKING AT THIS, I WOULD BE DRIVING AT LEAST AN HOUR AND 15 MINUTES, AN HOUR AND 30 MINUTES.

BUT IF THERE'S SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT CLOSER, I WOULD APPRECIATE SEEING SOME OF THESE EVENTS.

AND AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK CHERYL'S NOT HERE, BUT THE TEAM FOR GIVING US THE UPDATE INFORMATION.

IT DOES NOT GO TO MY SPAM, IT GOES DIRECTLY TO ME AND I HAVE IT ALL READY FOR WHEN I RECEIVE SOMETHING FROM CHERYL.

I DO HAVE IT IN A DIFFERENT, WHAT DO YOU CALL IT TONE? A MUSIC TONE OR SOMETHING, BUT THAT IS VERY INTERESTING AND I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT MORE ON THOSE EMAILS THAT ARE COMING BACK ARE VERY APPRECIATED AND SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO AS A COUNCIL BECAUSE IT IS, YOU KNOW, HURTING ON MY PART TO SEE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I KNOW WE WORKED SO HARD AS AN AGENCY AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.

AND IF I CAN BE PART OF THOSE COMMITTEES AND CONVERSATION, I WOULD LIKE THAT.

BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH.

MAY I JUST RESPOND TO A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT YOU MENTIONED, WHICH IS WE DO HAVE A MOBILE WORK MODEL. SO THE WORKER AND SO I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ON THE DETAILS, BUT THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE TO NECESSARILY GO INTO THE OFFICE AND THEN TO THE LOCATION AND THEN BACK. IT MAY HAVE BEEN BECAUSE THEY KNEW THEY WERE HAD A RIDE ALONG OR SOMETHING, BUT WE CAN GO BACK AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT THE WORK IT'S BEING THE, THE

[00:25:04]

SO I'LL GET THOSE DETAILS FROM YOU.

AND FOR THE EVENTS, SOME OF THESE ARE EVENTS THAT WE ARE NOT PLANNING BUT WE ARE PARTICIPATING IN.

BUT WE WANT YOU ALL TO BE AWARE OF, SO AS THEY COME UP AND SOME OF THEM MAY BE IN CLOSER PROXIMITY TO YOU AS WELL, WE WILL CONTINUE TO TO SHARE THOSE.

THANK YOU. I WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION NOW THAT YOU MENTIONED MAYBE THAT WAS THE CASE ON THIS RIDE ALONG.

DO SOME OF OUR STAFF ARE ABLE TO WORK REMOTELY? SO MOST OF MOST, MOST OF OUR STAFF BECAUSE WHETHER IT'S APS OR CPS OR CPI, THEY'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO INDIVIDUAL HOMES.

SO I WOULD NOT SAY IT'S A REMOTE WORK MODEL.

THAT'S WHERE IT'S A MOBILE WORK MODEL.

WE DO HAVE STAFF WHO WORK FOR STATEWIDE INTAKE WHERE IT IS, IT'S NOT A CENTRALIZED AND THERE IS SOME SOME OF THAT THAT'S ALLOWED FOR WORK FROM HOME AND CERTAINLY STATE OFFICE.

THERE'S SOME TELEWORK THAT'S ALLOWED AS WELL.

BUT REALLY THE MAJORITY OF OUR STAFF ARE INTERACTING WITH OUR CLIENTS ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS, SO A PURE TELEWORK MODEL DOES NOT WORK FOR THEM. BUT THEY HAVE SOME OPTIONS DEPENDING ON THEIR JOB RESPONSIBILITIES.

OKAY. GOOD MORNING AGAIN.

I WANT TO SAY THAT I NORMALLY FOCUS ON APS BECAUSE THAT'S MY PASSION.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, I HAVE ONE OF MY SENIORS HERE WITH ME TODAY.

I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY REACH OUT WITH SOME OF OUR EXCUSE ME, CASEWORKERS AND SUPERVISORS AND GO ON VISITS WITH THEM. THEY DO AN AMAZING JOB.

WALKER COUNTY, THE ENTIRE AREA TO INCLUDE SOME OF, I'LL SAY, THE REGION SIX AREA, MAYBE SMALLER KIND OF IN NUMBERS.

HOWEVER, IT'S SPREAD OUT, AND ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES THAT THEY ARE HAVING IS FINDING, YOU KNOW, GETTING PEOPLE OUT TO THOSE LOCATIONS, BECAUSE OF COURSE, THE SENIORS DON'T WANT TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES.

SO THAT IS A CHALLENGE.

BUT WHAT'S REALLY GREAT TO ME IS HOW THE TEAM IS WORKING WITH IT, WHAT THEY ARE DOING TO TRY AND REALLY INCREASE AND GET, MAKE SURE THEY GET THE SERVICES THAT THEY NEED.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S BEEN REALLY WONDERFUL.

OR WORKING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO MAKE SURE BECAUSE THEY CAN'T DO IT ALL THEMSELVES.

SO THAT WAS WONDERFUL.

AND SOME OF THE INTERACTIONS THAT I'VE HAD AND WE HAVE MORE COMING UP, SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

HOWEVER, I USED TO SERVE ON A CASA BOARD AND NOW THAT I HAVE MY OWN MEDIATION BUSINESS, I WAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TO ATTEND A TBRI CAREGIVING TRAINING, WHICH IS TRUST BASED RELATIONAL INTERVENTION.

THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, SO I AM WILLING TO PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION ON THE TRAINING THAT ANY OF THE STAFF WANTS OR ANY, OF THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, BECAUSE IT WAS QUITE INFORMATIVE AND EXTREMELY PRODUCTIVE WHEN YOU'RE WORKING WITH OTHERS NEEDING TO EARN THEIR TRUST.

SO. AND AGAIN, FOR ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT'S COMING OUT WE'RE GETTING NOW, I'M GRATEFUL FOR IT.

I GET TO FEEL LIKE I'M SEEING A LOT MORE AND GETTING MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT THE ORGANIZATION IS DOING.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.

GOOD MORNING.

SO A FEW THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IN THE DALLAS AND COLLIN COUNTY AREA.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH COLLIN COUNTY THERE'S A PRETTY BIG ASSUMPTION THAT THERE ARE NOT A NEED FOR SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES AND ARE VERY FEW FOR CHILDREN OR FOR OLDER ADULTS.

AND SO I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR AND SEVERAL APS STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE COLLIN COUNTY COMMUNITY AND DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, AND WE'RE CREATING A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM, AND WE'LL BE HOSTING THOSE MEETINGS QUARTERLY, BRINGING IN GUEST SPEAKERS, LEARNING ABOUT RESOURCES, MAKING SURE LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIRST RESPONDERS, APS CASEWORKERS, WHOEVER NEEDS INFORMATION AND ACCESS TO BE ABLE TO SERVE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY HAVE THAT.

SO WE'RE EXCITED AND WE HOPE THAT THAT WILL KICK OFF APRIL MAY ISH.

THE OTHER THING LAST COUNCIL MEETING, WE HAD A REPORT FROM ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THEY TALKED ABOUT WAS THE PARTNERING TO PROTECT MODEL.

AND I WANTED TO SHARE AN UPDATE.

SO JUST A WEEK OR TWO AGO, I BELIEVE THERE WAS A PARTNERING TO PROTECT EVENT IN GRAND PRAIRIE.

THEY HAD OVER 70 DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS IN ATTENDANCE.

I THINK THAT REALLY SPEAKS TO THE NEED, DESIRE AND A WILL TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE THE GRIT TO COLLABORATE AND PARTNER, AND IT'S NECESSARY.

[00:30:01]

THE OTHER THING THAT I'VE SHARED IN THE PAST IS AND A LOT OF US EXPERIENCED THIS DURING COVID IS THAT A LOT OF THE BOARDS EITHER DIFFERENT COMMUNITY BOARDS FOR APS EITHER DISSOLVED, LOST THEIR 501 C, OR THERE WERE THERE WERE A LOT OF CHALLENGES THROUGH COVID.

SO WE HAVE REBUILT OUR BOARD IN DALLAS.

WE HAD OUR FIRST FORMAL MEETING ACTUALLY JUST THIS WEDNESDAY, AND I WAS JUST AMAZED.

WE'VE HAD COMMUNITY MEMBERS SHOWING UP IN A BIG WAY FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT TO HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS, FIRST RESPONDERS.

AND THERE WERE SIX APS STAFF.

I'VE BEEN A PART OF THE APS COMMUNITY BOARD FOR ALMOST TEN YEARS, AND IT'S THE FIRST TIME THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE STAFF PERSON IN THE ROOM, AND SO I WAS AGAIN IMPRESSED WITH THEM SHOWING UP.

ALSO, I APPRECIATED THAT THEY HAD TO PUT THEIR WORK ASIDE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, BUT IT WAS INCREDIBLY PRODUCTIVE AND EVERYONE LEARNED A LOT AND THERE WERE CONNECTIONS MADE, AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN THE WORK.

AND SO AND WE BUSTED SOME MYTHS ABOUT ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES, WHICH I WAS REALLY PLEASED ABOUT BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF WRONG INFORMATION OUT THERE.

SO THAT THOSE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PAST FEW MONTHS.

THANK YOU. OH.

JUST A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS.

FORT BEND COUNTY, I THINK WE HAVE A VERY INTERESTING STRUCTURE TO HELP EXPAND TBRI, TRUST BASED RELATIONAL INTERVENTION.

SO ABOUT A YEAR AGO, A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, WE FORMED A TBRI COLLABORATIVE TO REALLY LEVERAGE THE THE CLINICAL PRACTITIONERS AVAILABLE IN THE AREAS AND THEN REALLY WORK TOGETHER TO PROVIDE THIS ONGOING TRAINING THAT'S OFFERED TWICE A MONTH, THE CAREGIVER TRAINING. SO THROUGH THAT MODEL, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL COMMITTED AND WE'RE ALSO ABLE TO EXPAND OUR WORK AND OUR TRAINING. SO I JUST THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN PEOPLE WHEN WE'RE ALL, LIKE, STRUGGLING OF HOW DO YOU GET THIS TRAINING TO PEOPLE, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH CLINICAL PRACTITIONERS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, REACHING OUT TO YOUR PARTNERS AND SEEING WHO ELSE MIGHT HAVE SOME CAPACITY AND PARTNERING WITH THAT.

YOU CAN ALSO, YOU KNOW, GOOGLE FORT BEND COUNTY TBRI COLLABORATIVE AND FIND SOME INFORMATION.

AND THE OTHER THING IS FORT BEND COUNTY HAS A VERY ACTIVE AND PROACTIVE CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER AND CASA PROGRAM. AND ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO THEY ACTUALLY HAVE DEVELOPED A CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION COLLABORATIVE.

SO AGAIN, PULLING TOGETHER THE VARIOUS PARTNERS AND HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO IMPACT THAT WORK AND HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AND SUPPORT PROVIDERS, SUPPORT FAMILIES.

SO THANK YOU.

WELL OUT IN EL PASO, WE'VE BEEN WORKING HARD TO KEEP CULTIVATING COLLABORATIONS AND SOME OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED.

A FEW MONTHS BACK, THE HEART GALLERIES OF EL PASO LAUNCHED, AND WE HAVE A GREAT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN THAT GROUP, AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO GET HER CONNECTED TO FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY. I THINK THINGS ARE MOVING FORWARD SUCCESSFULLY WITH THAT.

IN ADDITION, OUR HELP ME GROW INITIATIVE, WHICH IS WORKING ABOUT WITH LEARNING EXPERIENCES, LEARN FROM THE NORTH TEXAS PIECES, ENHANCING THE RESOURCE REFERRAL NETWORKING FOR THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT HELPS TO IMPROVE EARLY AND TIMELY CONNECTION TO SUPPORT AND SERVICES FOR CHILDREN IN NEED WITH DEVELOPMENTAL CONDITIONS OR OTHER KINDS OF NEEDS. SIMILARLY, WE HAD SOME GREAT NEWS THIS THIS YEAR, AND WE'RE SEEING A LAUNCH OF SOME LEVERAGING THAT HAS COME FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH ADMINISTRATION GRANTS THAT ARE HELPING US FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

FOR EXAMPLE, OUR CHILD GUIDANCE CENTER GOT A $3 MILLION OVER FIVE YEAR GRANT TO HELP IMPROVE TRAUMA AND GRIEF ACCESS TO SERVICES FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AND SO THOSE PROGRAMS WILL BE LAUNCHED AND WILL BE CONNECTING WITH OUR LOCAL FOLKS AT OUR LOCAL CPS AND OUR LOCAL JPD OFFICES.

SO AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH WE DID A YOUTH SEQUENTIAL INTERCEPT MODEL PROJECT IN THE LATTER PART OF LAST YEAR, AND WE'RE WORKING TO IMPLEMENT A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY CONSENSUS PRIORITIES THAT WE NEED TO FIX FOR IMPROVING JUVENILE JUSTICE AND PREVENTING CHILDREN FROM INAPPROPRIATELY FALLING INTO THAT SYSTEM.

[00:35:05]

THE LAST COUPLE COUNCIL MEETINGS, I'VE SAID THAT I DON'T WANT TO JUST SIT HERE AND BE A FACE, BUT I REALLY WANT TO BE ABOUT CHANGE.

AND SO THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO MY VOICE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR STAFF BEING AVAILABLE TO HELP ME BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM SO THAT I CAN BETTER PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS.

SO SHOUT OUT TO THE FBSS PROGRAM FOR REALLY HELPING ME UNDERSTAND WHEN WE DO HAVE CUSTODY AND WHEN WE DON'T HAVE CUSTODY AND WHAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DO AND DOESN'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO.

SO I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

BEAR WITH ME, BECAUSE I DO HAVE A LOT OF UPDATES.

SO I HAVE A NONPROFIT CALLED CHANGE ONE, AND WE DO A LOT OF SYSTEMS REFORM WORK.

AND WE HAVE BEEN PARTNERING WITH JUDGE MARTINEZ JONES ON HER FOSTER CARE REIMAGINED PILOT PROJECT.

AND WHAT CAME OF THAT IS THE FAMILY PRESERVATION LEADERSHIP COUNCIL.

IT IS COMPRISED OF PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE, FROM A GRANDPARENT TO A YOUNG PERSON THAT IS AGED OUT OF FOSTER CARE, TO SOMEONE THAT HAS THEIR KIDS TAKEN AWAY, AND RECENTLY THEIR RIGHTS HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY AND THEY HAVE HAD THEIR CHILD REINSTATED AND GIVEN BACK TO THEM BECAUSE OF NEW LEGISLATION.

AND WE RECEIVED MONEY FROM THE BLACK FUND, WHICH WANTS TO ADDRESS BLACK AND BROWN FAMILIES AND HOW THEY INTERACT WITH THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM. AND SO THEY WILL BE HOSTING THEIR FIRST MEETING TO HEAR THE VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY ON MARCH 21ST, FROM 6 TO 8 P.M.

AT MAIN SPRINGS.

AND SO WE'RE ASKING ANYONE THAT HAS, YOU KNOW, BEEN INVOLVED OR AFRAID TO BE INVOLVED OR DON'T UNDERSTAND CPS TO COME OUT.

WE WANT TO HEAR THEM AND WE WANT TO BE BETTER PARTNERS WITH THE DEPARTMENT.

THE NEXT THING IS I SIT ON A BOARD CALLED EDUCATION REACH FOR TEXANS, WHERE WE FOCUS ON POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AND BUILDING WRAPAROUND SERVICES FOR THOSE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM.

SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT CAMPUS CHAMPIONS AT DIFFERENT COLLEGES.

AND IT'S NOT JUST FOUR YEAR COLLEGES, BUT IT IS TECHNICAL SCHOOLS AND TWO YEAR AND THEY'RE HAVING THEIR CONFERENCE IN JUNE IN DENTON, IF PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THE POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION OF THOSE THAT AGE OUT OF THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM.

I HAVE ALSO BEEN ON THE BOARD OF LEARNING BRIDGE.

IT IS A NONPROFIT THAT FOCUSES ON TUTORING FOR THOSE THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM.

EVERY TIME A KID MOVES A FOSTER HOME, THEY FALL BACK SIX MONTHS ACADEMICALLY.

BY THE TIME I AGED OUT OF FOSTER CARE, MY READING AND WRITING WAS AT A SEVENTH GRADE LEVEL.

I WAS TOLD I HAD A TUITION FEE WAIVER TO GO TO COLLEGE, BUT NO ONE EVER TOLD ME ABOUT HOW TO GET IN COLLEGE.

AND SO I FELT VERY INSECURE WHEN READING AND WRITING AT A SEVENTH GRADE LEVEL.

SO I'M VERY HAPPY THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS UTILIZING LEARNING BRIDGE FOR TUTORING SERVICES FOR YOUTH IN CARE.

I JUST RECENTLY CAME BACK FROM ATLANTA AND I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR THAT THE FAMILY CENTERED TREATMENT MODEL THAT TEXAS IS INVOLVED IN IT IN LUBBOCK.

AND SO IT IS A COMMUNITY BASED INTERVENTION WHERE WE'RE WORKING WITH FAMILIES IN THEIR HOME SETTINGS.

AND SO AGAIN, I WAS EXCITED TO HEAR THAT TEXAS IS A PART OF THAT.

ECHO. ECHO IS AN ORGANIZATION HERE IN THE AUSTIN AREA THAT FOCUSES ON HOMELESSNESS.

WHEN I AGED OUT OF THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM, I WAS HOMELESS AND SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUNG KIDS THAT ARE AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE, THAT WE ARE FOCUSED ON THAT AND THAT WE'RE SETTING THEM UP FOR SUCCESS, ESPECIALLY IF WE SAY THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN AND WE AS A DEPARTMENT, CAN DO A BETTER JOB THAN THEIR PARENTS, WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT IT'S NOT JUST WHILE THEY'RE UP TO AGE 18, IT'S EVEN AFTER 18 THAT WE'RE SETTING THEM UP FOR SUCCESS. SO I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEIR HOMELESS DIVERSION PROGRAM, AND WE RECENTLY RECEIVED A GRANT FROM UT WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING RESEARCH IN REGARDS TO YOUNG PEOPLE TRANSITIONING OUT OF FOSTER CARE.

AND I JUST WANT TO READ A STATISTIC REAL QUICK.

IT SAYS IN TEXAS, 33% OF YOUTH WHO AGE OUT OF THE FOSTER CARE EXPERIENCE, I MEAN FOSTER CARE THAT HAS EXPERIENCED FOSTER CARE BECOME HOMELESS AT AGE 21, COMPARED TO 29% NATIONALLY.

AND IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, 49% OF HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS SEEKING HOUSING ASSISTANCE REPORTED THAT THEY HAVE HAD HISTORY IN FOSTER CARE AND IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY HOMELESS RESPONSE TEAM SAID THAT 16,164 INDIVIDUALS WERE

[00:40:09]

AND SO WE DO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF YOUNG PEOPLE THAT ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AFTER FOSTER CARE.

SO I'M HAPPY THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE HOPEFULLY WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT TO UNDERSTAND MORE OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THESE YOUNG PEOPLE WHEN THEY AGE OUT.

AND THEN WE'RE ALSO FOCUSED ON MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID.

I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF KIDS THAT HAVE HAD BEHAVIORAL ISSUES.

AND SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, HOPEFULLY MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID COULD HELP.

AND IT'S THE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID.

