1. Family First Protection Service Act (FFPSA)
The Changing Landscape of Texas

2. What is FFPSA?
The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) passed in February 2018
FFPSA looks to improve service and outcomes for four main populations:
Children placed in congregate care.
Kinship caregivers and the children they care for.
Parents who struggle with substance abuse and their children.
Children who are at imminent risk for entering foster care.
Any time a child is the subject of a safety plan and absent preventive services the plan is removal.
A child is not the subject of a safety plan but is at high or very high risk of abuse or neglect, and absent preventive services the plan is removal.

3. What is FFPSA? FFPSA aims to:
Decrease the use of congregate care settings.
Prevent additional entries into foster care.
Encourage and support kin placements.
Elevate the quality of specific types of prevention services* provided to families with children at risk of entering foster care.
Allow children to be placed with their parents in substance abuse treatment facilities.
FFPSA establishes several new opportunities for states:
Federal Title IV-E match for children placed in limited specialized settings for specific populations;
Open-ended federal match for approved evidence-based prevention services; and
Federal match for certain evidence-based, approved Kinship Navigator programs.
*FFPSA references to prevention services do not mean the traditional Texas Prevention and Early Intervention services, but rather secondary prevention for children at imminent risk of entering the foster care system

4. Texas’ Decision
In November 2018, Texas notified the Federal Administration for Families and Children (ACF) that it intended to delay implementation of FFPSA until September 2021.
Texas is currently analyzing available information and has begun engagement of stakeholders.
Texas is developing a strategic plan due September 1, 2020, to inform the Legislature about potential options for implementation.

5. Required FFPSA Provisions for States
FFPSA included five required provisions to start FFPSA funding:
Creation of an Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) National Electronic Interstate Compact Enterprise (NEICE) System (Required by 2027).
Creation of a Statewide Fatality Prevention Plan, to Prevent Abuse and Neglect Fatalities.
Establish Protocols to Prevent Inappropriate Diagnoses and Ensuing Inappropriate Placements.
Create Procedures for Providers to Conduct Abuse and Neglect Registry and Criminal Records Checks, Including Fingerprint-Based Checks.
Compliance with Federal Model Licensing Standards.

6. New Funding for Prevention Activities
Allows states to use federal matching funds for evidence based prevention and treatment services.
Who: Children Texas determines are at imminent risk of placement in foster care AND their parents or kinship caregivers and pregnant and parenting foster youth with no financial edibility required.
What: Eligible prevention services are mental health, substance abuse treatment and intensive in-home parenting skills building.
How Long: Services are allowable for up to 12 months, with no limit on how many times a child and family can receive prevention services if the child continues to be at risk of entry into foster care.
Due to new federal funds, new data requirements will also be enforced.

7. Eligible Services
Services must meet well-supported, supported or promising ratings based on:
studies done through a RCT or QED and
have favorable effect on one FFPSA target outcome.
There have been 12 programs reviewed. With 6 well-supported, 1 supported, 2 promising and then 3 that do not currently meet criteria.
Healthy Families and Parents as Teachers are a couple of the current programs that have received a well supported service rating.
Currently, 21 services are waiting for review, to include Nurturing Parenting. This was our FBSS pilot that has just completed a year of service.

8. Federal Matching Federal match will continue for these placements:
Facility for pregnant and parenting youth.
Supervised independent living for youth 18 years and older.
Specialized placements for youth who are victims of or at-risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking.
Foster Family Home no more than six children in foster care, with some exceptions, such as sibling placement.
High quality and necessary congregate care – QRTP.

9. Qualified Residential Treatment Program
In order to get federal reimbursement requires:
30-day Independent child assessment
60-day stay requires approval by court
Review every six months
Trauma-informed treatment model
Registered/licensed nurse or clinical staff consistent with treatment model
Outreach and engagement of family in treatment plan
Have a child discharge plan and provide at least 6 months of after care
Licensed and accredited

