SJRC Texas urges local support as 12 Lavaca County children remain in foster care

Nicole Nguyen, regional director for SJRC Texas’s Belong community-based care network, told the Lavaca County Commissioners Court on Aug. 11 that 12 children from Lavaca County were in the state’s conservatorship as of Aug. 4 and described the agency’s services and gaps in local placement capacity.

Nguyen said SJRC Texas — a child-placing agency that took on community-based care for the South Central and Hill Country Region (Region 8B) and will include Bexar County beginning Sept. 1 — handles intake and placement after the state removes a child but does not perform CPS intake investigations. “Every child has gone through our legal case management,” Nguyen said, summarizing how the agency assigns permanency specialists, kinship workers and independent-living staff depending on each child’s needs.

The presentation explained SJRC’s range of services, from kinship supports for relatives who suddenly care for multiple children to independent-living workers who help older teens plan for post‑care life. Nguyen said the East Region reported 174 children in care in the most recent quarter; that data previously included about 20 children from Lavaca County, but placements fluctuate. As of Aug. 4, she reported 12 Lavaca County children in foster care: five placed inside the East Region, three in other parts of Region 8 and four outside the region.

Nguyen described limited local capacity for specialized residential placements: the East Region has a single emergency shelter (Legacy Ranch in Gonzales) and a smaller residential treatment center in Victoria that serves boys. For children needing intensive therapeutic placements who cannot be placed locally, SJRC must place them outside the immediate region.

Nguyen asked the court and the community to help build local capacity by supporting foster families and local services such as mental-health and counseling resources that can be difficult for rural caregivers to access without long drives. “Strong communities build strong families,” she said, adding a call for respite providers, foster parents and groups willing to host informational sessions.

Nguyen shared a recent example in which a community member and later a prospective foster parent stepped forward so a 10‑year‑old boy could remain in his home community and school instead of being placed in a larger city. She also noted statewide turnover among attorneys representing children and said counties face pressure on legal resources and staffing.

The judge and several commissioners thanked Nguyen for the overview and noted the county’s broader obligations, including budgeting for court-appointed attorneys and other public-safety and social-service needs.

Nguyen closed by reiterating community requests (diapers, car seats, beds, volunteer time and donations) and inviting local groups to host foster-care information sessions and drives to support children in care.