AND SO HOPEFULLY WE DON'T HAVE KIDS IN HOSPITALS THAT DON'T NEED TO BE IN HOSPITAL BEDS.

THAT WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE INTERVENTIONS THAT CAN HELP THE DEPARTMENT.

AND THEN LASTLY, I LOVE TBRI.

BUT TBRI, WHAT IT DOES IS IT HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE BEHAVIOR IS HAPPENING, BUT IT DOESN'T HELP US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT DO WE DO ONCE WE KNOW THE BEHAVIOR IS HAPPENING. AND SO I'M THANKFUL FOR GLIMMER OF HOPE AND CASEY FAMILY PROGRAMS AND THE HOGG FOUNDATION FOR SUPPORTING RESTORATIVE PRACTICES FOR CHILD WELFARE, BECAUSE RESTORATIVE PRACTICES FOR CHILD WELFARE REALLY LOOKS AT THE HARM THAT HAS BEEN DONE.

AND HOW CAN WE HEAL THE HARM THAT'S BEEN DONE BY FAMILIES, BY THE SYSTEM, AND HOW CAN WE MOVE FORWARD IN A RESTORATIVE WAY? SO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY AND SERVE ON THIS COUNCIL, I APPRECIATE IT.

I'M A LITTLE AFRAID TO GO AFTER THAT.

WELL, I'M A MOTHER OF TWO CHILDREN THAT I'VE ADOPTED, AND SO I AM VERY BUSY WITH THAT.

BUT I'VE ALSO BEEN DIGGING IN AS A NEW COUNCIL MEMBER TO REALLY FIGURE OUT THE PLACES WHERE I THINK THINGS NEED TO BE BROUGHT TOGETHER.

AND SO ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO.

ONE THING I'VE DONE IS REACH OUT TO OTHER CHARITIES IN THE AREA, BECAUSE WHEN I DID MY RIDE ALONG THE RAINBOW ROOMS THAT EVERYBODY HAS ARE REALLY BARE.

AND THEY ALWAYS NEED DIAPERS.

THEY ALWAYS NEED THESE THINGS.

AND SO I'VE STARTED REACHING OUT TO AREA CHURCHES, CHARITIES AUSTIN DIAPER BANK AND SEEING IF WE CAN CREATE SOME RELATIONSHIPS WHERE THERE'S A REGULAR STREAM OF THINGS HAPPENING AND CHECKING IN ON THESE ROOMS, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT A LOT OF THE CHARITIES ARE THINKING TOWARD THAT.

LET'S SEE. I'VE ALSO WAS HAPPY TO SEE THE BLUEPRINT COME OUT, AND I STARTED DIGGING INTO THAT.

IT'S GOING TO TAKE ME A WHILE. IT'S ABOUT 400 PAGES, BUT I'M REALLY VERY INTERESTED AGAIN, TBRI USE IT, LOVE IT.

WHAT I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT IS I KNOW WE HAVE THE TRAININGS FOR CAREGIVERS, BUT DO WE HAVE TRAININGS ALSO FOR FAMILIES? YOU KNOW, ACTUAL INTACT FAMILIES? BECAUSE ONE OF THE WAYS THAT PARENTS CAN GET TRAINING YOU NEED TO REALIZE THAT IF YOU'RE ALREADY HERE AND YOU'RE ALREADY BEING FOLLOWED BY THE SYSTEM, THEN CLEARLY THERE IS SOME SORT OF TRAUMA. EITHER IT'S GENERATIONAL, PERSONAL, OR THE CHILDREN ARE NOW, YOU KNOW, EXPERIENCING THAT.

AND SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE EXPANDING THAT TRAUMA INFORMED CARE TO INCLUDE THE ORIGINAL FAMILIES AS WELL AS CAREGIVERS IN THE FOSTER SYSTEM AND ADOPTIVE PARENTS.

AND ALSO TO THAT END, I'VE BEEN REACHING OUT IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY TO THE ISDS TO GET AN IDEA OF WHAT THEIR TRAUMA TRAINING FOR TEACHERS AND PROFESSIONALS ARE IS LOOKING LIKE.

AND I KNOW FOR MOST OF THEM, IT'S A ONE DAY SEMINAR AND IT'S QUICKLY FORGOTTEN.

AND ALSO NOT ONLY THE ISDS, BUT CHARTER SCHOOLS TEND TO HAVE LESS OVERSIGHT AND LESS INTEREST IN IN REACHING OUT TO KIDS LIKE THIS.

AND SO I AM INTERESTED IN REACHING OUT TO THOSE CHARTER SCHOOLS AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY ALSO HAVE TRAUMA INFORMED CARE PROGRAMS IN PLACE.

SO BECAUSE I HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN CHILDREN TRAUMA, PREVENTING THE BREAK IN THE BEGINNING.

AND THEN ONCE THAT BREAK HAS HAPPENED, TO GO AHEAD AND REPAIR THAT FROM ALL AREAS, NOT JUST CAREGIVERS, BUT THE PROFESSIONALS THEY MEET IN THEIR LIFE, THEIR TEACHERS SCHOOL IS THE PLACE THEY'RE AT THE MOST.

AND ALSO LOOKING AT OTHER THERAPEUTIC MODALITIES.

THERAPLAY IS AN AMAZING THING, AND IT'S HELPED MY CHILDREN AND IT HELPS TO BUILD A ATTACHMENT.

IT HELPS TO BUILD SAFETY, AND IT'S SOMETHING WHERE PARENT AND CHILD ARE TOGETHER.

SO IT'S NOT A THERAPEUTIC APPROACH WHERE THE CHILD GOES INTO A ROOM AND DOES SOMETHING WITH A THERAPIST, AND THE PARENT IS OUTSIDE OF THAT.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS.

AND SO I'M LOOKING INTO SEEING HOW WE CAN INCORPORATE THAT KIND OF TREATMENT AND THERAPY.

I NEVER STOPPED BEING AMAZED AT HOW MUCH THIS COUNCIL CAN CONTRIBUTE BECAUSE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO WHEN WE'RE NOT HERE, AND I THINK I FORGOT

[00:45:07]

EVERYTHING'S JUST GOING TO BE FINE, WRONG.

BECAUSE AS SOON AS THEY GET TRIGGERED WITH SOME EVENT, THEN THEY GO INTO BACK INTO TRAUMA AND IT'S FIGHT, FLIGHT OR FREEZE.

AND SO ANYWAY, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO SOME OF THAT KIND OF COUNSELING.

I ALSO AM A JUDGE.

AND SO I JUST FINISHED WITH A JURY TRIAL THAT INVOLVED CPS.

MAN. WERE THEY GOOD? THEY THEY SAVED THESE KIDS LIVES WITHOUT A QUESTION.

BY THE CARE THAT THEY'VE GIVEN, AND I.

IT'S REAL HARD NOT TO SIT AND BE REAL PROUD.

I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING. BUT ANYWAY, I WAS VERY GRATEFUL THAT THEY HAD BEEN ON THIS CASE BECAUSE IT WAS BADLY NEEDED.

I'M DOING SOME WORK STILL WITH THE SEX TRAFFICKING AND TRYING TO CUT DOWN THE.

EVENTS OF SEX TRAFFICKING WITH, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR KIDS WHEN THEY'RE RUNAWAYS.

ALSO, I'M HAVE BEEN DOING SOME EDUCATING WITH SOME OF OUR LEGISLATORS ABOUT THE NECESSITY OF US FUNDING ID GROUP HOMES AND WORKING AND UNDERSTANDING MANY OF THE LEGISLATORS, WHEN I WENT IN AND TALKED WITH THEM OR TO THEIR STAFFS, HAD NO IDEA WHAT ID WAS.

SO WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM WITH EDUCATING.

WE NEED TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THE OLD TERMINOLOGY THAT WE USED OF RETARDATION AND DOWN SYNDROME, AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN GROUPED UNDER ID ARE NOW CALLED ID AND WHAT THEY MEAN AND WHAT WE CAN DO.

AND PART OF THE PROBLEM THAT IS VERY CONCERNING TO ME.

I'M ON THE TEXAS COUNCIL OF COMMUNITY CENTERS, WHICH IS ALL THE MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES IN ACROSS THE STATE.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S VERY CONCERNING TO THEM IS WE'VE HAD 120, I THINK, GROUP HOMES THAT HAVE BEEN CLOSED WITH ID FOLKS IN THEM.

AND IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE, MORE AND MORE UNDERSTANDABLE.

WHEN SOMEONE YOU THINK ABOUT IT, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE AND SAY YOUR FEELINGS AND SPEAK ABOUT THINGS.

IF YOU WERE NOT IN A POSITION TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, CAN YOU IMAGINE SOMEONE COMING AND SAYING, LOOK, I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN HERE LIVING WITH US FOR 15 YEARS, BUT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CLOSE DOWN THIS PLACE.

AND SO IF YOU'LL JUST PACK UP YOUR STUFF AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, IT'S LIKE, HOLY COW, IT'S.

AND UNTIL YOU EXPLAIN IT THAT WAY, SOMETIMES THEY DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE HORRIBLENESS OF A LOT OF THESE GROUP HOMES HAVING TO BE CLOSED BECAUSE OF LACK OF FUNDING.

ANYWAY IT'S BEEN A BUSY TIME, SO WE ARE NOW GOING TO GET BACK ON TRACK AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OUR NEXT SPEAKER

[IV. AGENCY UPDATE]

TRINA IS GOING TO TALK TO US.

SHE'S THE CHIEF BEHAVIORAL STRATEGIST.

GOOD MORNING. CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME? GOOD MORNING MEMBERS. AS JUDGE HELLAM SAID, I'M TRINA ITA.

I'M THE CHIEF STRATEGIST FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FOR THE DEPARTMENT.

I CAME TO THE DEPARTMENT IN JANUARY OF 23 ON LOAN TO HELP IDENTIFY PRIORITIES FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FOR THE DEPARTMENT.

SO WE WERE IN THE THROES OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION AT THE TIME.

AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET SOME THINGS ACCOMPLISHED BASED ON OUR THOUGHT THAT WE NEEDED TO REALLY FIGURE OUT HOW WE BUILD OUT THE CONTINUUM OF CARE THAT SUPPORTED NOT ONLY KIDS IN CONSERVATORSHIP, BUT ALSO TO PREVENT KIDS FROM COMING INTO CONSERVATORSHIP.

AND SO THAT WAS OUR FOCUS.

AND SO TODAY, I'LL TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THOSE INITIATIVES THAT GOT FUNDED THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION AND THEN THEN SOME OF THE OTHER WORK THAT I DID TO TRY AND BUILD THE FOUNDATION FOR THE OFFICE OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH STRATEGY.

SO FIRST, I'LL TALK ABOUT THE SWOT ANALYSIS BEFORE I GET INTO THE AGENDA, WHICH IS NOT LISTED IN THE SLIDES HERE.

SO WHEN I CAME TO THE DEPARTMENT YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, FIGURE OUT HOW WE ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES THAT I IDENTIFIED.

AND IN BUILDING A TEAM, I THOUGHT WE REALLY NEEDED TO TRY AND LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR WHAT WE WOULD FOCUS ON.

BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT NOT TO JUST SIT IN MY OFFICE OR JUST TO COMMISERATE WITH COLLEAGUES AND SAY, WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK? I FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO REALLY LOOK AT STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK, RIGHT? REALLY TO GET INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING THE WORK, PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD INTERFACE WITH THE DEPARTMENT AT EVERY LEVEL.

SO TO THAT END, WE DID A SWOT ANALYSIS.

AND WE QUERIED THE JUDICIARY, WE QUERIED ADVOCATES, WE QUERIED PROVIDERS, CASE MANAGERS STATE OFFICE STAFF.

[00:50:05]

SO SOME OF THE THEMES THAT CAME UP THROUGH THAT SWOT ANALYSIS WERE WE NEED TO INCREASE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES.

WE NEED TO INCREASE AND RETAIN PROVIDERS.

AS YOU ALL WELL KNOW, THERE IS A WORKFORCE SHORTAGE.

THERE'S A REAL CHALLENGE AROUND WORKFORCE THAT LOTS OF PROVIDERS ARE DEALING WITH AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PROBLEM SOLVE SO THAT WE CONTINUE TO TRY TO MEET THE NEED OF YOUTH AND FAMILIES THAT COME INTO CARE TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PROVIDERS TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF SERVICES AND TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION.

I WAS VERY PLEASED TO HEAR SOME OF THE COMMENTS FROM YOU AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE WE ARE BEING RESPONSIVE TO SOME OF THE THEMES THAT CAME ACROSS IN THE SWOT ANALYSIS THAT WE DID.

SO SOME OF THE EFFORTS AND INITIATIVES THAT ARE UNFOLDING AS PART OF WHAT WAS FUNDED THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION THAT MY OFFICE IS WORKING ON, ALSO TOO WAS WITH THAT IN MIND, LIKE, HOW DO WE ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED? NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THE TEAM WAS WAS ONE OF THE STRATEGIES RIGHT.

SO FUNDING A TEAM THAT CAN FOCUS ON STRATEGY WORK REALLY FOCUSED HERE AT THE DEPARTMENT TO HAVE A MORE INTENTIONAL PERSPECTIVE AND EFFORT AROUND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES AND TRYING TO YOU KNOW, ADDRESS ACCESS FROM A SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS IT NOTES HERE, OUR FOCUS IS REALLY STRATEGY RELATED TO ADDRESSING ACTUAL AND PERCEIVED GAPS FOR YOUTH IN CARE OR AT GREATEST RISK OF COMING INTO CARE.

AND EVERYWHERE I'M TELLING PEOPLE THIS, RIGHT.

AND BEGGING AND ASKING AND PLEADING, WHOEVER WANTS TO HELP ME TO COME HELP ME DO THIS WORK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WILL POINT TO THAT WE THINK IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THAT, AND THE COMMISSIONER POINTED IT TO, POINTED TO IT IN HER UPDATES AROUND THE RETENTION OF STAFF AND REALLY TRYING TO BUILD A WORKFORCE THAT STAYS IS ALSO A WELL, WORKFORCE, RIGHT.

WE REALLY WANT TO HAVE A WELL WORKFORCE AND SO HISTORICALLY THE AGENCY HAS HAD A WELLNESS COORDINATOR THAT HAS BEEN ON STAFF.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE VISION OF THE DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMISSIONER IN PARTICULAR THERE WAS THOUGHT TO REALLY ELEVATE THAT WORK AND BE PART OF MY OFFICE.

SO THAT WE CAN DO SOME WORK AROUND WELLNESS OF THE STAFF.

AND SO WE HIRED A PRINCIPAL WELLNESS ADMINISTRATOR THAT HAS THAT JUST STARTED IN FEBRUARY.

AND THEY'RE STARTING TO WORK ON SOME INITIATIVES THAT REALLY TARGET KIND OF A WELLNESS CULTURE AND PROMOTION OF WELLNESS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.

THE OTHER KIND OF FOCUS OF THE OFFICE OF MY OFFICE IS CROSS-SYSTEM COORDINATION AND PARTNERSHIP WITH CHILD WELFARE STAKEHOLDERS.

AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF INTERFACE WE DO WITH JUVENILE JUSTICE, YOU KNOW, HOSPITAL SYSTEMS, HHSC AND THEIR VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS THAT MIGHT TOUCH OR INTERFACE WITH OR HAVE SOME STAKE IN WORKING IN CHILD WELFARE OR DOING CHILD WELFARE DIRECTED WORK.

AND SO THAT IS KIND OF A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF, OF MY OFFICE AND KIND OF KIND OF OUR FOCUS.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS IS JUST AN ORG CHART.

IT IS A SMALL TEAM, SO IT IS MYSELF, AND THEN I HAVE FOUR POLICY STRATEGISTS AND THEN ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT HELPING ME DO THIS WORK.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO I'LL GET INTO SOME OF THE EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS THAT WERE FUNDED THIS PAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE THOUGHT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT WAS TO FOCUS ON SUPPORTING KINSHIP WORK.

RIGHT? WE BELIEVE WE NEED TO DO MORE WORK IN THAT SPACE.

BUT THIS WAS OUR EFFORT TO REALLY SUPPORT THE SINGLE SOURCE CONTINUUM CONTRACTORS AND OUR COMMUNITY BASED CARE AREAS.

AND SO WE PUT OUT GRANTS.

WE AWARDED $3 MILLION TO PUT OUT GRANTS FOR THEM TO FOCUS ON YOU KNOW, PROVIDING SERVICES AND SUPPORTS TO KINSHIP FAMILIES TO KINSHIP CAREGIVERS. AND THAT CAN BE SUPPORTS FOR THE KINSHIP CARE THEMSELVES OR THAT CAN ALSO BE SUPPORT FOR THE YOUTH THAT THEY ARE SUPPORTING.

AND SO THERE ARE A VARIETY OF THINGS THAT THOSE PROVIDERS ARE DOING.

WE JUST EXECUTED CONTRACTS FOR THAT INITIATIVE THE END OF JANUARY.

AND SO IT IS VERY MUCH IN ITS RAMP UP PHASE.

AND SO WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH FOLKS IN THE FUTURE IN TERMS OF HOW THAT IS PROGRESSING.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

WE ALSO DID SOMETHING THAT WAS, I THINK, UNIQUE THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION FROM A STRATEGY PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY THE DEPARTMENT HAS NOT BEEN A PROVIDER OF SERVICES PER SE, BUT WE LEVERAGE SERVICES THAT EXIST FROM OTHER AGENCIES, FOR EXAMPLE, HHSC.

[00:55:05]

AND SO WHAT WE DID WAS WE LOOKED AT WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WHICH SERVICES AND SUPPORTS WE THOUGHT WE NEEDED.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE IDENTIFIED WAS A LOT OF TIMES OUR KIDS GO INTO OR MAY GO INTO A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL TO RESOLVE AN ACUTE PHASE.

AND AS SOON AS THAT ACUTE PHASE RESOLVES, THEY'RE BEING DISCHARGED.

RIGHT. AND SO WHAT WE WERE NOTICING WAS THAT YOU KNOW, THAT WAS RESULTING IN KIDS JUST CYCLING, RIGHT? IF THERE WEREN'T, LIKE, THE RIGHT SERVICES AND SUPPORTS TO HELP THEM AS THEY WERE TRANSITIONING FROM THE ACUTE PHASE.

AND SO WE THOUGHT WE REALLY WANTED TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT REALLY ADDRESSED WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS THAT GAP.

AND SO THE LEGISLATURE FUNDED PRIVATE PSYCHIATRIC BEDS IN HHSC'S BUDGET STRATEGY AND THEN WERE DEDICATED.

THEY DEDICATED 20 BEDS TO DFPS SPECIFICALLY.

WHICH WE ARE CALLING OUR EXTENDED STAY BEDS.

RIGHT. AND SO IF A YOUTH PRESENTS COMES IN, IN THE ACUTE PHASE, THEY CAN STAY LONGER, RIGHT, TO REALLY WORK ON READYING THEM FOR A PLACEMENT.

AND PROVIDE THE RIGHT SUPPORTS FOR THAT TRANSITION.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

THE OTHER INITIATIVE THAT WE FOCUSED ON WAS YCOT.

THERE WAS ALREADY SOME INTEREST IN THAT PARTICULAR INITIATIVE.

I THINK WHEN THE BASE BILL CAME OUT THIS PAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION, IT WAS ALREADY IDENTIFIED FOR A CADRE OF TEAMS, ABOUT FOUR TEAMS, I BELIEVE IT WAS.

