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Senate Finance reviews DFPS budget and community‑based care rollout; members press on kinship, CWAP and capacity
Summary
Lawmakers questioned Department of Family and Protective Services leaders about community‑based care rollout, foster‑care caseload trends, kinship payments, and children‑without‑placement reductions. DFPS described improved worker retention and falling investigation caseloads but warned oversight and transition staffing needs remain.
The Senate Finance Committee heard a Legislative Budget Board review and a departmental presentation on the Department of Family and Protective Services’ 2026‑27 budget and continuing transitions to the community‑based care (CBC) model for foster‑care case management.
LBB analyst Andrea Nikic summarized the DFPS pattern and the agency’s CBC rollout. LBB noted the transfer of prevention and early intervention programs to HHSC (per Senate Bill 24), a recommended net reduction in DFPS FTEs tied chiefly to plant‑offs when conservatorship responsibilities move to SSCC contractors, and expansion funding to roll CBC into additional regions and stages.
Commissioner Stephanie Muth told senators the agency is seeing measurable operational improvements after multi‑year pay…
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