Student Services

Foster Care

Students in Foster Care

What is foster care?

When children can't live safely at home and an appropriate non-custodial parent, relative, or close family friend is currently unable or unwilling to care for them, the court can give temporary legal possession to Children Protective Services (CPS) and that agency temporarily places theses children in foster care.

Foster care setting include:
  • Kinship Caregiver homes;
  • Foster family homes;
  • Foster family group homes;
  • Residential group care facilities; and
  • Facilities overseen by another state agency.

Foster care is meant to be temporary until a permanent living arrangement is found and CPS no longer has legal custody of the child. However, for some children, it can become permanent. CPS strives to ensure quality services for children in foster care. However, children in foster care may have to change placements several times while in foster care due to a variety of factors, such as licensing standards violations, court rulings, or changes in the foster home or facility. CPS consistently works towards increasing placement options to better match the needs of each individual child.

In Texas, CPS and the Texas Education Code use the term "substitute care" to refer to all children who are in the legal custody of CPS, including children who are placed either with a relative or in a licensed foster care placement. "Conservatorship" is a term also used in the Texas Education Code and by CPS to describe the status of a youth who is placed in legal custody by court order with Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. (DFPS) Although not commonly referenced, "substitute care" is interchangeable with the term "conservatorship."

 

Conservatorship

There are two types of conservatorship. The following terms are used to describe whether a child is in short term or long term conservatorship.

 

Temporary Managing Conservatorship (TMC):

DFPS may be the TMC while he agency works with the family on a reunification plan; or

 

Permanent Managing Conservatorship (PMC):

DFPS may be named the Permanent Managing Conservator for a child until custody is given to another individual or until the youth turns 18.

 

The term "foster care" is generally used to refer to all children and youth in CPS conservatorship/substitute care.

 

For more information on students in Foster Care, Contact:
Carrie Fry | GCCISD Foster Care Liaison | 281.707.3385