AND WE ASKED FOR MORE.

WE THOUGHT THERE NEEDED TO BE MORE OF THIS.

AND WHAT YOUTH CRISIS OUTREACH TEAMS ARE, THEY'RE DIFFERENT FROM MCOT.

IF YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH MCOT, WHICH ARE MOBILE CRISIS OUTREACH TEAMS, THIS IS MUCH MORE TARGETED ON YOUTH AND FAMILIES TO ONE, PREVENT A CRISIS FROM ESCALATING AND TO PREVENT THE DISSOLUTION OF THAT THAT THAT FAMILY UNIT OR THAT YOUTH COMING INTO CARE OR IF THAT YOUTH IS IN CARE, SAY, IN A KINSHIP PLACEMENT OR SOMETHING, THIS RESOURCE SHOULD SUPPORT THAT.

AND SO IF THERE'S A YCOT DEPLOYED THAT FAMILY CAN BE FOLLOWED OR THAT FAMILY UNIT CAN BE FOLLOWED UP TO 90 DAYS POST THE EVENT TO PROVIDE SERVICES AND SUPPORTS TO REALLY KEEP THAT FAMILY STABLE.

IT'S TRAUMA INFORMED INTERVENTIONS.

IT'S SUPPOSED TO AID IN RELAPSE PREVENTION AND ALL THESE THINGS.

IT IS NEW AND WE'RE WE'RE LOOKING TO HAVE THAT OPERATIONALIZED AT HHSC ACTUALLY BY QUARTER THREE OF THIS FISCAL YEAR. SO SUMMER SOME TIME.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

TEMPORARY STABILIZATION PILOT.

AND SO WE ARE IN THE VERY BEGINNINGS OF TRYING TO OPERATIONALIZE THIS PILOT.

IT IS NOT YET OPERATIONAL, BUT THE INTENT, AGAIN, IS TO FOCUS ON PROVIDING SERVICES AND SUPPORTS FOR YOUTH WHO MIGHT KIND OF BE IN, IN BETWEEN, WHO NEED SOME THERAPEUTIC SUPPORTS TO REALLY GET THEM READY FOR PLACEMENT.

AND SO WE'RE LOOKING TO OPERATIONALIZE ANYWHERE FROM 5 TO 12 BED PROGRAM WHERE THEY GET SOME INTENSIVE SERVICES.

AGAIN THAT READY YOUTH FOR PLACEMENT.

SO THAT IS, AS I MENTIONED, NOT OPERATIONAL YET.

WE'RE IN THE BEGINNINGS OF CONTRACT PROCESSING AND IDENTIFYING A LOCATION AND ALL THAT.

IT WILL BE IN REGION SIX A, WHICH IS IN THE HARRIS COUNTY AREA.

AND SO AGAIN HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET THAT UP AND RUNNING IN THE COMING MONTHS AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO REPORT BACK OUT ON SOME OF THE OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PARTICULAR PILOT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

BENEFITS MAXIMIZATION.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE COMMISSIONER REALLY WANTED ME TO PRIORITIZE AND WORK ON WHEN I CAME TO THE DEPARTMENT, WAS LOOKING AT THE BENEFITS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO YOUTH CURRENTLY RIGHT.

AND HOW WE REALLY LEVERAGE THAT AS MUCH AS WE CAN REALLY MAXIMIZE UTILIZATION OF BOTH THE STAR HEALTH BENEFIT AND ANY OTHER SERVICES AND SUPPORTS THAT MIGHT EXIST THAT OUR YOUTH SHOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.

AND SO WE PARTNERED WITH MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE THROUGH A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO HAVE THEM HELP.

WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THE DEPARTMENT, I WAS A TEAM OF ONE.

SO I NEEDED JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HELP.

AND SO THAT'S WHEN WE EXECUTED AN MOU TO WORK WITH THEM.

TO REALLY LOOK AT YOU KNOW, WHAT WE THOUGHT MIGHT BE SOME, YOU KNOW, BOTH LOW HANGING FRUIT AND MAYBE SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN CONSIDER LONG TERM IN TERMS OF HOW WE MAXIMIZE THE STAR HEALTH BENEFIT AND ANY OTHER SERVICES AND SUPPORTS THAT OUR YOUTH MIGHT BE MIGHT HAVE OR SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO AND TO IN FUNDING THE TEAM THAT I SUPPORT THERE WAS A WRITER THAT ALSO SPEAKS TO THAT TO SOME DEGREE.

AND SO WHAT WE WILL HAVE TO REPORT OUT ON WHICH I HIGHLIGHT HERE IS WRITER 44 IS ALL THE WORKINGS OF THIS OFFICE, THE THINGS THAT WE DID TO HELP KIDS BETTER ACCESS

[01:00:07]

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

PROVIDER CLINICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORT.

SO WHEN I WAS IN MY FORMER ROLE AT HHSC, I USED TO SERVE AS THE ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES THERE, I HAD A TEAM THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE.

ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR WAS FOR THE RELINQUISHMENT AVOIDANCE PROJECT, THE RTC PROJECT, WHICH WAS A PROGRAM THAT WAS DESIGNED TO PREVENT RELINQUISHMENT OF CARE TO THE DEPARTMENT BY PROVIDING AN RTC PLACEMENT.

THAT PARTICULAR PROGRAM HAS ABOUT 50 BEDS THAT IT OPERATES.

BUT WHEN YOU KNOW, I WORKED THERE, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WE REALLY HAD WAS PROVIDERS WILLINGNESS TO TAKE KIDS THAT HAD VERY HIGH NEEDS.

AND SO WE REALLY TRY TO LEAN INTO THAT AND TRY TO IDENTIFY HOW DO WE HELP OUR PROVIDERS BE MORE WILLING TO TAKE THESE KIDS THAT HAVE HIGH NEEDS? AND SO TO THAT END, WELL, THROUGH THAT PROCESS OF DISCOVERY, WE IDENTIFIED THAT THEY DIDN'T ALWAYS FEEL COMPETENT.

THEY FELT LIKE SOMETIMES THESE NEEDS WERE BEYOND THEIR SKILL SET TO BE ABLE TO SERVE THESE YOUTH.

AND SO YOU KNOW, THROUGH KIND OF OUR RESEARCH AND OUR EFFORTS, WE IDENTIFIED AN INITIATIVE THAT WAS HAPPENING IN FLORIDA CALLED THE QSA, QUALITY STANDARDS ASSESSMENT PROCESS THAT WE STARTED TO WORK WITH OUR PROVIDERS TO ADMINISTER AND USE.

WE PARTNERED WITH UT TO REALLY TRY AND PROVIDE THIS RESOURCE TO OUR PROVIDERS TO HELP THEM START YOU KNOW, DEVELOPING THE SKILL SET THAT THEY FELT THEY NEEDED TO REALLY SERVE KIDS APPROPRIATELY.

AND SO THROUGH THAT TA THEY GET THEY GET INDIVIDUALIZED TA THEY ALSO GET GROUP TO TO REALLY SUPPORT THEM.

AND UNDERSTANDING WHERE THEIR GAPS ARE AND HOW THEY MIGHT BETTER SERVE YOUTH.

AND SO WE REPLICATED THAT.

WE PICKED THAT UP OVER HERE AT THE DEPARTMENT AS AN INITIATIVE TO REALLY HELP OUR PROVIDERS THAT MAY HAVE SOME CHALLENGES.

AND SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSING ON I THINK IT IS ABOUT ANYWHERE FROM 7 TO 9 PROVIDERS THAT RIGHT NOW ARE ON HEIGHTENED MONITORING TO PROVIDE THEM WITH THE SUPPORTS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO REALLY SERVE OUR KIDS AS BEST THEY CAN.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO PROBABLY DURING COVID OR PRE COVID, THERE WAS A CONVENING THAT DPS DID WITH A MULTITUDE OF HOSPITAL STAKEHOLDERS.

THERE WERE LOTS OF CHALLENGES, AS I CAN IMAGINE, YOU ALL RECOGNIZE AND KNOW RELATED TO COVID AND THE NEED FOR SERVICES AND SUPPORTS DURING COVID.

IT WAS JUST THAT WHOLE TIME IN OUR HISTORY HAS HAD SOME REVERBERATING EFFECTS, BOTH AT THE TIME AND STILL NOW RIGHT.

AND SO DURING THAT TIME, HOSPITALS WERE REALLY STRUGGLING, RIGHT? AS WERE WE WITH GETTING OUR KIDS ACCESS FOR ALL THE REASONS I THINK WE ALL KNOW.

AND SO THERE WAS A WORKGROUP FORMED AND AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK WE WERE LOSING A LOT OF CAPACITY IN THE SYSTEM IN TERMS OF RTC BEDS AND ALL THESE THINGS.

AND SO WE FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A WORKGROUP TO COME TOGETHER TO REALLY KIND OF TALK THROUGH WHAT OUR CHALLENGES WERE AND THEN TRY TO FIGURE OUT SYSTEMICALLY HOW WE CAN COLLABORATE AND SOLVE THOSE THINGS TOGETHER.

RIGHT BEFORE I CAME BACK, CAME OVER TO THE DEPARTMENT.

THAT GROUP WAS A LITTLE BIT ON PAUSE, AND THEN WE REINSTITUTED THE GROUP AND ON A SMALLER SCALE TO HAVE A WORKING GROUP SO THAT WE CAN REALLY FOCUS ON SOLUTIONING CHALLENGES THAT WE FELT EXISTED BETWEEN OUR SYSTEMS HERE AT THE DEPARTMENT AND WITH THE HOSPITAL STAKEHOLDERS THAT WE WORK WITH.

AND SO MEMBERS OF THAT GROUP INCLUDE MYSELF AND SUPERIOR HEALTH.

WHO IS THE WHO IS THE BENEFIT PROVIDER? HHSC AND WE STARTED CONVENING, I THINK BACK IN DECEMBER OR JANUARY AND WILL BE WILL BE CONVENING ON A REGULAR CADENCE TO SOLUTION.

WHAT BARRIERS AND ISSUES THAT WE SEE FROM A SYSTEMS LEVEL SO THAT WE CAN STREAMLINE ACCESS TO CARE.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND WITH THAT I WILL CLOSE AND OPEN THE FLOOR FOR ANY QUESTIONS COMMENTS THAT THE COUNCIL MEMBERS MIGHT HAVE FOR ME.

I WANTED TO JUST SAY THAT I THINK IT'S WONDERFUL WHEN WE CAN SEE THAT WE CAN'T DO EVERYTHING.

THERE'S JUST NO WAY WE CAN HANDLE EVERYTHING.

SO FOR US TO PARTNER WITH SOMEONE WHO'S ALREADY DOING IT AND THEN CAN COLLABORATE WITH THEM AND UTILIZE THEIR SERVICES INSTEAD OF HAVING TO REINVENT THE WHEEL, IS A GIFT.

AND I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT YOU'RE DOING THAT AND REACHING OUT TO THESE OTHER GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT CAN HELP SERVE WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE FOR OUR KIDS. ANYBODY ELSE? THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

YOU HAD ONE. OKAY.

SORRY, CORTNEY. YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS HAVE QUESTIONS.

[01:05:02]

IT WAS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR TO HEAR ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE YOU'VE BEEN ON BOARD.

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE IS, WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AGENCIES? BECAUSE IN YOUR PRESENTATION YOU TALKED ABOUT ADDRESSING THE GAPS OF YOUTH THAT ARE AT RISK OF COMING INTO CARE.

AND WE ALREADY KNOW THAT THE LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES ARE OVERBURDENED.

AND SO IS THERE A PLAN TO PRIORITIZE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE OR, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.

SO EVEN BEFORE I CAME OVER TO THE DEPARTMENT, I HAD BEEN INVOLVED AND WORKING WITH DFPS.

IN MY FORMER ROLE, AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU KNOW, WE DID DO WHAT I WAS OVER THERE WAS IN OUR CONTRACTS, WE HAD THEM IDENTIFY KIDS WHO WERE IN CARE AS A PRIORITY POPULATION.

SO THAT WAS THAT WAS ONE THING.

BUT THE OTHER THING IS, IS THAT I'VE BEEN ENGAGED WITH THEM.

I'VE CALLED ON THEM TO SAY, HEY, WE HAVE THESE REALLY CHALLENGING KIDS.

CAN YOU MEET THEIR NEEDS? WE'RE LOOKING AT A VARIETY OF STRATEGIES TO INCLUDE AND TO LEVERAGE THAT SYSTEM, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN LEVERAGED.

YOU KNOW, FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.

LIKE SOMETIMES I THINK PEOPLE DON'T ALWAYS KNOW HOW TO ACCESS THE LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY SYSTEM.

SO I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK ON, ON TRYING TO KIND OF BREAK THAT DOWN, AS WELL AS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER PEOPLE IN THE DEPARTMENT.

IN A VARIETY OF CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING.

SO THAT PROGRAM THAT I MENTIONED, THE TSP PILOT THAT IS WITH THE LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY YOU KNOW, AND THERE'S BEEN OTHER CONVERSATIONS I'VE HAD AS RECENT AS YESTERDAY WITH A LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY WHO SAYS THEY'RE VERY INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH THE DEPARTMENT TO SERVE THIS POPULATION OF KIDS.

SO THEY ARE INCLUDED AND WE ARE, I THINK, STRENGTHENING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THAT PART OF THE SYSTEM.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

I WOULD LOVE TO OFFLINE WORK WITH YOU TO AND SUPERIOR HEALTH TO ADDRESS YOUNG PEOPLE THAT HAVE AGED OUT OF THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM THAT'S CURRENTLY USES MEDICAID.

BECAUSE WHEN IT COMES TO THE LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY AND THEY ARE AGING OUT AND THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, THEY GET LOST IN THE SAUCE. AND ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE MEDICAID UNTIL 26, THEY STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO ACCESS THE LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY.

AND WE KNOW FOR EVERY CHILD THAT DEALS WITH MENTAL HEALTH LIKE IT AFFECTS THEIR MENTAL, THEIR ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT.

SO WHEN THEY'RE AGING OUT, THEY MAY BE 21, BUT THEY'RE STILL 15 AND THEY'RE STILL DEALING WITH THESE THINGS AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO NAVIGATE THAT.

IF WE COULD PUT SOME ONE PAGERS TOGETHER OR HAVE A WEBSITE, SOMETHING WHERE IT'S EASILY ACCESSIBLE, THAT WOULD BE AMAZING.

YEAH. I THINK YOU TALK ABOUT KIND OF A WINDOW OR A SPECIFIC POPULATION THAT I THINK WE'VE ALL HAD CHALLENGES.

WE CALL THEM TRANSITION AGE YOUTH, RIGHT? THEY'RE TRANSITIONING FROM THE FROM THE YOUTH SYSTEM TO THE ADULT SYSTEM.

AND SOMETIMES, SOMETIMES YOUTH MAKE A DECISION.

THEY'RE LIKE, I DON'T WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE SYSTEM ANYMORE RIGHT.

AND SO IT'S HARD TO TRY AND KEEP THEM ENGAGED WHEN, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES MAYBE THEY'VE HAD NOT GREAT EXPERIENCES AND THEY'RE JUST READY RIGHT.

AND THAT IS A CHALLENGING AGE.

I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS 18, I DIDN'T WANT TO ALWAYS WANT TO LISTEN TO FOLKS, TO MY PARENTS AND OTHERS.

SO I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE CONVERSATION WITH YOU IF YOU HAVE IDEAS ABOUT YOU KNOW, FIRST WHAT THE GAPS ARE AND HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO SOLUTION THOSE AND THEN WHO WE MIGHT BE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TO TRY AND ADDRESS THAT.

THANK YOU. I DO HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION IN REGARDS TO THE $3 MILLION GRANT THAT WAS PROVIDED IN REGARDS TO KINSHIP.

I WAS I HAVE THREE QUESTIONS IN ONE.

HOW MANY GRANTS WERE RELEASED, HOW MANY PROVIDERS AND WHAT TYPE OF PROVIDERS WERE IN THE MIX? BECAUSE WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT SOMETIMES WE HAVE A HABIT OF WORKING WITH THE SAME PROVIDERS.

AND AND IT'S LIKE A MONOPOLY, BASICALLY.

AND WHAT HAPPENS IS, IF THOSE PROVIDERS HAVE EXISTED AND WE HAVE THE OUTCOMES THAT WE HAVE AND WE'RE NOT INVITING NEW PROVIDERS TO THE TABLE, THEN WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO KEEP HAVING THIS CIRCLE EFFECT.

AND SO I WAS JUST WONDERING YOU KNOW, HOW LONG DO THESE PROVIDERS HAVE THE GRANT? BECAUSE I DO KNOW THAT SOME PROVIDERS THAT THE DEPARTMENT WORKS WITH, THEY HAVE LIKE A FIVE YEAR GRANT.

AND IT'S LIKE IF WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE NOT PRODUCING GOOD OUTCOMES AND THEY'RE THE SAME PROVIDERS, AND THEN THEY HAVE A FIVE YEAR GRANT.

AND SO I'M JUST HOPING THAT WITH THIS KINSHIP SUPPORT, WE'RE NOT USING THE SAME METHODS AND MODELS THAT WE NORMALLY DO.

SO THIS KINSHIP GRANT WAS TARGETED RIGHT.

WE INTENTIONALLY ASKED FOR IT FOR OUR COMMUNITY BASED CARE PROVIDERS.

SO YOU KNOW, THE DOLLARS WERE FOR STAGE TWO.

[01:10:02]

YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO USE THESE DOLLARS, AND SO THE ENTITIES THAT RECEIVE THE FUNDS WERE SAINT FRANCIS, BELONG, OCOK, AND TO ENGAGE AND I DON'T I CAN'T RECALL TO YOU THE SPECIFIC REGIONS THAT THEY'RE IN, BUT THESE DOLLARS, AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, WERE TARGETED SPECIFICALLY FOR THEM.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CONTEMPLATING WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE TOO IN OUR LEGISLATIVE ASK FOR NEXT SESSION AS WELL, IN TERMS OF ADDITIONAL SSCCS THAT ARE GOING TO BECOME STAGE TWO.

AND THEN TOO, SOME CONVERSATIONS AROUND OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE.

AND SO THEY REALLY AT THEIR LEVEL YOU KNOW, I'M PROBABLY NOT THE MOST VERSED TO TALK ABOUT THE COMMUNITY BASED CARE MODEL.

I'M LOOKING AT THE COMMISSIONER AND OTHERS WHO CAN SPEAK TO THAT.

BUT THOSE DOLLARS THAT THEY GET WILL REALLY BE FOR THEM TO IDENTIFY WHAT THEIR LOCAL GAPS ARE.

SO WHEN WE WERE DEPLOYING THE DOLLARS, WE ASKED THEM TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS.

AND BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THERE WERE PARAMETERS THAT WERE DRIVING TOWARDS OUTCOMES IN RELATION TO HOW THESE DOLLARS ARE USED.

SO THEY HAD TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL TO US TO SAY EVEN THOUGH THE MONEY WAS GOING, WAS ALLOCATED TO GO TO THEM, THEY HAD TO TELL US WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO AND HOW THEY'RE GOING TO SERVE.

THE INTENTION OF THOSE FUNDS, WHICH WAS TO PROVIDE SERVICES AND SUPPORTS FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, EITHER FOR THE CAREGIVER AND OR FOR THE YOUTH THAT THEY'RE SUPPORTING.