10. Section Requirements Section Required/Optional
Prevention Services
Optional
50712-Substance Abuse Services
50713-Kinship Navigator Program
50721-Family Reunification Services
Additional Analysis
50722-ICPC/NEICE System
Required, seeking grant opportunity
50731-Model Licensing Standards: Foster Homes
Required, submitted to ACH
50732-Fatality Prevention Plan
Required, Likely in Compliance
50733-Title IV-E Name Change
Additional Information Required
50741-QRTPs/Accreditation
day Assessments
50743-Prevent Inappropriate Diagnoses
50744-Reporting Requirements
50745-Background Check Requirements
Required, Pending
50751-Funding Supporting and Retaining Foster Families
50753-Chafee Funding
Optional, Additional Information Required
50771-Data Exchange Standards
50781-Delinking Adoption Assistance Eligibility

11. A Few Quick Facts
Texas has a low removal rate, approximately 2.4 per 1,000 children in the population
Texas has already been reducing the number of children in Congregate Care.
Only 11% placed in congregate care in 2018.
5% decrease over the last 10 yrs.
Kinship placements have also been on the rise.
In Texas, over 40% of kids in substitute care are in a Kinship placement.

12. How has Texas supported the goals of FFPSA?
Congregate Care
Texas places more than 87% of children in the Texas Foster Care System in family-like settings.   
Expansion of Community Based Care (CBC).   
Treatment Foster Care (TFC) which recruits and trains “professional” foster parents to support children who might have traditionally needed residential treatment services in a family home setting.  

13. How has Texas supported the goals of FFPSA?
Kinship Supports
Kinship caregivers have access to case management services provided by a kinship caseworker and, as a result of HB 4 (85R), a monetary stipend to help care for kids.
Kin caregivers also have the option to become a verified foster home, allowing them to access additional services and supports, as well as a daily placement rate.
Outside of child welfare, kin caregivers have access (when eligible) to additional services, such as SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF.

14. How has Texas supported the goals of FFPSA?
Prevention Services 
Texas currently serves families at eminent risk of entering the foster care system through Family-Based Safety Services.
Accesses free or low-cost services for parenting skills training and support.
Utilizes Purchase Client Service dollars and HHSC programs for mental health and substance abuse.
SB 11 (85R) established a pilot for FBSS case management. The pilot is required to use evidence-based services, be trauma-informed, and demonstrate improved outcomes for the families they serve. The El Paso FBSS pilot with Pathways has been serving families since June 2018.

15. State Legislation and Planning
Texas will use the 86th Interim to study the implementation options and potential costs for FFPSA and inform the 87th Legislature of options for the state.
SB 355 requires DFPS to submit a strategic plan for implementation of the prevention services provisions of FFPSA
SB 781 requires DFPS to submit an analysis and recommendations associated with the placement provisions of FFPSA
These two strategic plans will be combined and completed by September of 2020.

16. What is Texas doing to prepare for FFPSA?
Texas will:
Determine the efficacy of the approved, evidence-based prevention programs.
Examine costs and outcomes for serving children in approved congregate care settings.
Determine the benefits of provider accreditation, and effects on child welfare outcomes.
Consider the continued decline in the percentage of children eligible for Title IV-E as costs and benefits are analyzed.

17. What is Texas doing to prepare for FFPSA?
Texas will:
Research current practices and guidelines for service referral.
Use partners to assist with service development and evaluation of services eligible for FFPSA.
Develop work group with SSCC and FBSS contractors.
Perform cost/benefit analysis.
Analyze the effort associated with evaluation of prevention program.
Identify data elements associated with FFPSA required reporting and analyze effort needed to comply.

18. What is Texas doing to prepare for FFPSA?
Texas will:
Research outcomes, impact on costs and workload to implement QRTP’s.
Identify Kinship navigator programs supported by FFPSA.
Evaluate allocation of money, loss of IV-E dollars and potential effects of implementing FFPSA.
Identify costs for training.

19. Work Underway
U of H completed kinship navigator study. DFPS and HHSC are partnering on next steps.
Work with Casey Family Programs and Texas Center for Child and Family Studies to survey current landscape of prevention services.
Application for NEICE grant.
Stakeholder engagement through existing workgroups has started.

20. Work Underway Stakeholder Engagement Strategy Action Plan
Engaging with other states and federal government
Consider outcomes in other states that have implemented like programs

21. Visit our website & sign up for updates
dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Protection/Family_First/default.asp

22. Questions
Questions?