Foster Care
Our Foster Care Program provides legal representation through court appointment to children with disabilities in foster care.
Important facts about children in foster care:
- They are more likely than their peers to not finish high school, to be incarcerated, and to experience homelessness.
- The goal for these children is permanency through reunification with their family or adoption. However, Texas children with a disability in foster care are half as likely to experience one of those outcomes.
- Those who do not achieve permanent placement and who “age out” of the system at age 18 often end up institutionalized or incarcerated.
By representing the legal needs of this unique youth population, Disability Rights Texas continues to change the course of the lives of thousands of foster care children in our state. Because of our innovative approach, we have witnessed children’s lives transform in tangible ways. Caseworkers, lawyers, and judges from around Texas request our involvement in cases due to our innovative approaches and expertise.
Courts appoint DRTx to represent foster children and help them navigate the systems with which they are involved. Services provided include:
- Educational advocacy
- Cross-system advocacy
- Reasonable accommodations
- Representation in Medicaid fair hearings
- Transition out of foster care
- Discharge from institutional settings
- Psychotropic medication monitoring
- Trauma-informed care
- Trust-based relational intervention (TBRI)
Because our agency specializes in advocacy for people with disabilities, we understand the rights and needs of these children and develop innovative solutions.
Our ultimate goal is to help them achieve a successful placement in the community with supports and services in place to allow them to thrive.
These resources are provided for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.
Featured Resources
Warehoused: Inappropriate Institutionalization of Texas Foster Youth
A DRTx Investigative Report: We monitored private psychiatric hospitals and identified numerous foster youth initially admitted to psychiatric hospitals for five- to seven-day emergency stays but who remained for months after professionals determined they were ready for discharge. The primary reason: the Department of Family & Protective Services lack of finding appropriate placements. This practice… Continue reading Warehoused: Inappropriate Institutionalization of Texas Foster Youth
DRTx Foster Care Program
Disability Rights Texas Handout Last updated: 10/2018 Publication Code: n/a DRTx Foster Care Program This handout is available in Braille and/or on audio tape upon request. The Disability Rights Texas Foster Care Program provides legal representation through court appointment to children with disabilities in foster care. Purpose of the Program Children in foster care are… Continue reading DRTx Foster Care Program
Videos
CASA Interview: DRTx Foster Care Program
External Links
- Texas Children's Commission
The Foster Care & Education Committee of the Texas Children's Commission focuses on strategies to improve educational experiences and outcomes for children and youth in Texas foster care.
- Texas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)
CASA volunteers help thousands of neglected or abused children in Texas get out of foster care into happy homes. The Texas CASA Learning Center provides CASA volunteers, board members, staff and other guests with a variety of resources.
- National Association for Counsel of Children
Organization dedicated to the legal training and development of child welfare professionals and provides a number of useful resources.
- Rights of Children and Youth in Foster Care
Learn about the rights of children in Texas Child Protective Services foster care.
- Trauma Informed Care Training
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services provides this training to assist families, caregivers, and other social services providers in fostering greater understanding of trauma informed care and child traumatic stress.
- Transitional Living Services
Learn more about Transitional Living Services, programs, and benefits that help foster care youth and young adults make the transition to adulthood smoother and help them identify and achieve long-term education, career, and life goals. Transitional Living Services begin at age 14 and may continue until age 23.
- Foster Care Children and Medicaid Denials
News story from the Austin American-Statesman: A private company that the state has tasked with providing Medicaid coverage to Texas foster children has repeatedly denied requests for critical care, many for children with disabilities according to data provided by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.