AND WE ARE MONITORING THOSE PROVIDERS TO MAKE SURE THAT, AGAIN, WE GET THE OUTCOMES THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, TO THE POINT THAT YOU RAISED AROUND MAKING SURE THAT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE GOOD PROVIDERS THAT ARE DOING GOOD WORK FOR US.

AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT MY CONCERN WAS.

THE PEOPLE THAT YOU NAMED ARE AGENCIES THAT ALREADY EXIST THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH.

AND SO I'M THINKING ABOUT, LIKE, HOW CAN WE TAP INTO THE COMMUNITY THAT WANTS TO.

SUPPORT KINSHIP.

I'M HAPPY THAT TO ENGAGE IN ALL OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS WANT TO SUPPORT BUT THEY JUST STARTED SUPPORTING COMMUNITY BASED CARE.

SO NOW THEY'RE GOING TO BE SUPPORTING KINSHIP.

AND SO HOW CAN THEY DO A QUALITY JOB WHEN THEY'RE JUST NOW STARTING COMMUNITY BASED CARE? OKAY, THERE WE GO.

THE MICROPHONES ARE ALWAYS A CHALLENGE.

SO I THINK THE WAY THE LEGISLATURE APPROPRIATED THE FUNDING WAS DIRECTLY FOR THOSE COMMUNITY BASED CARE ORGANIZATIONS.

AND WHEN THEY ARE IN STAGE TWO, THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KINSHIP.

SO WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE ASKS THAT WE WERE ASKING FOR AROUND THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, AND LOOKING AT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES FOR HIGH ACUITY YOUTH AND SOME OF THE REASONS WHY WE WERE SEEING KIDS WHO WE MAY NOT WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH PLACEMENTS.

ONE OF THE REASONS WAS DISRUPTION ON KINSHIP PLACEMENTS BECAUSE THE KINSHIP FAMILIES DIDN'T HAVE THOSE SUPPORTS, AND THAT IS PART OF THE COMMUNITY BASED CARE MODEL. SO THEY WORK LOCALLY IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

IN SOME CASES, THEY MAY BE DIRECTLY PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES THROUGH THEIR STAFF, OR THEY MAY BE SUBCONTRACTING THEM TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.

BUT IT REALLY IS.

JUST AS IN LEGACY AREAS, WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE KINSHIP PROGRAM IN THOSE REGIONS.

AND THEY HAVE BEEN MOST OF THOSE HAVE BEEN IN THERE NOW IN STAGE THREE.

BUT THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE MODEL FOR SOME TIME PROVIDING THOSE CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES.

SO IT WAS REALLY AN ENHANCEMENT TO THE THE SERVICES THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

AND THEY CAN DO THAT IN WHATEVER WAY MAKES THE MOST SENSE IN WITHIN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY.

I DID WANT TO MENTION ONE OTHER, WELL, TWO OTHER THINGS.

ONE, I HAVE THIS DREAM.

MAYBE WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS SOME TIME OF HAVING JUST FROM MY CONVERSATION ALSO WITH YOUTH WHO HAVE AGED OUT IS THAT IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO RETAIN OR REMEMBER THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED.

I, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A MOBILE APP THAT WE HAVE THAT.

SO WHEN YOU NEED IT, IT'S THERE.

AND YOU CAN GO TO AND FIND OUT THAT INFORMATION ABOUT HOW DO I ACCESS MY MEDICAID BENEFIT, WHO DO I CALL TO DO THOSE SORTS OF THINGS? SO IT'S BEEN THIS DREAM OF MINE FOR A WHILE.

SO HAPPY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT.

AND THEN ALSO, I WANTED TRINA TO TALK JUST A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE I THINK THAT A BIG PART, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF A DEPARTURE MAYBE FOR THIS AGENCY, BUT IN MY VIEW WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NEEDS FOR YOUTH, IT IS WE ARE A SYMPTOM OF A LARGER PROBLEM WHERE WE HAVE SOME OF THESE VERY HIGH NEEDS YOUTH.

BUT THIS IS NOT JUST HAPPENING IN THE CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM.

[01:15:03]

AND WE GET THE CALLS OF PARENTS WHO ARE JUST DESPERATE TO OBTAIN SERVICES.

SO I THINK A BIG PART OF WHAT WE ADVOCATED FOR LAST SESSION, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR, AND YOU MENTIONED THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT SERVICES THAT FOR YOUTH THAT ARE SERVED BY US, BUT IT'S HOW DO WE PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES IN THE FAMILY OR WITH KINSHIP SO THAT WE MAY NEVER NEED TO BECOME ENGAGED, THAT THAT IS THE BEST OPTION.

AND WE ARE REALLY WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR PARTNER AGENCIES.

LAST SESSION, THE LEGISLATURE REQUESTED OR THEY PASSED LEGISLATION REQUIRING THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION TO CONVENE A GROUP TO DEVELOP A CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH STRATEGIC PLAN.

WE ARE AN ACTIVE PARTNER IN DEVELOPING IT.

TEXAS JUVENILE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, TEA, HHSC AS WE'RE AT THE TABLE, AND I THINK THIS IS BECAUSE CHANGES IN THE SCHOOLS, IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SCHOOLS THINGS THAT HELP FAMILIES, ALL OF THOSE THINGS HELP US.

YOU CAN'T SEPARATE THE IMPACTS ACROSS THE CONTINUUM.

SO, TRINA, IF YOU DON'T MIND JUST SPENDING A JUST A MINUTE OR TWO ON THE WORK OF THAT DEVELOPMENT OF THAT STRATEGIC PLAN AND MAYBE TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE CONVENINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN PARTICIPATING IN TO REALLY FOCUS ON THIS, THE NEEDS OF HIGH ACUITY YOUTH.

SURE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER, I APOLOGIZE.

I WAS REMISS IN NOT MENTIONING AS PART OF MY MY PRESENTATION.

SO THERE ARE A PLETHORA OF CONVENINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING BECAUSE I THINK, AS COMMISSIONER MENTIONED, I THINK ALL THESE SYSTEMS SUCH AS JJD, TEA, HHSC, ALL OF US ARE RECOGNIZING THAT WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER TO COLLABORATE ON HOW TO FIGURE OUT AND SOLUTION SERVICING HIGH NEED KIDS BECAUSE WE'RE ALL STRUGGLING.

SO TO THAT END YOU KNOW, THERE IS THE CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH STRATEGIC PLAN THAT THE COMMISSIONER MENTIONED THAT WE ARE A ACTIVE MEMBER.

I REPRESENT DFPS AND THERE ARE SOME OTHERS THAT PARTICIPATE FROM DFPS, BUT THE CONVENING OR THE SUBCOMMITTEE IS CONSISTENT OF A VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS.

SHE NAMED SOME OF THE KEY ONES JJD, TEA.

BUT THERE'S ALSO HOSPITAL REPRESENTATION.

THE LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES ARE THERE.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S JUST A WIDE RANGE OF PROVIDERS, UNIVERSITY PARTNERS THAT ARE AT THE TABLE HAVING A DISCUSSION AROUND WHERE THEY SEE OR HAVE EXPERIENCED THE NEED EXISTS WITHIN OUR SYSTEM.

SO WE'VE BEEN MEETING AS A SUBCOMMITTEE REGULARLY TO KIND OF LEVEL SET ON WHAT THE SYSTEM IS, RIGHT.

BECAUSE AS, AS YOU WELL KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES WE SILO.

RIGHT. AND SO BEING LEVEL SET ON HOW EACH SYSTEM OPERATES AND WHAT THEY DO HAS BEEN KEY TO HELPING US ALL LEVEL SET SO THAT WE CAN BE INFORMED IN OUR PLANNING AS A COLLABORATIVE COMMITTEE.

AND SO WE'RE GETTING READY TO PUT PEN TO PAPER BASED ON THOSE PRESENTATIONS AND THOSE CONVENINGS, THEY'RE COLLECTING DATA SO THE DATA WILL BE PART OF THE PRESENTATION OF THAT PLAN WHERE WE'LL MAP OUT THE CONTINUUM ONE TO SAY WHAT WE DO HAVE, AND THEN ALSO TO, TO MOVE INTO, BUT WHAT DON'T WE HAVE THAT WE THINK WE NEED IN ORDER TO DO EXACTLY WHAT THE COMMISSIONER IS TALKING ABOUT.

TO REITERATE THE POINT OF WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO BEST SERVE THE KIDS THAT ARE IN OUR CARE, BUT WE WANT KIDS NOT TO EVER COME TO THE DEPARTMENT.

AND SO WE WANT TO, WE WANT TO REALLY LOOK AT IT THROUGH THAT LENS AND SO I'VE BEEN DRIVING THAT POINT HOME IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS.

AND THE COMMISSIONER AND I ALONG WITH WHAT I'LL CALL TEAM TEXAS, WHICH HAD REPRESENTATION FROM JJD, TEA YOU KNOW, AND THE DIFFERENT AREAS WITHIN HHSC THAT TOUCH YOUTH AS WELL AS THE TEXAS CHILD MENTAL HEALTH CARE CONSORTIUM REPRESENTATIVE WENT TO BALTIMORE.

WE APPLIED TO BE PART OF THIS POLICY LAB TO TALK ABOUT THIS VERY ISSUE.

BECAUSE THIS IS NOT JUST AN ISSUE IN TEXAS.

THIS IS AN ISSUE ACROSS THE NATION WHERE STATES ARE EXPERIENCING AND AREN'T QUITE SURE WHAT TO DO ABOUT HIGH NEED YOUTH.

AND SO IN THAT CONVENING, WE TALKED ABOUT AND STARTED TO BUILD STRATEGY AROUND HOW WE CAN REALLY GET AT BUILDING AND STRENGTHENING OUR SYSTEM OF CARE HERE IN TEXAS.

AND SO WE HAVEN'T QUITE GOTTEN IT YET, BUT FROM A PRODUCT OF THAT WILL BE KIND OF A PLAN BASED ON THE FEEDBACK THAT WE HAD, THAT WE CAN USE AS MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF A ROAD MAP.

AND INCLUDED IN THAT WERE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE STRATEGIC PLAN THAT I MENTIONED, AND HOW WE MIGHT USE THAT AS A VEHICLE TO REALLY TELL THE STORY FOR WHAT TEXAS NEEDS. AS WE MOVE INTO THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION FOR THE KIDS THAT THAT WE ALL WANT TO SERVE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB AND WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING WITH US IN THIS CAPACITY.

[01:20:01]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THE NEXT PRESENTER IS CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATIONS ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER MARTA TALBERT.

WELCOME. GOOD MORNING.

TURN IT ON. YEAH, IT SHOULD BE RED.

WELL. OKAY.

THERE IT IS. HI, GOOD MORNING, YES, I'M MARTA TALBERT, I'M THE ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER FOR CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATIONS.

AND SO UNDER KIND OF WHAT I OVERSEE IS ALL THE INVESTIGATIONS THAT ALSO INCLUDES RESIDENTIAL OR WHAT I CALL LICENSE, THE SIDE OF THINGS AS WELL AS FAMILY.

AND PART OF WHAT I OVERSEE IS ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

AND SO THAT IS WHAT I'M HERE TO TALK TO ALL OF YOU ABOUT TODAY.

SO ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE, BASICALLY WHAT HAPPENS CURRENTLY IN OUR SYSTEM IS WHEN PEOPLE CALL OUR HOTLINE THERE ARE PRIORITY ONE CASES THAT THE P1 CASES THAT GO TO INVESTIGATIONS.

AND THEN THERE IS ALSO THE P2 CASES.

OF COURSE, P1 ARE THOSE SERIOUS CASES THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE CONTACT ON PRETTY QUICKLY WITHIN THE 24 HOURS.

AND THEN THE P2 CASES ARE OFTENTIMES MAYBE A LITTLE BIT LESS SERIOUS, MAYBE LOWER RISK CASES.

AND IN THOSE WHAT HAS HAPPENED CURRENT WHAT'S IN OUR SYSTEM RIGHT NOW IS THERE'S A SUBSET OF CASES THAT ARE P2 CASES THAT ARE SCREENED, AND USUALLY AT ALL TIMES THERE ARE SIX YEARS AND OLDER THAT GO TO OUR SCREENERS.

AND AT THAT TIME, THE SCREENERS CAN MAKE A DECISION BASED ON INFORMATION IF THEY COULD GO INTO OUR ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE SYSTEM.

AND SO JUST A LITTLE BIT AND SO ONCE IT GOES TO ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE, AT THAT TIME, WE HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY TO ENGAGE AND A DIFFERENT WAY WE BASICALLY MAKE CONTACT WITH THE FAMILY AND ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

SO JUST A LITTLE HISTORY ON ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

YOU KNOW, IN 2011.

I THINK YOU'RE ONE AHEAD OF ME.

I'M SORRY. NO.

YOU'RE FINE. SO IN 2000, 2011, CONGRESS AMENDED THE CHILD ABUSE PROTECTION AND TREATMENT ACT, MANDATING THAT ALL STATES RECEIVE CAPTIVE FUNDING TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE BY SEPTEMBER 1ST OF 2011.

WELL, AT THAT TIME, THE DEPARTMENT ACTUALLY MET THE MANDATE, BECAUSE WE HAD OUR SCREENERS AND OUR SCREENERS SCREENED OUT CASES AND ROUTED THEM IN DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT WAYS AT THAT TIME.

SO WE MET THE MANDATE.

BUT DURING THAT TIME, OR A LITTLE BIT AFTER THAT TIME, THE DEPARTMENT GOT TOGETHER AND SAID, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE SHOULD DO A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN JUST USING SCREENERS. AND IN FACT, 2014, WE WERE ENCOURAGED TO NOT ONLY MEET THE MANDATE, BUT TO CONSIDER USING OTHER CORE ELEMENTS THAT DISTINGUISH THE MODEL, THE ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE MODEL.

SO AT THAT TIME, THE AGENCY IN 2015 STARTED IMPLEMENTING ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

SO JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT AS FAR AS ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE, IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT WAY OF ENGAGING FAMILIES IN CERTAIN CASES OF ALLEGED ABUSE AND NEGLECT. IT ALLOWS US TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR FAMILIES WHILE STILL KEEPING OUR CHILDREN SAFE.

AND IT'S AN APPROACH THAT WORKS WITH FAMILIES IN A COLLABORATIVE AND NON-JUDGMENTAL MANNER.

WHEN I TALK ABOUT AR, I THINK THOSE ARE GOOD WORDS, BUT I THINK IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT APPROACH THAT WE TAKE, SUCH AS WE CONTACT THE FAMILY FIRST, AN ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE. IN FACT, ONE OF OUR FIRST PHONE, IT'S A PHONE CALL WITHIN 24 HOURS TO ATTEMPT TO ENGAGE THE FAMILY AND ACTUALLY SET A TIME WITH THEM WITHIN FIVE DAYS.

THAT IS GOOD FOR THEM, FOR THE FAMILY, BASICALLY RIGHT WHEN WE MAKE THE PHONE CALL, WE ASK THEM WHAT'S A GOOD TIME, WE NEED TO MEET WITH YOU.

AND IN FACT, WE ENCOURAGE THEM TO HAVE THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AT THE WHEN WE MAKE A HOME VISIT.

SO IT'S KIND OF THAT MORE COLLABORATIVE APPROACH ONCE WE ENTER THAT HOME WITH THAT FAMILY.

WE ABSOLUTELY STILL INTERVIEW, WE TALK ABOUT THINGS, BUT I THINK THE DIFFERENT APPROACH IS REALLY CONCENTRATING ON WHAT'S THE FAMILY WORRIES, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THEIR STRENGTHS, WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP THEM AND SO IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT APPROACH ONCE WE ENTER THAT FAMILY.

WE CAN ALSO DO FAMILY AGREEMENT PLANS, IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE, WHERE WE REALLY SIT DOWN AND TALK ABOUT THE FAMILY'S WORRIES, AND THEN WE CAN COME UP WITH A PLAN WITH THEM AND HELP THEM FIND RESOURCES.

TEAM WITH THEM IF THEY'RE HAVING, YOU KNOW, CONCERNS AT THE SCHOOL AND GO WITH THEM TO THE SCHOOL.

SO IT'S REALLY KIND OF THAT ENGAGING TEAMING APPROACH WITH OUR FAMILIES.

WE ALSO KEEP THESE ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE OPEN A LITTLE BIT LONGER AROUND 60 DAYS.

[01:25:06]

AND ABOUT THAT 45 DAY MARK FOR TRADITIONAL FAMILY INVESTIGATIONS.

AND SO WE CAN ALSO REFER TO SERVICES, OFFER SERVICES.

SO BASICALLY ALL KINDS OF THINGS IN ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

I THINK THE OTHER BIG PIECE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IN AR, THERE'S NO ALLEGED PERPETRATORS.

AND SO OFTENTIMES WHEN WE GO INTO FAMILY HOMES AND WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE AN ALLEGED PERPETRATOR, SOMETIMES THAT IS VERY DIFFICULT ON FAMILIES RIGHT.

AND SO IN AR THERE ARE NO ALLEGED PERPETRATORS.

THERE'S NO DISPOSITIONS AND SO FAMILIES DON'T HAVE A RULED OUT OR AN RTB.

THEY DO NOT HAVE A DISPOSITION.

AND OF COURSE, THAT MEANS THAT LEADS TO NO CENTRAL REGISTRY FOR THESE FAMILIES.

AND SO OFTENTIMES THAT'S WHY I DESCRIBE IT KIND OF THAT LEAST INTRUSIVE WAY TO WORK WITH FAMILIES, BUT NOT NECESSARILY THEM HAVE DISPOSITIONS OR BE ON CENTRAL REGISTRY.

CURRENTLY OUR AR CASES, AND I SAY CURRENTLY BECAUSE WE HAVE A PILOT THAT I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT HERE IN JUST A MINUTE HAT IS IN EL PASO RIGHT NOW.

BUT CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW OUR TWO CASES ARE VERY LOW MODERATE KIND OF RISK THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

AND OF COURSE I HAVE TO ALWAYS SAY THIS BECAUSE I DO HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS SOMETIMES, IS THAT AT ANY TIME THERE'S A SAFETY OR DANGER, WE'RE GOING TO ACT IF IT'S AR OR TRADITIONAL, RIGHT. SO AR WE WOULD STILL ACT TO PROTECT CHILDREN.

IT'S JUST A MATTER OF OUR BEGINNING STAGES TO BE A LITTLE BIT LEAST INTRUSIVE OR LESS INTRUSIVE TO OUR FAMILIES AND REALLY ENGAGE IN TEAM WITH OUR FAMILIES.

SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A HUGE LIST, BASICALLY, OF WHAT'S NOT ELIGIBLE TO GO TO AR.

AND SOME OF THE THINGS I'M NOT GOING TO HIGHLIGHT THE ENTIRE LIST, BUT JUST SOME OF THE THINGS, OF COURSE, IS SEXUAL ABUSE WILL NOT GO TO ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

IF THERE IS A SERIOUS PHYSICAL INJURY, THOSE CASES WILL NOT GO TO ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

IF THERE'S A FATALITY, THOSE CASES WILL NOT GO TO ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

AND OF COURSE, LIKE MANUFACTURING ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES THAT INVOLVE ACTIVITY, THOSE KIND OF THINGS WILL NOT GO TO ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

AND OF COURSE MOST OF THOSE ARE PRIORITY ONE INVESTIGATIONS ANYWAY.

