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West Texas witnesses urge pilot to keep foster children closer to home in SB 513
Summary
Witnesses from San Angelo and the Concho Valley told the Senate Health and Human Services Committee that Senate Bill 513 would strengthen local community supports for children in foster care, reduce out-of-region placements and ease burdens on parents and caseworkers. The committee closed public testimony and left the bill pending.
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 513, a proposed pilot to strengthen local, community-based supports for children and families in rural Texas. Witnesses told the committee the bill could reduce the number of children sent outside their home regions and improve outcomes for foster families.
Justin Smith, pastor of Bessell Church in San Angelo, described his family’s experience fostering 13 children and urged support for SB 513. “Fifty percent of foster parents stop fostering after their first placement,” Smith said, adding that a lack of local support and “poor experiences with the system itself” were primary reasons families leave the system. He recounted a placement that saw “four different caseworkers over a period of four months,” which he said resulted in poor…
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