SO WE REALLY ARE TRYING TO FOCUS MORE ON THAT PRIORITY TO THAT LOW MODERATE RISK AND, AND OLDER CHILDREN OVER AGE SIX IS A BIG ONE FOR ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

THE CHILDREN HAVE TO BE OVER AGE SIX.

AND SO AR HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS.

AND IN SINCE WE HAVE STARTED AR IN TEXAS IN 2015, THERE'S BEEN 210,329 CASES THAT WE HAVE WORKED AND REMAINED IN.

ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE TO THE STATE.

WE HAVE SEEN A TREND OF INTAKES INCREASING, I'M SORRY, INTAKES THAT MEET REQUIREMENT FOR ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE INCREASING.

AND SO IN 2019 THERE WAS ABOUT 40,000 AND WE'RE AROUND 48,000 AND FISCAL YEAR 22.

SO WE'VE DEFINITELY SEEN A INCREASE IN THE THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT THAT MEET THE AR CRITERIA.

SO THE NEXT SLIDE THAT I HAVE IS AR STATEWIDE DATA.

AND SO YOU CAN SEE YOU KNOW ABOUT IN 2022 IS ABOUT 20% OF ALL OF OUR CASES GO TO AR.

AND IT'S INCREASED, SO IN 2018 IT WAS ABOUT ALMOST 14%, WERE ABOUT 20% OF OUR CASES NOW GO INTO ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

AND SO PROBABLY ABOUT A YEAR AGO, MY TEAM AND I REALLY TALKED ABOUT ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SINCE 2015 HAD THE SAME CRITERIA, THE SAME CASES THAT CAN AND CANNOT GO TO ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

AND SO MY TEAM AND I KIND OF COME TOGETHER AND SAID, I WONDER IF WE SHOULD RELOOK AT THAT.

AND THAT'S THAT'S WHERE WE ARE AT THIS POINT, IS LOOKING AT EXPANDING OUT OUR ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE AND REALLY TRYING TO CAPTURE MORE OF THOSE RULED OUT INVESTIGATIONS THAT WE HAVE TO MAYBE BE ABLE TO WORK THOSE FAMILIES AND TEAM AND ENGAGE WITH THOSE FAMILIES IN ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE VERSUS HAVING DISPOSITIONS, HAVING KIND OF THAT MORE INTRUSIVE SITUATION WITH INVESTIGATIONS.

AND SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE REALLY WE HAVE STARTED A PILOT.

BASICALLY, WE WANTED TO START A LITTLE BIT SMALL BEFORE WE EXPANDED ALL THE CRITERIA ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND WE HAVEN'T CHANGED ALL THE CRITERIA.

[01:30:05]

SO AS I SAID EARLIER, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF CRITERIA.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE WILL NOT WORK IN AR STILL EVEN WITH THE PILOT IS SEXUAL ABUSE AND SERIOUS PHYSICAL ABUSE.

BUT WHAT IS ALWAYS BEEN SCREENED OUT IS CHILDREN UNDER SIX, EVEN IF IT WAS NEGLECTFUL SUPERVISION.

SO NOW IN OUR PILOT, WHAT WE ARE DOING IS WE'RE ADDING THOSE TO ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

AS CHILDREN THAT ARE UNDER AGE SIX, THAT MAYBE IT IS ALLEGATIONS OF NEGLECTFUL SUPERVISION, MAYBE IT IS ALLEGATIONS OF ANOTHER CHILD IN THE HOME BEING DISCIPLINED. AND SO THOSE CASES WILL NOW GO TO AR IN OUR PILOT SITE, WHICH IS THE EL PASO AREA, THE AREA THAT WE HAVE CHOSEN.

AND JUST A LITTLE BIT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY WHILE WE, YOU KNOW, WE DEFINITELY WANTED TO EXPAND OUR AR BUT THERE'S MANY REASONS WHY WE LOOKED AT EXPANDING AT AR.

OF COURSE WE DEFINITELY WANT TO BE LEAST INTRUSIVE WITH FAMILIES ENGAGE AND TEAM WITH THEM LIKE I'VE TALKED ABOUT.

BUT WE ARE ALSO GOING TO LOOK AT A FEW OTHER THINGS AS WE'RE IN THIS PILOT KIND OF MODE WITH THE EL PASO AREA IS WE'RE HOPING THAT WE WILL SEE A DECREASE IN THE NUMBERS OF FAMILIES WITH DISPOSITIONS.

WE'RE HOPING WE SEE IMPROVED, WITH ENGAGEMENT WITH FAMILIES.

WE HOPE WE SEE A CHANGE IN DISPROPORTIONALITY.

WE'RE HOPING WE SEE A CHANGE IN REMOVAL OF YOUNGER CHILDREN.

AND OF COURSE, WE WANT TO SEE INCREASED COMMUNITY SATISFACTION AND OUR WORKER SATISFACTION.

BEFORE WE IMPLEMENTED OUR PILOT, WE DID SOME RESEARCH FROM OTHER STATES AND FOUND MANY DIFFERENT THINGS, SUCH AS THERE WAS VERY FEW STATES THAT LIMIT.

NO, YOU'RE OKAY, IT'S RESEARCH FROM OTHER STATES.

AND IT DOES NOT SHOW, THAT'S INTERESTING.

OKAY, SO BEFORE WE STARTED THE PILOT, WE DID RESEARCH FROM OTHER STATES.

AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT THERE WAS VERY FEW STATES THAT LIMIT BY AGE CRITERIA.

SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT HELPED US DECIDE, LIKE WHAT WERE WE GOING TO CHANGE FOR OUR PILOT IN THE AREAS.

AND THEN WE ALSO FOUND THAT, YOU KNOW, OTHER STATES USE IT FOR PRENATAL DRUG EXPOSURE TO REALLY WORK WITH THOSE MOMS AND TEAM WITH THOSE MOMS TO GIVE THEM RESOURCES AND REFERRALS.

THERE WAS OHIO THAT SAW A DECREASE IN TURNOVER BECAUSE THEIR STAFF WAS MORE HAPPY WORKING ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE CASES THAN THE TRADITIONAL INVESTIGATIONS.

WE ALSO FOUND THAT ALL STATES, WHICH WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO IS THEY EXCLUDE ANY SEXUAL ABUSE OR SERIOUS PHYSICAL INJURY OR FATALITY CASES AND THAT AND MAJORITY OF THE STATES, WHAT THEY DID IS THEY ASSESSED ALL PRIORITY TWO INVESTIGATIONS.

AND SO ALL P2 CASES THEY LOOKED AT TO SEE COULD GO THE ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE WAY.

SO AFTER WE DID SOME OF THAT RESEARCH, WE LOOKED AT WHO COULD WE GO TO, WHAT'S OUR REGION, WHAT'S OUR AREA THAT MAYBE WE COULD PILOT THIS.

AND OF COURSE WE CHOSE REGION TEN AS THE EL PASO AREA, SPECIFICALLY AS THE WAY WE WOULD GO.

AND THERE'S KIND OF SEVERAL REASONS WE LOOKED AT, YOU KNOW, THAT AREA HAS LARGER POPULATIONS, SMALLER POPULATIONS.

THERE'S A MILITARY INFLUENCE, THERE'S TRIBAL COMMUNITY.

AND SO WE THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD PILOT AREA FOR OUR CHANGE IN ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

AND CURRENTLY IN EL PASO, SPECIFICALLY, ABOUT 20% OF THEIR CASES GO AR, SO THAT'LL BE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS DOES THAT INCREASE AS WE GO THROUGH AND WHAT DO WE SEE AFTER WE PILOT THIS IN REGION TEN.

AND THE CHANGE WE'RE OF COURSE, WE'RE MAKING IS THAT WE'RE WE'RE GOING TO SCREEN ALL P2 CASES AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE OUR UNDER SIX GOES TO THIS AR, LONG AS IT'S NOT SEXUAL ABUSE OR PHYSICAL ABUSE OR FATALITY.

SO WE HAVE ALSO TRAINED.

IT'S BEEN ONGOING FOR A LITTLE WHILE, BUT WE HAVE TRAINED ALL OF OUR INVESTIGATORS.

THE ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE WAY, WE HAVE, WE'RE PROVIDING AND WILL ONGOING PROVIDE TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO ALL THE CASEWORKERS.

AND WHEN I SAY THAT WE'RE DOING STAFFING WITH THOSE CASEWORKERS, WE'RE LOOKING AT INDIVIDUAL CASES WITH THOSE CASEWORKERS HELP AND SOLVE PROBLEM SOLVE IF THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT HAVING THOSE CASES IN ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE, AND THEN KIND OF GIVING STAFF MORE TOOLS ON HOW TO ENGAGE AND WORK WITH FAMILIES AS THEY'RE IN THIS PILOT AREA.

AND SO AFTER RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN OUR PILOT STAGE.

IT STARTED IN FEBRUARY, SO IT'S A SIX MONTH PILOT.

[01:35:02]

YOU KNOW, CAN WE EXPAND IT.

DO WE NEED TO DO ANOTHER PILOT AREA.

SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'LL DEFINITELY BE LOOKING AT IS, OF COURSE, OUR REMOVALS IN EL PASO THAT THAT INCREASE, DECREASE.

HOW MANY CASES WENT TO FAMILY BASED SAFETY SERVICES.

YOU KNOW, HOW MANY SAFETY PLANS.

THEY'RE GOING TO ALSO BE DOING A SATISFACTION SURVEY TO FAMILIES.

SO WE CAN SEE IF WE MADE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WAY WE ENGAGE IN TEAM WITH FAMILIES AND AS WELL AS WITH OUR WORKERS.

WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING TO SEE IF IT HELPED US RETAIN STAFF AND THAT OUR STAFF ARE MORE HAPPY OR HAPPIER IN THEIR POSITIONS, WORK IN ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE CASES.

WE'RE GOING TO ALSO BE LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF COURSE, REMOVALS OUT OF THE EL PASO AREA.

WE'RE GOING TO LOOK TO SEE HOW MANY LIKE THE RISK LEVEL FOR OUR CASES WHEN WE GO TO CLOSE OUR INVESTIGATIONS OR THE ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE CASES.

AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO LOOK TO SEE, YOU KNOW, AS, AS IT IS RIGHT NOW AND IN OUR PILOT AREA, AT ANY TIME, OUR INVESTIGATORS OR THE ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE STAFF CAN HAVE AN AR CASE AND THEY PROGRESS IT TO INVESTIGATIONS.

SO WE'RE GOING TO REALLY STUDY OF LIKE HOW MANY OF THOSE FROM AR HAD TO PROGRESS TO INVESTIGATIONS TO HELP US REALLY MONITOR AND KNOW IF THIS PILOT WORKED OR DID NOT WORK, OR WE NEED TO MAKE ANY TWEAKS BEFORE MAYBE WE EXPAND IT TO THE NEXT AREA.

AND SO I WILL CLOSE WITH THAT AND WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS.

BEFORE WE GO TO QUESTIONS, CAN WE GO TO PAGE FIVE? I THINK WE SKIPPED THAT POWERPOINT AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR AUDIENCE TO SEE THAT SLIDE. THE CASES THAT ARE INELIGIBLE? ALTERNATE CRITERIA.

YES. YES.

THE INTAKE, THE ELIGIBLE ONE.

THESE. IT'S NOT NUMBER, BUT I KIND OF NUMBERED IT NUMBER FIVE.

IT SAYS OH OKAY OKAY.

SO YES, IT'S THE LIST OF WHAT'S INELIGIBLE.

YES I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT.

YES. AND THAT'S I CAN READ THEM IF THAT WILL BE HELPFUL IF WE CAN'T PULL IT UP.

BUT. BUT RIGHT NOW, THE ONES THAT ARE INELIGIBLE ARE.

IF THERE'S A HOUSEHOLD MEMBER THAT HAS BEEN RTB'D IN THE PAST FOR A FATALITY.

IF THE ALLEGED PERPETRATOR IS AN EMPLOYEE LIKE SCHOOL DFPS OR A FOSTER PARENT, IF THERE'S AN ALLEGATION OF SEXUAL ABUSE, FORCED MARRIAGE, SEX AND LABOR TRAFFICKING, IF THERE'S A HOUSEHOLD MEMBER CONVICTED OF A SEX CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER, IF THERE'S PHYSICAL ABUSE ALLEGATIONS THAT ARE SERIOUS PHYSICAL INJURY, THE FAMILY HAS AN OPEN CVS OR FBSS CASE WITHIN THE LAST TWO YEARS.

CURRENT INTAKES INVOLVED CHILD FATALITY A CHILD UNDER SIX THAT LIVES IN THE HOME.

IF CHILD REMOVAL IS IMMINENT, THERE'S ALLEGATIONS OF MEDICAL NEGLECT, SUCH AS CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITION THAT CAN BE LIKE IMMEDIATE HARM TO A CHILD, ALLEGATIONS OF MANUFACTURING OF ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES THAT INVOLVE AN ACTIVE DRUG RAID.

ALLEGATIONS IN A SITUATION WHERE A WEAPON THAT COULD BE USED TO INFLICT SERIOUS OR POTENTIAL DEADLY HARM HAS BEEN USED.

SO THAT IS OUR CURRENT POLICY FOR AR.

AND SO WHEN MY STAFF AND I LOOKED AT THAT WHEN WE STARTED FIGURING OUT OUR NEXT STEPS, IT WAS WE KNOW THAT WE STARTED WITH THE CHILDREN UNDER AGE SIX, BUT WE WE KNOW THAT SOME OF OUR NEXT STEPS MAY BE TO ALSO LOOK AT SOME OF THIS OTHER CRITERIA THAT MAYBE WE COULD WORK THOSE IN AR AS WELL.

SO WE'RE STARTING SMALL AND MAYBE GET BIGGER.

HERE, LET ME TRY TURNING MINE OFF.

THERE. OKAY.

TEST. NO.

THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION.

AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH.

I SEE THAT IT'S JUST GOTTEN UNDERWAY, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY AND ENGAGING WITH OUR PARTNERS TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE DOING ALL WE CAN TO HELP MAKE THESE EFFORTS A SUCCESS.

I DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU SAID WITH AR WHEN THERE'S NO DISPOSITION THEY ARE NOT ON THE REGISTRY.

THAT IS AMAZING, THAT IS AMAZING.

AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION THAT I HAVE IS THAT I HEARD YOU SAY THAT WITHIN FIVE DAYS, YOU'RE WORKING WITH THE FAMILY TO SEE WHEN IS THE BEST TIME FOR Y'ALL TO MEET.

DOES THAT MEAN THAT Y'ALL ARE NOT GOING TO THE SCHOOLS?

[01:40:04]

SO WHEN WHEN DOES THAT HAPPEN? YES, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

SO YES. AND OUR TRADITIONAL INVESTIGATIONS TYPICALLY WE GO TO SCHOOL FIRST RIGHT.

BUT IN AR, OUR ATTEMPT IS ABSOLUTELY TO WORK WITH THE FAMILY, TO SEE THEM WITHIN FIVE DAYS AT THEIR HOME OR WHEREVER IT'S BEST FOR THEM.

I CAN'T SAY WE WILL NEVER GO TO THE SCHOOL, RIGHT.

BECAUSE THERE COULD BE A AND WE DO HAVE FAMILIES SOMETIMES SAY, I CAN'T MEET YOU TILL THE SIXTH DAY.

I KNOW YOU HAVE TO SEE MY CHILDREN.

YOU CAN GO TO THE SCHOOL.

BUT IT'S A I THINK THAT'S THE BIG DIFFERENCE OF REALLY WORKING WITH THEM.

AND IF WE ARE GOING TO THE SCHOOL WE TALK TO THE PARENTS ABOUT, HEY, WE HAVE TO DO THIS IN FIVE DAYS.

AND BECAUSE THEY CAN'T, WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE SCHOOL.

SO IT'S JUST THAT DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION WITH THOSE FAMILIES FROM THE ONSET.

I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LEADING THE ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE.

IT REALLY MEANS A LOT TO ME OF Y'ALL WORKING WITH FAMILIES, BECAUSE FOR ME, I WAS EIGHT.

I MADE AN OUTCRY.

I WAS REMOVED FROM SCHOOL, MY GRANDMOTHER TOOK ME TO SCHOOL.

I WAS REMOVED FROM SCHOOL AND DID NOT SEE HER AGAIN UNTIL I WAS 12, WHEN I LOOKED HER UP IN A PHONE BOOK.

AND SO, BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH FAMILIES AND UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHAT IS GOING ON, AND EVERYBODY INVOLVED IS AN AMAZING APPROACH.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.

THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE IS, IS FAMILY FIRST DOLLARS BEING USED TOWARDS SUPPORTING AR.

NO. OKAY.

CORTNEY, I THINK IT'S A GIFT THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN YOUR LIFE TO BE LIVED, EXPERIENCE AND ARE TURNING IT AND WORKING WITH THESE PEOPLE WHO CARE SO MUCH, AND YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO GIVE A WHOLE NEW PERSPECTIVE TO IT.

AND WE'RE JUST GRATEFUL FOR YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MA'AM.

WE APPRECIATE IT.

I HAVE A COMMENT.

OH. I'M SORRY. IT'S OKAY.

AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE OUTCOME OF THIS PILOT AND EL PASO AND I CAN RELATE WITH CORTNEY.

SOME FAMILIES HAVE COME UP THAT AT TIMES THEY GO IN AND THEY VISIT WITH A CHILD WITHOUT THE PARENT KNOWING, AND IT'S VERY FRIGHTENING FOR THESE CHILDREN TO COME IN AND SPEAK TO WHAT THEY CALL A STRANGER BECAUSE THEY'RE TAUGHT DANGER STRANGER, STRANGER, DANGER.

AND SO I AM VERY PLEASED THAT WE GOT TO BRING THIS FAMILIES TOGETHER WITH THEIR CHILDREN.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT HAVING A CHILD WAS NOT GIVEN US A POLICY BOOK AS A PARENT OR A HANDOUT OF HOW TO RAISE A CHILD, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE NOT AWARE OF SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE CHILD OR IN THE PARENT OR IN THE HOME, BECAUSE AT TIMES THEY FEEL THAT IS NORMAL.

YOU KNOW, FOR A PARENT TO SAY THIS HAS ALWAYS HAS HAPPENED IN OUR HOME, BEING RAISED IN DIFFERENT GENERATIONS.

SO I THANK YOU AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.

AND I THANK YOU AS WELL AND YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR TEAM.

WE APPRECIATE IT.

OKAY. OUR NEXT PRESENTER.

AND THEN WE WILL TAKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK.

WE'LL BE SANDRA BALDARO FROM THE CENTER FOR LEARNING AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE ON TRAUMA.

HE HAD TO TURN IT ON.

GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS SANDY BALDERAS, AND I WORK FOR THE CENTER FOR LEARNING AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE.

AND WITH ME TODAY IS ALEX HAMILTON, AND HE MANAGES OUR TRAUMA INFORMED CARE SPECIALIST, AND HE WILL BE HEARING FROM HIM IN JUST A MOMENT.

I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THE TIME TO COME AND TALK ABOUT THIS VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC OF TRAUMA INFORMED CARE IN OUR TRAINING.

TODAY'S PRESENTATION, WE WILL COVER WHERE WE GET OUR CONTENT FROM, HOW WE DEVELOP THAT CONTENT, AND OUR DELIVERY TO STAFF.

AND THEN ALEX IS GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR PROGRAM PARTNERSHIP AND THE TRAININGS THAT WE DO WITH TEAMS AROUND THE STATE.

FIRST, WE GET OUR CONTENT FROM THREE MAIN SOURCES.

THE NATIONAL CHILD TRAUMATIC STRESS NETWORK IS A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ORGANIZATION CREATED BY CONGRESS IN 2000.

THEY TAKE THE VOICE OF THE CHILD AND THE VOICE OF THOSE WORKING WITH CHILDREN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA INTO THE CREATION OF THEIR CURRICULUM AND CONTENT.

[01:45:07]

THE KAREN PURVIS INSTITUTE FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT AT TCU, WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM TO OBTAIN THEIR CURRICULUM FOCUSED ON TBRI TO IMPLEMENT THAT INTO ONE OF OUR TRAININGS THAT WE HAVE FOR STAFF.

THAT THAT PROGRAM FOCUSES ON EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FOR ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND TRAUMA.

OOPS. OKAY, THEN WE HAVE OUR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TEAMS. WE HAVE MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALISTS AND TRAUMA INFORMED CARE SPECIALISTS WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT THAT PROVIDE TRAININGS AND WORK WITH FAMILIES AND THAT'S WHAT ALEX IS GOING TO GO INTO MORE DETAIL WITH MOMENTARILY.

WHEN WE GET THE CONTENT FROM OUR SOURCES, WE HAVE A PROCESS TO DEVELOP THAT.

BEFORE WE IMPLEMENT THAT INTO DELIVERY WITH STAFF, WE COLLABORATE WITH SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND REALLY WORK WITH THEM TO ENSURE THAT THE THE CONTENT IS GOING TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STAFF AND THE FAMILIES THAT WE SERVE.

TRAUMA INFORMED LENS IS APPLIED NOT JUST TO OUR TRAININGS WITH NEW STAFF, BUT ALL OF OUR TRAININGS.

AND I CHOSE THE VISUAL OF THE PYRAMID BECAUSE IT REALLY REPRESENTS THAT THE TRAUMA INFORMED LENS IS THE BASE TO ALL OF OUR TRAININGS THAT WE TRAIN, AND THEN ALL OF OUR OTHER PROCESSES AND TOPICS ARE ADDED IN ON TOP OF THAT.

SO WE GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAIN NEW STAFF THAT HIRE ON TO DFPS OR TRANSFER FROM STAGES OF SERVICE.

WE ALSO GET TO TRAIN ONGOING STAFF TRAININGS, CERTIFICATION TRAININGS OR ELECTIVES.

AND THEN WE HAVE PROGRAM OFFERINGS.

AND THIS IS THE TRAININGS THAT ARE HELD OUTSIDE OF THE TRAINING DEPARTMENT, EITHER THROUGH CONTRACT OR THROUGH ALEX'S TEAM.

A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT NEW HIRE TRAINING.

WE HAVE TRAINING THAT IS SPECIFICALLY TARGETED ON TRAUMA INFORMED CARE THROUGH CLASSROOM AND FIELD.

IT'S OUR TRAINING IS A BLEND OF THOSE MODALITIES.

AND THEN WE ALSO INFUSE THAT, AND IT IS WOVEN INTO ALL OF THE TRAINING CONCEPTS THROUGHOUT BASIC SKILLS DEVELOPMENT.

THAT MEANS THAT ANY ACTIVITIES SUCH AS INTERVIEWING CHILDREN, FAMILIES OR EVEN AFTER A CHILD COMES INTO CARE AND BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS, IS TOUCHED ON THROUGH CLASSROOM DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES.

AND IT'S A CONSTANT THROUGHOUT.

IT'S NOT A ONE TIME TARGETED APPROACH.

OUR ONGOING STAFF DEVELOPMENT IS CERTIFICATION TRAININGS OR ELECTIVES.

AND THIS IS WHERE WE'LL FIND A BUILDING RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF TRAUMA, WHICH HAS THE TBRI CONTENT, OR ANY TYPE OF REFRESHERS LIKE NORMALCY THAT REALLY FOCUSES ON THE TRAUMA INFORMED CARE LENS.

AND EVEN WHAT MARTA HAD JUST TALKED ABOUT WITH ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE THAT'S HUGELY BUILT ON TRAUMA INFORMED CARE, WITH A BUILDING BLOCK OF A BUILDING TRUST WITH THE FAMILIES AND ENGAGEMENT. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR PROGRAM OFFERINGS.

AND SO I'M GOING TO INVITE ALEX HAMILTON TO COME AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WORK THAT HE AND HIS TEAM DOES WITH OUR FAMILIES AND STAFF.

RIGHT THERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

SO WE CAN TAKE ALL OF THE WONDERFUL TRAINING THAT CHLOE DOES, RIGHT? AND ALL OF THE INCREDIBLE RESEARCH THAT THEY DO BUILDING INTO OUR STAFF.

BUT WE ALSO UNDERSTAND IS THERE IS A BRIDGE THAT HAS TO HAPPEN BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE.

AND THAT'S WHERE OUR TEAM COMES IN, IS TO COME ALONGSIDE OUR CASEWORKERS AND OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO HELP IMPLEMENT IN REAL TIME AND IN REAL CASE SITUATIONS.

ALL OF THESE TRAUMA INFORMED CARE PRINCIPLES THAT WE'VE BEEN TEACHING AND AND PRESSING IN WITH THEM.

AND SO WE COME ALONGSIDE THEM IN FAMILY GROUP CONFERENCES.

WE PARTNER WITH THEM.

YOU CAN JUMP TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

SORRY. I WAS LOOKING.

OH, THERE WE GO.

I WAS LOOKING FOR MY NOTES AND THEY WEREN'T THERE, THEY'RE UP THERE.

WE COME ALONGSIDE THEM ALSO IN SUPPORTING PLACEMENTS.

AS MISS JONES VERY IMPORTANTLY POINTED OUT, RIGHT.

EVERY TIME OUR CHILDREN CHANGE PLACEMENT, THEY'RE SETBACK, WE BREAK CONNECTIONS, WE BREAK SCHOOL PROGRESS, WE BREAK, AND WE WE REDUCE THEIR PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS.

AND SO ONE OF THE BIG POINTS OF OUR TEAM IS TO HELP STABILIZE PLACEMENTS.

AND SO WE WORK WITH KINSHIP AND FBSS AS WELL AS CPI AND PROTECTED PLACEMENTS TO COME ALONGSIDE OUR FAMILIES THAT ARE PROVIDING CARE FOR THESE KIDS TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT SERVICES ARE IN PLACE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL TRAINING, SUPPORTS WHATEVER RESOURCES MAY BE NEEDED TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THE WHOLE WRAPAROUND SYSTEM IS IN PLACE FOR THOSE FAMILIES AND HELP REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF THOSE CHILDREN HAVING TO MOVE IN THOSE PLACEMENTS BREAKING DOWN. AS AS WE'VE DEFINITELY NOTICED WITH OUR CHILD WATCH SYSTEM, A LOT OF THOSE KIDS ARE COMING INTO US OUT OF

[01:50:10]

AND SO THAT'S BEEN A VERY LARGE PORTION OF OUR UNIT'S FOCUS OVER THESE LAST, THIS LAST YEAR AND A HALF IS REALLY TRYING TO PRESS IN AND HELP STABILIZE THOSE KINSHIP FAMILIES.

WHAT WE ALSO KNOW IS THAT THIS WORK IS HARD.

IT'S REALLY HARD ON OUR STAFF.

IT'S VERY TRAUMATIC.

AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT QUALITY TRAUMA INFORMED CARE PRACTICES, WE AS STAFF HAVE TO BE EMOTIONALLY REGULATED.

AND SO IN ADDITION TO WORKING WITH OUR STAFF ON HOW TO WORK WITH OUR FAMILIES, WE ALSO WORK WITH THEM ON HOW TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES.

IN PROVIDING TRAININGS AT STAFF MEETINGS AND ON ONE ON ONE CONSULTATIONS ON HOW TO BUILD SELF CARE PLANS IN BUILDING ADDITIONAL SKILLS WITHIN THEMSELVES SO THAT THEY CAN MANAGE WHAT'S HAPPENING.

IF YOU WANT TO JUMP, YEAH.

WELL, ONE BACK ONE.

IT'S A SENSITIVE LITTLE BUTTON.

THERE WE GO. WELL.

SO IN ADDITION TO THE WORK THAT WE DO, WE ALSO HAVE OTHER UNITS WITHIN THE STATE THAT ARE HELPING PROVIDE THOSE THOSE SERVICES.

THE WELLNESS TEAM THAT [INAUDIBLE] IS TALKING ABOUT IS BUILDING SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS.

WE ALSO HAVE THE WORKER SAFETY TEAMS THAT COME IN WHENEVER THERE HAS BEEN A CRISIS SITUATION AND HELP DO SOME DEBRIEF AND SUPPORT WORK.

WE HAVE PEER SUPPORT SYSTEMS TO HELP STAFF BE ABLE TO JUST HAVE FOLKS TO TALK TO MENTORS THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE SYSTEM A LONG TIME AND CAN HELP SUPPORT THEM, AS WELL AS A REALLY ROBUST EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

AND WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME HELPING DIRECT OUR STAFF TO THOSE RESOURCES.

THERE IS FREE COUNSELING SERVICES AVAILABLE.

THERE ARE FREE COACHING SERVICES AVAILABLE TO HELP SUPPORT THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES IN ORDER TO HELP STABILIZE THEM AND ALLOW THEM TO DO THE VERY BEST WORK THEY POSSIBLY CAN SO. AND WITH THAT, I KNOW OUR PRESENTATION IS REALLY SHORT AND SWEET.

WOULD GLADLY OPEN THE FLOOR TO ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE.

HI. I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS.

I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THIS CENTER WAS, AND THEN I REALIZED IT WAS ACTUALLY PART OF THE DEPARTMENT.

SO I'M ASSUMING THAT SOMETHING.

AND THEN YOU ALLUDED TO THAT, THAT IT'S STARTED ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.

SO THE TRAUMA INFORMED CARE TEAM BEGAN, I BELIEVE, ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO.

RIGHT. BUT THE CENTER FOR LEARNING AND ORGANIZATIONAL WELLNESS, RIGHT? YES. THAT'S A YOU'RE CORRECT.

THAT'S A DEPARTMENT, A DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE AGENCY THAT AND WE HANDLE THE TRAINING.

AND WE STARTED THAT WAS CREATED BACK IN 2005.

OKAY. OH, OKAY.

I THINK IT'S FANTASTIC.

I MEAN, YOU KNOW, LIKE, WHAT YOU'RE DOING AROUND THE TRAUMA INFORMED CARE, BUT THEN ALSO CREATING THESE BEHAVIORAL TEAMS TO SUPPORT STAFF AND AND PROVIDERS. I HAD A QUESTION, AND I KNOW WE'RE ALL STRUGGLING WITH THIS.

HOW DO WE SUPPORT OUR WORKFORCE? SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT YOU'VE REALLY ENHANCED, YOU KNOW, THE SUPPORT AND ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING AND OTHERS.

SO IS THIS IN ADDITION TO EAP? I MEAN. YES, MA'AM.

SO MY TEAM'S ROLE IS TO PROVIDE RESOURCES.

WE PROVIDE WE ALSO DO THE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING.

AND AS PART OF THAT, WE HELP THEM BUILD SELF-CARE PLANS.

BUT WE ALSO WILL COME IN TO UNIT MEETINGS AS REQUESTED TO DO THAT.

WE SUPPORT AN INITIATIVE DOWN IN SOUTH TEXAS WHERE WE DO BASICALLY GROUP SUPPORT KIND OF PROGRAMS FOR THE WORKERS DOWN THERE AS WELL.

AND ANY OTHER UNITS THAT REACH OUT AND SAY, HEY, OUR STAFF COULD REALLY USE SOME, SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS IN THIS AREA, WE'LL COME ALONGSIDE THEM.

THANK YOU. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALL FACING IS HOW DO WE BUILD SOME MORE INTERNAL SUPPORTS, ESPECIALLY FOR THAT, THOSE FIRST RESPONDERS, WHICH I CONSIDER CPS TO BE SO OR THE DEPARTMENT.

SO THANK YOU.

I HAVE A QUESTION.

I HAVE A COUPLE OF CLARIFICATIONS.

FIRST OF ALL, THIS IS REALLY FANTASTIC.

I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS THESE SITUATIONS EARLY AND OFTEN.

AND I NOTICED THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF TRAUMA INFORMED CARE TRAINING FOR STAFF FOR PLACEMENTS AND. THERE IS THAT TRAUMA INFORMED CARE HAPPENING WITH FAMILIES.

IS THAT HAPPENING AS WELL? AND I'M GOING TO DO TWO PARTS.

[01:55:01]

I KNOW A LOT OF US HAVE SORT OF PTSD FROM KIND OF INHERITING AND ABSORBING OUR CHILD'S TRAUMAS.

AND I THINK ADDRESSING THAT AND CREATING SPACE AND.

BENEFITS FOR THOSE PEOPLE WILL HELP PREVENT CHILDREN FROM COMING BACK INTO CARE OR HAVING TO GO INTO CARE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

SO TO ANSWER THE FIRST PART OF YOUR QUESTION WE HAVE DEVELOPED TRAININGS THAT GO OUT TO THE PARENT COLLABORATION GROUPS.

AND SO THERE IS A SERIES OF ABOUT 12 TRAININGS THAT THEY HELP FACILITATE AMONGST THE PARENT GROUPS AROUND THE STATE.

AND THEN OUR TEAM GET PULLED IN TO ANY CASE THAT'S REQUESTED, AND WE CAN DO ONE ON ONE TRAINING WITH FAMILIES THAT SOMETIMES THAT'S KINSHIP.

OTHER TIMES THAT'S WITHIN FBSS AND THOSE ARE TYPICALLY THE BIOLOGICAL FAMILIES OR PROTECTED PLACEMENTS OUT OF CPI.

AND WE'LL COME IN AND DO EITHER ONE ON ONE OR GROUP.

WE CAN DO THAT VIA ZOOM OR MY STAFF IF THEY'RE CLOSE ENOUGH.

WE'RE A FAIRLY SMALL TEAM BUT LOCATED IN KIND OF OUR LARGE METROPOLITAN REGIONS CAN COME IN AND ACTUALLY COME INTO THE HOME AND DO THAT IN PERSON AS WELL. SO.

AND THE SECOND PART OF THE QUESTION, I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHAT.

IT WASN'T REALLY A QUESTION, BUT A STATEMENT.

I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT I WAS SAYING, BUT THE WELLNESS PROGRAM AND HOW WE'RE HELPING STAFF TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES BECAUSE THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF TRAUMA THAT OCCURS WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH PEOPLE WITH TRAUMA.

AND SO I'M WONDERING, ARE SOME OF THESE INITIATIVES TRICKLING DOWN TO BIOLOGICAL PARENTS KINSHIP, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I NOTICED YOU WERE SAYING THAT KINSHIP DISRUPTIONS ARE BIG.

AND I THINK WE COULD PROBABLY PREVENT A LOT OF THAT IF WE'RE TAKING CARE OF OUR KINSHIP PARENTS, AS WELL AS INFORMING THEM HOW TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR CHILDREN, BECAUSE THE TRAUMA IS USUALLY GENERATIONAL.

AND YOU CAN THEN GET INTO A SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE BLOCKED CARE, WHERE YOU LOSE THE YOU LOSE PATIENCE, AND YOU LOSE THE ABILITY TO THEN PROVIDE THAT TRAUMA INFORMED CARE TO THOSE CHILDREN.

YEAH. THE SECONDARY TRAUMA PIECE IS A HUGE PASSION, I THINK, OF MY ENTIRE TEAM.

ALL OF US COME OUT OF FIELD WORK.

ALL OF US CARRY OUR OWN LEVEL OF DAMAGE FROM FROM YEARS WITHIN THAT WORK AND HAVE LEARNED VERY MUCH THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT SELF CARE PIECE.

AND SO WHEN WE ARE COMING IN TO WORK WITH FAMILIES, THAT'S A HEAVY PART OF OF WHAT WE TALK TO AND PROVIDE RESOURCES AROUND AND REALLY ENCOURAGE THAT. WELL, AND ULTIMATELY, IT'S A FOUNDATION OF TRAUMA INFORMED CARE.

IF WE'RE NOT EMOTIONALLY REGULATED, WE CANNOT RESPOND AND WORK WITH A FAMILY AND A CHILD IN A TRAUMA INFORMED CARE WAY.

AND SO WE HAVE TO MANAGE AND TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES FIRST.

AND SO THAT'S FOUNDATIONAL TO TO ALL OF THOSE TRAINING PIECES.

YES, MA'AM. I'LL ALSO JUST ADD THAT WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF TRAININGS THAT FOCUS ON SECONDARY TRAUMA AND HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, AND WE HAVE A REQUIRED TRAUMA INFORMED CARE REFRESHER THAT STAFF ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE ANNUALLY.

BUT WE DO RECOGNIZE IN THOSE TRAININGS THAT IF YOU DON'T ADDRESS THE SECONDARY TRAUMA, IT WILL HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON YOUR WORK AND THE OUTCOMES OF OUR WORK WITH FAMILIES.

THANK YOU FOR THAT. ABSOLUTELY.

YOU GOT TO PUT THE MASK ON YOURSELF FIRST IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO CARE FOR ANYBODY ELSE.

I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.

OKAY. AND I KNOW I'M BETWEEN BREAK.

HOLD ON. I GUESS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE IS ABOUT ACCESS TO THIS FOR FAMILY MEMBERS.

AGAIN, MY LIVED EXPERIENCE, ONCE I MET MY GRANDMOTHER AGAIN AT 12, I WAS PLACED BACK IN HER HOME.

BUT I HAVE BEEN IN A FAILED ADOPTION WHERE THEY ABUSED ME PHYSICALLY.

I HAVE BEEN IN TEN DIFFERENT PLACEMENTS BETWEEN 8 AND 12, AND MY GRANDMOTHER REACHED OUT AND ASKED FOR SUPPORT AND SHE DIDN'T GET IT.

SO I WAS PLACED BACK INTO THE SYSTEM TO AGE OUT AT 18.

SO HOW DO FAMILIES LEARN THAT THIS IS ACCESSIBLE TO THEM? THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.

YOU KNOW, I LIKE THE THE QUOTE FROM THE LATE MAYA ANGELOU THAT TELLS US, RIGHT, YOU DO THE BEST YOU CAN WITH WHAT YOU KNOW AT THE TIME AND WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, YOU DO BETTER. AND THAT'S VERY MUCH BEEN OUR APPROACH AND OUR PHILOSOPHY IN TRYING TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THESE PROCESSES.

IT'S A CHALLENGE.

MAKING SURE THAT THE FAMILIES ARE AWARE THAT WE'RE THERE, MAKING SURE THAT STAFF KNOW THAT THESE RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE.

[02:00:04]

WE SIT IN A LOT OF STAFFING AND FAMILY GROUP MEETINGS OFFERING OUT SERVICES TO THOSE FAMILIES AS WELL.

TRYING TO GET THAT MESSAGE OUT THERE.

BUT YEAH, AS OFTEN WE ALSO DO A LOT OF JUST COMMUNITY PRESENTATION KINDS OF PIECES AT WELLNESS FAIRS AND THAT KIND OF THING, JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT AS MANY PEOPLE ARE AWARE THAT THERE ARE MORE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO, TRY TO HELP.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

I WAS GOING TO GIVE US A FIVE MINUTE BREAK, BUT WE HAVE A FIVE MINUTE PRESENTATION AND THEN WE WILL TAKE A BREAK BECAUSE WE'LL GET READY FOR THE..

THANK YOU ALL FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

IT'S EXTREMELY NECESSARY, AND IT'S REALLY NICE TO SEE THAT WE'RE PAYING ATTENTION TO IT TO HELP TAKE CARE OF OUR FOLKS.

YEAH. YOU BET. OKAY.

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A QUICK REPORT ON THE RECENTLY PUBLISHED RULE RELATED TO CHILDREN'S PROTECTIVE SERVICES IN CPS BY CPS ASSOCIATE

[V. PUBLISHED RULES]

GOOD MORNING.

YOU PRONOUNCE THAT SO WELL.

THE LAST NAME. THANK YOU.

GOOD MORNING. MINE WILL BE QUICK.

I'M JUST HERE TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE NEW RULE THAT WAS CREATED THROUGH THE TEXAS ADMINISTRATION CODE, AND THAT'S 700.905. SO DFPS LEADERSHIP DID DRAFT THE RULES AND NOVEMBER OF 2023, THEY WERE THEN PUBLISHED FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS.

DECEMBER OF 2023.

THERE WERE NO PUBLIC COMMENTS RECEIVED AS OF JANUARY OF 2024.

SO THE RULE WAS APPROVED BY THE COMMISSIONER AND IT WAS ADOPTED ON FEBRUARY THE 18TH OF 2024.

AND THIS THIS RULE IS IN RESPONSE TO THE BILL THAT PASSED, WHICH WAS HOUSE BILL 793, WHERE WE DO REIMBURSEMENT FOR PROVIDERS. ANY QUESTIONS? QUICK, RUN WHILE YOU CAN, I KNOW.

THANK YOU.

OKAY. WE'RE.

YEAH, WE'RE, I KNOW I'M LIKE, WE'RE GOING TO STAND IN RECESS FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES FOR PRIVATE BREAKS.

I HOPE I BEAT YOU IN THERE.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

LET'S SEE IF WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

I'M LIKE 7009.5.

OKAY, I'M NOW CALLING THE SESSION BACK INTO ORDER.

[VI. EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION]

AS I LISTENED TO EACH OF THE MEMBERS AND SOME OF THE REPORTS, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE GREAT THINGS THAT OUR STAFF ARE DOING, I NOW GET TO CONNECT THAT TO SOME REAL PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE, WHO'VE DONE SOME OUTSTANDING THINGS WITHIN OUR AGENCY IN THEIR ROLES.

OVER THE YEARS, THE AGENCY HAS HAD SEVERAL AWARDS THAT WE'VE PRESENTED, BUT TODAY WE'RE GOING TO PRESENT TWO AWARDS WITH MULTIPLE PEOPLE.

BUT THE FIRST AWARD IS THE ROMERO HERNANDEZ EXCELLENCE AND MENTORING AWARD.

THIS AWARD CARRIES THE NAME OF A CPS SUPERVISOR KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY, AND RECOGNIZES INDIVIDUALS FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO MENTORING FOR MAKING A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEIR PROTEGES EDUCATION AND CAREER, AND FOR DEMONSTRATING UNSELFISH SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP.

THIS AWARD WAS FIRST PRESENTED IN JANUARY OF 2018.

THESE STAFF MEMBERS TAKE THE OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED TO ANOTHER LEVEL.

SO I'M GOING TO INVITE REGIONAL DIRECTOR ALICIA TO COME AND PRESENT THESE AWARDS.

YEAH. WHEN IT'S RED, IT'S ON.

THERE WE GO. WELL. GOOD MORNING.

OR IS IT, GOOD AFTERNOON? IT'S GOOD MORNING. HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING? AS ROBIN SAID, I'M ALICIA FISHER.

I'M THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR REGION SIX A AND B, WHICH IS HARRIS COUNTY AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS FOR THOSE DON'T KNOW THE AREA.

ROMERO WORKED FOR THE DEPARTMENT FOR OVER 16 YEARS.

[02:05:07]

DURING THAT TIME, ROMERO WAS AN EXCELLENT AND EXCELLENT SUPERVISOR, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE WAS AN EXCELLENT MENTOR.

HE BELIEVED IN THE WORK THAT WE DO.

HE BELIEVED IN THE PASSION AND THE EMPATHY AND THE COMMITMENT TO CHILDREN.

HE PASSED AWAY IN THE LINE OF DUTY.

HE WAS ACTUALLY ON HIS WAY TO SPEAK WITH SOME CHILDREN ABOUT AN ORDER THAT THE COURT HAD MADE.

AND HIS LIFE WAS TAKEN ON THAT DAY, TRAGICALLY.

ROMERO REALLY LOVED BEING A PART OF THIS AGENCY.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE LOVED BEING A PART OF HIS FAMILY.

HIS WIFE NANCY, HIS CHILDREN, SABRINA AND AUSTIN AND MARINA ARE ALL STILL WITHIN OUR PRAYERS AND OUR THOUGHTS EVERY DAY.

HIS MOTHER AND HIS FATHER AND ALL OF HIS SIBLINGS.

ARE ALL CONTINUING TO BE PROUD OF THE WORK THAT ROMERO DID FOR THE AGENCY, AND THEY ARE WATCHING ONLINE TODAY.

AND SO WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT THEY HEAR THE HEART AND THE PASSION AND THE LOVE THAT WE STILL CARRY IN ROMERO'S MEMORY. SO AS WE THINK ABOUT THE WORK THAT ROMERO DID THESE HONOREES TODAY EXEMPLIFY HIS BELIEFS, THE EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNICATION, THE EXCELLENCE IN SUPPORTING YOUR PROTEGES, THE EXCELLENCE AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY NEED THAT SUPPORT IN ORDER TO BECOME A BETTER PART OF THEMSELVES.

AS SOMEONE SAID, WHEN WE KNOW BETTER, WE MUST DO BETTER.

AND THAT WAS ROMERO 100%.

AND I'M REALLY PROUD TO CONTINUE TO REPRESENT HIS LEGACY WITHIN REGION SIX B AND ALL OF REGION SIX AND NOW SINCE 2017, ACROSS THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS.

ROMERO WAS JUST A WORKER WITH A HEART FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, HE BELIEVED IN COMMUNITY SERVICE.

HE BELIEVED IN SPEAKING OUT FOR THOSE THAT COULD NOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

HE EXHIBITED QUALITIES THAT WE ALL SHOULD BE ABLE TO EMULATE TODAY IN THE WORK THAT WE DO.

AND I AM JUST SO CONFIDENT AND SO PROUD OF ALL OF THE AWARDEES THAT WILL BE RECOGNIZED HERE TODAY.

AND SOME OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY WATCHING ONLINE AS WELL.

I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE COMMISSIONER MUTH AND JUDGE HELLUMS, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE COME DOWN AND WE WILL START THE RECOGNITION FOR THE SIXTH ANNUAL ROMERO HERNANDEZ JUNIOR EXCELLENCE AND MENTORING AWARD.

AS WE SAID, THIS WILL HONOR INDIVIDUALS FROM ACROSS THE STATE FOR THEIR COMMITMENT IN MENTORING, FOR MAKING A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THEIR PROTEGES EDUCATION AND CAREER, AND FOR DEMONSTRATING THE KEY PART OF IT UNSELFISH SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP.

THIS IS BEING PRESENTED IN HONOR OF MR. ROMERO HERNANDEZ JR FROM OUR CPS FAMILY.

SO AS I CALL YOUR NAMES, IF YOU WILL PLEASE COME FORWARD.

WE WILL GET STARTED.

FROM 2023, WE HAVE ALYSSA AGNONE FROM REGIONS TEN.

ALLISON FROM REGION TEN.

ALYSSA ORTIZ FROM REGION SEVEN.

YOU CAN CLAP. PLEASE DO.

GIVE THEM THE BIGGEST SHOUT OUTS THAT YOU GUYS CAN.

ANGELA WATSON FROM REGION FIVE.

BLANCA JESSICA LUCIO FROM THREE WEST.

JENNIFER MAY FROM REGION FOUR.

JANDIRA VELEZ FROM REGION EIGHT.

JOANNE HERRERA FROM REGION NINE.

JOE AHMADIS, THE SECOND FROM REGION TWO.

KEESDA HERNANDEZ FROM REGION 11.

LASHONDA TOPS FROM REGION THREE EAST.

PATRICIA DELGADO FROM REGION ONE.

PAULA LAFLEUR FROM REGION SIX A.

[02:10:01]

THESE ARE YOUR 2023 RECIPIENTS FOR OUR AWARD OF EXCELLENCE.

IF ANYBODY WANTS TO TAKE PICTURES, YOU CAN COME ON FORWARD AND TAKE OVER THE 23 GROUP.

ANGELA WILSON. WATSON.

DO WE STEP OUT? SHOULD WE STEP OUT? YOU WANT US OUT TOGETHER? CAN YOU ALL HOLD ON ONE SECOND? WE MISSED ONE. AND THAT'S MY BAD ON THAT ONE.

ANGELA WILSON FROM REGION FIVE.

WANT US IN OR OUT.

I WOULD SAY IN THE PICTURE.

YEAH. LIKE SO WE'RE.

STRUCTURE.

JACK.

YES, YOU.

AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2023 RECIPIENTS.

WE WILL NOW HONOR OUR 2024 RECIPIENTS.

MISS ANITA HALL FROM REGION SEVEN.

I HAVE MORE. MISS BRANDY WHITLEY FROM SIX A.

CHANEL FREENEY FROM SIX B.

CHRISTINA NELSON FROM REGION TWO.

JAMES JOBIE FROM REGION FOUR.

KAREN MELENDEZ FROM REGION TEN.

KORSHAWN JOHNSON FROM REGION THREE EAST.

CHRISTY TOWNSEND FROM REGION NINE.

KYLIE NICELY FROM REGION THREE WEST.

MANDY VASQUEZ FROM REGION EIGHT.

MORGAN ANGELO FROM REGION 11.

AND OUR LAST RECIPIENT RECEIVED THIS IN 2023, AND SHE WAS NOMINATED AGAIN IN 2024, MISS PATRICIA DELGADO, OUR FIRST DOUBLE RECIPIENT.

CAN WE PLEASE GIVE THESE WINNERS, THESE WONDERFUL FOLKS OF 2024, A GREAT ROUND OF APPLAUSE? HAVE YOU GOT THE PICTURES ON THAT? WE KNOW. NOW WE KNOW WHAT TO DO.

WE WON'T STAND.

[02:15:04]

ON BEHALF OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES TO ALL OF THE RECIPIENTS, WE SIMPLY SAY THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HEART.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT.

THANK YOU FOR WANTING TO BE BETTER SO THAT WE CAN DO BETTER.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN REGION SIX THIS LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS IS WE HAD A BLACK HISTORY PROGRAM.

AND THAT SAID, THE EYES OF HISTORY ARE UPON US.

GUESS WHAT? YOU ARE THE HISTORY OF THIS AGENCY.

THANK YOU FOR BEING A BLESSING.

THANK YOU FOR REPRESENTING ROMERO HERNANDEZ.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO.

AND GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF Y'ALL, BUT I THINK THERE'S SOME ONIONS IN THIS ROOM BECAUSE THAT WAS THAT WAS VERY HEARTWARMING FOR ME.

SO I TOO ECHOED HER SENTIMENTS.

YOU ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO.

SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO WHAT WE CALL OUR HIGHEST AWARD IN THE AGENCY, AND THAT IS OUR COMMISSIONER'S AWARD OF EXCELLENCE.

THIS AWARD RECOGNIZES STAFF MEMBERS AND EXTERNAL PARTNERS WHO HAVE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND IN EXTRAORDINARY LENGTHS TO PROTECT THE UNPROTECTED AND SERVE OUR STAKEHOLDERS.

THIS AWARD WAS FIRST PRESENTED IN JANUARY FEBRUARY OF 2017.

TODAY WE ARE RECOGNIZING THREE AWARDEES AND I THINK WE HAVE TWO OF THEM PRESENT WITH US, CORRECT, AND ONE THAT WAS NOT ABLE TO JOIN US.

BUT SHE SHOULD BE LISTENING IN.

SO LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THEM.

OUR FIRST AWARD GOES TO LACEY PISHA.

YES. LACEY IS A CHILD CARE INVESTIGATION SUPERVISOR IN WACO.

SINCE PROMOTING TO SUPERVISOR IN 2021, LACEY HAS HELPED THE DAYCARE INVESTIGATIONS PROGRAM TO GROW.

SHE REGULARLY TRAVELS TO OTHER REGIONS TO HELP TRAIN NEW STAFF AND TO TAKE INVESTIGATION ASSIGNMENTS IN AREAS WITH NO OTHER ASSIGNABLE INVESTIGATORS.

SHE ALSO HELPS TRAIN NEW SUPERVISORS AS A PEER MENTOR, AND HAS CREATED MANY TOOLS THAT STAFF USE REGULARLY TO DO THEIR JOBS.

EVEN WHEN SHE'S ON THE ROAD, HER HOME REGION TEAM CONTINUES TO MAKE THEIR CASE DEADLINES.

LACEY'S CALM DEMEANOR, UNDERSTANDING, AND LISTENING SKILLS ARE PRAISED BY STAFF WHO SAY THEY FEEL HEARD AND THAT THEIR OPINION MATTERS.

LACEY, FROM US TO YOU.

YOUR DEDICATION TO PROTECT OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATION IS A BEACON OF EXCELLENCE ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT AND THE STATE OF TEXAS.

THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU DO.

YOU WANT TO TAKE ONE PICTURE WITH HER FIRST AND THEN THE GROUP? YES. DO YOU WANT TO COME? YES. THAT I KNOW.

YEAH. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY WANT.

OKAY? YEAH.

AWESOME. OUR NEXT COMMISSION, AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE, IS GOING TO LAUREN CARRELL, WHO IS NOT WITH US PHYSICALLY, BUT SHE IS LISTENING ONLINE, WHO'S A STATEWIDE INTAKE PROGRAM SPECIALIST, AND MOAZ KHAN, WHO'S ALSO STATEWIDE INTAKE SUPERVISOR IN AUSTIN.

LAUREN, LAUREN CARRELL AND MOAZ KHAN WORK TO IMPROVE DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY WITHIN STATEWIDE INTAKE AND ACROSS THE AGENCY.

BOTH WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN MOVING THE STATEWIDE INTAKE IMPACT APPLICATION TO THE MICROSOFT EDGE BROWSER SO THAT IT COULD RUN EFFECTIVELY WITH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY LIKE SCREEN READERS.

THESE IMPROVEMENTS HAVE GREATLY INCREASED STATEWIDE INTAKE SPEED, EFFICIENCY, AND ACCURACY, SO STATEWIDE INTAKE CAN TAKE MORE REPORTS AND HELP DSPS FULFILL ITS MISSION IN A MORE STREAMLINED AND EXPEDITED MANNER.

LAUREN ALSO WORKS TIRELESSLY TO ENSURE THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES STATEWIDE INTAKE STAFF USE DAILY ARE COMPLIANT AND INTEGRATED WITH THE WORKFLOW.

[02:20:05]

LAUREN AND MOAZ, FROM US TO YOU, YOUR DEDICATION TO PROTECT OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATION IS A BEACON OF EXCELLENCE ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT AND THE STATE OF TEXAS.

THANK YOU.

THERE YOU GO. OKAY. THIS.

I KNOW, RIGHT. IN CLOSING, LET ME JUST SAY WE CAN CLEARLY SEE FROM THESE AWARDS THAT THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORK THAT WE DO IN THIS AGENCY IS THE STAFF AND THE WORK AND THE EFFORT AND THE PASSION AND THE LOVE THEY PUT IN TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING IT TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY.

AND OUR MENTORS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ALL WE DO.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER AND COUNCIL FOR ALLOWING US TO PRESENT.

THAT'S VERY NICE.

THANK YOU.

OH. COMING UP. OKAY, GOOD.

FAITH BASED AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ACTIVITIES OPPORTUNITIES UPDATE.

[VII. FAITHFAITH-BASED AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENT AND ACTVITIES OPPORTUNITIES UPDATE]

YEAH. IS THIS ON? YES. WELL, GOOD.

ALMOST GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL.

YES. SO I AM HERE TO TALK ABOUT NEXT MONTH IS APRIL, WHICH IS CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH.

IT'S ONE OF OUR BIGGEST EVENTS FOR THE YEAR.

AND SO WE PARTNER WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITY PARTNERS AROUND THE STATE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION.

I BROUGHT PROPS TODAY.

I PROVIDED EACH OF YOU WITH A PEN FOR YOUR LAPEL PIN FOR CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH.

AND YOU'LL SEE AT A LOT OF THESE EVENTS, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE PINWHEELS AND I'M GOING TO THERE'S A SLIDE TO EXPLAIN WHY WE SEE PINWHEELS AT THE CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH ACTIVITIES. SO MEGAN, THANK YOU.

SO SOME STATEWIDE EVENTS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON THIS IS NOT AN ALL INCLUSIVE LIST, BUT OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE DONE DIFFERENT THINGS WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION.

SO THOSE INCLUDE LOCAL PROCLAMATIONS WITH CITIES AND WITH COUNTIES.

THEY CAN INCLUDE EVENTS SUCH AS THE PINWHEEL PLANTING EVENTS, CANDLELIGHT VIGILS ANY TYPE OF AWARENESS EVENT THAT YOU CAN THINK OF IS SOMETHING THAT THE DIFFERENT COUNTIES AND COMMUNITIES WILL BE INVOLVED IN TO RAISE AWARENESS.

YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE COMMENTS I HEARD FROM YOU, MICHELLE, EARLIER WAS ABOUT THE RAINBOW ROOM.

THERE ARE A LOT OF DRIVES DURING APRIL FOR RAINBOW ROOMS, SPECIFICALLY TO HELP ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE RESOURCES ON HAND FOR OUR STAFF THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE THE NECESSARY RESOURCES TO OUR FAMILIES.

SO YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF THOSE DRIVES.

THIS YEAR WE HAVE A FEW EVENTS WITH SOME MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAMS. THE MISSIONS IN SAN ANTONIO IS GOING TO HAVE A CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION NIGHT WHERE WE'LL HAVE OUR STAFF ON ON SITE TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT THERE ARE FOLKS GETTING INFORMATION.

AND THEN WE ALSO WORK WITH CITIES AND COMMUNITIES TO DO LIGHT UP BLUE.

SO DALLAS WILL GO BLUE FOR CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION.

WE HAVE SOME AREAS THAT HAVE BRIDGES.

CORPUS CHRISTI, THAT IS ONE THAT THEY DO.

SO WE DO WHAT WE CAN TO WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AROUND THE STATE TO ENSURE WE'RE DOING ALL WE CAN TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL. MEGAN.

SORRY. SO THESE ARE JUST SOME PHOTOS OF SOME EXAMPLES FROM LAST YEAR'S EVENTS.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN UP IN THE PANHANDLE AT THE CADILLAC RANCH WE ACTUALLY PAINT THE CARS BLUE.

WE'LL GO OUT ON A DAY, AND A LOT OF TIMES WE'LL INVITE SCHOOLS TO COME AND HELP.

LAST YEAR THEY DID THIS, AND A BUSLOAD OF PEOPLE HAPPENED TO BE THERE ON THAT DAY.

SO WE WERE ABLE TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH FOLKS ABOUT CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION.

YOU'LL SEE THERE'S ANOTHER PHOTO WITH THE PINWHEELS.

WE'LL HAVE A LOT OF THOSE, WHAT WE CALL PINWHEEL PLANTING EVENTS, WHERE THAT REPRESENTS A CHILD THAT IS IN THE SYSTEM.

[02:25:03]

WE HAVE A LOT OF DONATIONS THAT COME IN IN THE MONTH OF APRIL TO HELP SUPPORT OUR RESOURCE ROOMS AROUND THE STATE.

AND THIS IS THE SLIDE ABOUT THE PINWHEEL.

SO THE PINWHEEL WAS ADOPTED IN 2008 BY PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA.

AND IT'S A SYMBOL FOR WHAT THE CHILDHOOD SHOULD BE FOR ALL OF OUR CHILDREN RIGHT.

A PINWHEEL YOU THINK OF BEING FREE AND JUST HAVING A NICE FAMILY ENVIRONMENT.

AND SO IN 2008 IS WHEN THEY ADOPTED THE PINWHEEL.

CHILDABUSEAMERICA.ORG IS WHERE A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS GO TO PURCHASE PINWHEELS.

THIS YEAR, THEY'RE ACTUALLY DOING AN ONLINE PINWHEEL SO PEOPLE CAN GO ON TO CHILD ABUSE AMERICA.

ORG SITE AND DO A SMALL DONATION.

AND YOU CAN PLANT PINWHEELS IN YOUR COMMUNITY VIRTUALLY.

BUT WHEN WE DO THESE EVENTS, WE ACTUALLY HAVE HERE FOR OUR EVENT AT THE CAPITOL, WE ACTUALLY BUILT LIKE A LITTLE GUARD THAT WE USE TO PLAN OUR PINWHEELS WHEN WE DO THE EVENT AT THE CAPITOL.

SO THAT IS WHY WE HAVE THE PINWHEELS AS THE SYMBOL FOR CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH.

AND THEN FINALLY, THESE ARE A COUPLE OF FLIERS THAT OUR WEB CREATIVE TEAM DEVELOPED FOR CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH.

GO BLUE DAY IN TEXAS IS GOING TO BE FRIDAY, APRIL 5TH.

AND THAT IS ACTUALLY THE DAY WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AN EVENT AT THE CAPITOL.

AND, AND WE WILL SEND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS.

THE DETAILS ARE STILL BEING PLANNED, BUT WE WOULD INVITE YOU TO COME TO THAT EVENT AT THE CAPITOL.

IF IT IS A NICE DAY, IT'S WE HAVE IT OUTSIDE ON THE SOUTH STEPS.

SENATOR KOLKHORST IS SPONSORING THAT EVENT, AND REPRESENTATIVE LUJAN IS SPEAKING.

AND WE INVITE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE TO COME AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS.

AND AGAIN, WE WILL HAVE OUR PINWHEEL PLANTING AT THAT DAY.

AND THEN THE LAST THING THAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT WERE THE COMMUNITY EVENTS.

THESE EVENTS ARE VERY PUBLIC HIGH LEVEL EVENTS.

BUT TO YOUR POINT, EARLIER, A LOT OF THESE EVENTS HAPPEN ON THE WEEKENDS AND IN THE EVENINGS.

AND OUR TEAM, THE FAITH BASED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM, WE DON'T WORK A 9 TO 5 JOB BECAUSE OUR COMMUNITY EVENTS HAPPEN WHEN OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE AVAILABLE.

YOU KNOW, ANOTHER EXAMPLE WILL BE BLUE SUNDAY, WHICH IS GOING TO BE APRIL 28TH.

SO THAT'S WHEN CHURCHES ACROSS THE STATE WILL BE ASKED.

IT'S A NATIONAL MOVEMENT, ACTUALLY, WILL CHURCHES WILL BE INVITED TO PRAY ABOUT CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION.

SO WE'LL HAVE MANY STAFF GOING TO CHURCHES AND DOING OUTREACH ON THAT DAY AS WELL.

BUT IF YOU WANT TO SEE EVENTS, MORE LOCAL EVENTS IN YOUR AREA, FOR EXAMPLE, WE DIDN'T LIST ALL THE PROCLAMATIONS ON HERE.

WE'RE HAPPY TO CONNECT YOU WITH YOUR LOCAL FAITH BASED AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST, AND THEY CAN AND KEEP YOU INVOLVED.

WE WILL OF COURSE, PROVIDE MORE DETAILS AS WE HAVE KIND OF THESE MORE PUBLIC EVENTS.

THERE WERE JUST SOME THAT WERE NOT READY YET FOR US TO SEND YOU, BUT AS SOON AS WE DO, WE'LL BE SURE TO KEEP YOU INFORMED SO THAT YOU CAN ATTEND.

WE INVITE YOU TO ATTEND ANY AND ALL OF THESE EVENTS THAT YOU CAN.

THE OTHER EVENT I WANTED TO BE SURE TO CALL OUT WAS THE HART GALLERY LAUNCHES, AND YOU MENTIONED IT IN EL PASO.

THERE IS ONE COMING UP IN HOUSTON ON MARCH 20TH, AND YOU WILL BE RECEIVING AN INVITATION FROM CORRIGO DIRECTLY TO ATTEND THOSE EVENTS IN YOUR AREA. SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO ATTEND.

FIRST LADY ABBOTT NORMALLY ATTENDS ALL OF THOSE EVENTS AS WELL, BUT SHE'S VERY INVOLVED IN THE HEART GALLERY.

SO IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THOSE EVENTS COMING UP IN YOUR AREA, PLEASE DO.

WE'D LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE.

AND THAT IS ALL I HAD.

DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOU GETTING THIS UP TO DATE ON THESE THINGS AND OPENING THE DOOR FOR US TO PERHAPS PARTICIPATE IN OUR OWN AREAS.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

OKAY. THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS PUBLIC TESTIMONY WHERE WE.

[VIII. PUBLIC COMMENT]

WE ALWAYS APPRECIATE HEARING FROM THE PUBLIC AND WE VALUE YOUR INPUT.

PLEASE KNOW THAT THE COUNCIL, THE COMMISSIONER MOVE.

VICKI KAY, OUR GENERAL COUNSEL, ARE ALL UNABLE TO COMMENT OR RESPOND TO STATEMENTS OR QUESTIONS DURING PUBLIC TESTIMONY.

THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH US.

IF YOU PLAN TO TALK ABOUT A SPECIFIC CASE AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE FROM THE OFFICE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS CALL, PLEASE SIGN UP AT THE REGISTRATION TABLE.

WE WILL OBSERVE A THREE MINUTE.

I THOUGHT IT WAS TWO, BUT IT'S NOT, IT'S THREE MINUTE TIME LIMIT, SO, PLEASE YOU WILL BE COMING UP HERE AND THE LIGHT WILL START

[02:30:06]

AND WHEN IT GOES TO RED, PLEASE RESPECTFULLY CEASE YOUR COMMUNICATION IN THAT ARENA.

WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP, IT'LL COME ON, AND THE TIMER WILL LET US KNOW WHEN IT IS, THEY'LL BE WATCHING FOR US.

PLEASE CLEARLY STATE YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME AND THE AGENDA ITEM THAT YOU'LL BE PRESENTING ON.

NOW LET'S GET STARTED.

OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS KAT PRATT.

PUSH THE BUTTON.

IT TURNS RED THAT WHEN IT TURNS RED, IT'S ON.

NO, NO. THE ONE ON THE.

THERE WE GO.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY.

MY NAME IS KAT PRATT, AND I AM AN AUNT TO A TRANS CHILD.

GREG ABBOTT'S DIRECTIVE TO INVESTIGATE THE PARENTS OF TRANS KIDS FOR CHILD ABUSE IS RIDICULOUS.

THE POLITICAL PARTY IN POWER DOESN'T ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT TEXAS CHILDREN.

IF THEY DID, THEIR ACTIONS WOULD SHOW IT.

FOR EXAMPLE, LET'S LOOK AT THE MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE FOR NEW MOTHERS IN TEXAS.

DEATHS FOR NEW MOTHERS IN TEXAS HAVE SPIKED 40% IN THE LAST TWO DECADES.

TEXAS FOSTER CARE HAS BEEN IN LITIGATION FOR 13 YEARS OVER UNACCEPTABLE TREATMENT OF TEXAS KIDS.

TEXAS RANKS 45TH IN THE NATION FOR OVERALL CHILD WELL-BEING, AND CONTINUES TO RANK IN THE BOTTOM HALF OF ALL FOUR CATEGORIES ECONOMIC, EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND FAMILY.

INSTEAD OF ADDRESSING THESE TOUGH ISSUES, SOME WOULD PREFER TO FOCUS ON THE FAMILIES OF TRANS KIDS.

FAMILIES LIKE MINE.

GREG ABBOTT'S INSISTENCE TO SINGLE OUT TRANS KIDS IS A PATHETIC ATTEMPT TO GAIN POINTS FROM THE UNEDUCATED.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND TRANS MEDICINE IS SETTLED SCIENCE.

TEXAN KIDS FACE A LOT OF CHALLENGES.

TRANS KIDS AREN'T THE PROBLEM IN THIS STATE.

WE ALL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF ALL TEXAS KIDS.

INSTEAD OF TARGETING FAMILIES OF THOSE WHOM GREG ABBOTT DOESN'T APPROVE OF.

FAMILIES LIKE MINE.

LET'S PUT OUR PRECIOUS RESOURCES TOWARDS ACTIONS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF ALL TEXAS CHILDREN.

THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MANDY GILES.

THERE YOU GO. GOOD MORNING.

GOOD AFTERNOON. I AM MANDY GILES.

MY PRONOUNS ARE SHE HER.

I LIVE IN HOUSTON AND I AM SPEAKING ON AGENDA ITEM FOUR D I'M THE PARENT OF TWO TRANSGENDER YOUNG ADULTS AND THE FOUNDER OF THE SOCIAL IMPACT BUSINESS, PARENTS OF TRANS YOUTH. I AM HERE TO REMIND YOU THAT GOVERNOR ABBOTT'S DIRECTIVE TARGETING THE PARENTS OF TRANSGENDER KIDS IS STILL ACTIVE.

AFTER THE DIRECTIVE, WHICH IS NOT LEGALLY BINDING, WAS ISSUED TWO YEARS AGO.

DFPS SAID THAT IT WOULD COMPLY, AND MANY TRAUMATIC INVESTIGATIONS OF SAFE AND LOVING HOMES HAVE TAKEN PLACE AS A RESULT.

SINCE THEN, MORE THAN TEN COURT ORDERS AT THE DISTRICT APPELLATE AND TEXAS SUPREME COURT LEVELS HAVE FOUND THAT THE ACTIONS OF ABBOTT, THE PREVIOUS COMMISSIONER AND DPS, ARE LIKELY UNLAWFUL AND CAUSED IRREPARABLE HARM.

THIS LIFE SAVING HEALTH CARE IS ENDORSED BY EVERY MAJOR MEDICAL ASSOCIATION IN THE UNITED STATES AND DECADES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

IN FACT, JUST LAST WEEK, THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION NOT ONLY DECLARED THAT ACCESS TO GENDER AFFIRMING MEDICAL CARE IS NECESSARY FOR ALL AGES AS AGE APPROPRIATE, BUT ALSO OPPOSED BANS ON GENDER AFFIRMING CARE AND REJECTED THE SPREAD OF FALSE INFORMATION.

ONE EXAMPLE THEY GAVE OF THIS FALSE INFORMATION WAS EQUATING AFFIRMING CARE FOR TRANSGENDER, GENDER DIVERSE AND NON-BINARY YOUTH WITH CHILD ABUSE, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THE GOVERNOR'S DIRECTIVE DOES.

THE ADA RESOLUTION ALSO SAYS THAT THE RESULTING HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT ADVERSELY AFFECTS THE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF TRANS YOUTH.

[02:35:08]

SO DFPS IS CAUSING THE VERY TRAUMA THAT THEY ARE SEEKING TO ALLEVIATE.

AND YET, DFPS HAS NOT MADE A STATEMENT ABOUT THE GOVERNOR'S DIRECTIVE, OTHER THAN TO SAY THAT THE AGENCY WOULD COMPLY.

FOR TWO YEARS, FAMILIES OF TRANSGENDER MINORS HAVE LIVED IN FEAR OF A CPS INVESTIGATION JUST FOR GETTING THEIR CHILDREN THE HEALTH CARE THAT THEY NEED.

TWO YEARS OF TRANS CHILDREN CARRYING CARDS WITH LAWYERS NUMBERS IN THEIR BACKPACKS IN CASE CPS WANTS TO TALK TO THEM AT SCHOOL WITHOUT THEIR PARENTS CONSENT, WHICH HAS HAPPENED.

TWO YEARS FOR AN ORGANIZATION SUPPOSEDLY CONCERNED WITH TRAUMA INFORMED CARE INFLICTING THAT VERY TRAUMA ON TEXAS CHILDREN.

I IMPLORE THE COUNCIL TO MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT REJECTING GOVERNOR ABBOTT'S DIRECTIVE TO DFPS TO INVESTIGATE FAMILIES OF TRANSGENDER YOUTH WHO RECEIVE GENDER AFFIRMING HEALTH CARE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

NETHA CARNEGA.

OKAY. IT WAS OKAY.

COOL. HI, MY NAME IS NEVA CARNEGA AND I'M ADDRESSING ARTICLE FOUR, ITEM D OF THE TRAUMA INFORMED CARE.

SO I AM A PUBLIC EDUCATOR IN THE AREA, AND I ACTUALLY HAVE RECEIVED THE TRAUMA INFORMED CARE TRAINING IN MY DISTRICT.

AND I KIND OF JUST WANTED TO PIGGYBACK ON THE COMMENTS THAT THE LAST SPEAKER TOUCHED UP ON FOR TRANS YOUTH IN TEXAS.

SO EARLIER IN THE THE YEAR, I WAS ASKED TO SPONSOR A DIVERSITY CLUB.

AND OF COURSE I SAID YES.

IT'S JUST A PLACE FOR QUEER KIDS TO HANG OUT, TALK, VENT, AND HAVE A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY TO BE AROUND.

AS YOU KNOW TRANSGENDER YOUTH ARE EXPLICITLY STATED AS AN AT RISK YOUTH.

YOU KNOW, BY THE THE GUIDELINES.

AND WE KNOW ABOUT THE SUICIDE RATES AND THE DEPRESSION TRANS KIDS SUFFER BEING IN A WORLD THAT REJECTS THEM.

THREE, THREE WEEKS AGO, A COUPLE OF TRANS AND NON-BINARY KIDS IN THE CLUB HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT TEXAS AND THE POLICIES ENACTED IN THE STATE, SPECIFICALLY ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF TEXAS SB 14 AND DFPS INVESTIGATIONS.

ONE KID, A TRANS BOY, EXPLAINED HIS PLAN ON LEAVING TEXAS, IF WORSE COMES TO WORST.

DETAILED HOW TO EVADE DPFS AND CPS.

WHAT STATES ARE TRANS SANCTUARY STATES? WHERE TO STAY? WHAT BUS ROUTE HE WANTS TO TAKE, HOW MUCH PERSONAL MONEY HE'S GOING TO ALLOCATE, HOW TO STAY SAFE ALONE AS A REFUGEE, LIKE MANY FAMILIES WITH TRANS YOUTH HAVE ALREADY DONE.

EXCEPT THIS KID HAS NO FAMILY OUTSIDE OF TEXAS, AND AS AN ADULT, THIS REALLY BROKE MY HEART.

WHEN I WAS 14.

I MEAN, MY FOCUS WAS JUST ON CONVINCING MY PARENTS TO LET ME STAY LATE AT THE MALL AND SECURING WI-FI TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES.

THESE KIDS ARE MAKING PLANS TO ESCAPE THE GOVERNMENT AND ITS WILL TO DETRANSITION THESE KIDS IF THEY'RE IN THEIR CARE.

IN RELATION TO TRAUMA INFORMED CARE, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY TRAUMATIC, AND THIS IS STRESSFUL, AND THESE KIDS AND FAMILIES SHOULD NOT HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR AND PARANOIA OF SEPARATION.

THE STATE COURTS ALREADY OPPOSED THE CRUSADE.

ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN PAXTON AND GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT ARE CURRENTLY WAGING ON TRANSGENDER KIDS AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND CONTINUE TO DENY INVESTIGATIONS SINCE THEY HAVE NO LEGAL GROUNDING. I URGE DFPS TO USE THE LEGAL GROUNDING OF TEXAS COURTS TO STAND UP TO GREG ABBOTT AND KEN PAXTON, AND PROTECT TRANSGENDER YOUTH AND THEIR LOVING FAMILIES.

DON'T JUST PROTECT SOME KIDS.

PROTECT ALL KIDS.

PROTECT TRANS KIDS.

THESE KIDS ARE WORTH IT.

THESE KIDS ARE WORTH IT, Y'ALL.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

SUZANNE PEARCE.

I THINK IT'S ON RIGHT? YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU FOR SEEING ME TODAY.

I TOO, AS THE SPEAKERS BEFORE ME, I'M HERE ON ARTICLE FOUR, ITEM D.

I'M HERE TODAY AS A PARENT OF A TRANSGENDER CHILD WHO WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE IN TEXAS BUT IS CURRENTLY OUT OF THE STATE.

[02:40:07]

SHE IS ABOUT TO TURN 21, BUT SHE CAME TO US WHEN SHE WAS 14, AND IT WAS VERY CHALLENGING BECAUSE HIS PARENTS, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

SHE'S SAFE NOW.

SHE'S THRIVING.

SHE'S IN COLLEGE OUTSIDE OF THE STATE, AND I HAVE A SECOND CHILD WHO IS NOW CONSIDERING MULTIPLE OFFERS OF COLLEGES INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE STATE BECAUSE OF THE CONTEXT THAT WE'RE LIVING IN, WHERE WE FEEL UNDER THREAT TO ALLOW OUR CHILD TO FIND HER IDENTITY AND HER BROTHER TO UNDERSTAND OUR FAMILY'S CONTEXT IN THIS STATE, HE MAY NOT STAY IN THE STATE EITHER.

IT HAS BEEN DISRUPTIVE FOR US.

THE FEAR HAS BEEN VERY REAL.

I THOUGHT I'D WORKED ALL THIS OUT BEFORE I GOT HERE.

THE FEAR HAS BEEN VERY REAL, AND I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU ALL TO PLEASE PROTECT OUR FAMILIES AND ASSURE THAT WE ARE NOT USED AS POLITICAL PAWNS.

I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT DFPS IS DOING TO PROTECT FAMILIES WRIT LARGE, AND I HAVE ENJOYED LEARNING ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING TODAY.

IN PARTICULAR, TRANSGENDER FAMILIES ARE FINDING THE CARE WE NEED.

WE NEED TO HAVE THE CARE AVAILABLE TO US SO THAT WHEN WE FIND OUT THE IDENTITY ISSUES THAT OUR CHILDREN ARE FACING, WE ARE ABLE TO HELP THEM AND LEARN ABOUT IT OURSELVES WITHOUT BEING UNDER ATTACK AND WITHOUT FEARING FOR OUR LIVES AND OUR CHILDREN'S LIVES.

THANK YOU. THANK ALL OF YOU FOR COMING TO EXPRESS YOUR CONCERN ABOUT THINGS.

AND WITH THAT, I THINK WE HAVE NOTHING ELSE LEFT ON THE AGENDA.

SO THE MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.