The nonprofit child welfare collaborative began providing case management services to the Metroplex East Region on March 1, 2024
DALLAS – EMPOWER, a nonprofit child welfare collaborative, is proud to share significant markers of success since beginning to provide case management services for the Metroplex East Region on March 1, 2024. Through the Community-Based Care (CBC) contract, EMPOWER provides foster care case management, kinship and reunification services for all children and families in the Metroplex East Region. EMPOWER is led by Texas Family Initiative LLC and is supported by local providers in North Texas, including CK Family Services, Jonathan’s Place, The Bair Foundation and Pathways Youth and Family Services, serving the nine-county area of Dallas, Collin, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt, Rockwall, Kaufman and Navarro counties.
“While the child welfare field can be challenging, we are grateful for continuous strides of progress in the Metroplex East region over the last year,” says Randy Neff, Senior Vice President for EMPOWER. “We look forward to doing everything we can to continue on this trajectory to best serve children and families in our region.”
Over the past year, the nonprofit child welfare organization has increased kinship and relative placements, equipped older youth with essential life skills training, kept children in foster care closer to their home communities, recorded fewer placement moves, decreased staff caseloads and reduced Children Without Placement (CWOP) numbers. Details for each are listed below, and the data is recorded by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
- Since March 1, 2024, kinship and relative placements in the Metroplex East Region have increased by 7%, from 33% to 40%, signifying a meaningful effort to keep children within their familial networks when placed in foster care.
- EMPOWER’s Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) Life Skills Training program equips older youth for life after foster care, crucial to their future success and transition into adulthood. During the first quarter of the state fiscal year 2025 (September 2024 through November 2024), 100% of youth turning 18 years old completed the program. The comprehensive training helped to ensure they are well-prepared to succeed and thrive after exiting the foster care system.
- In January 2025, EMPOWER completed 100% of Initial Child Plans of Service, exceeding the statewide average of 91%, which is an important marker of thorough and timely planning for the wellbeing and future of each child.
- EMPOWER has made significant strides in ensuring children remain closer to home and their supportive communities. During the state fiscal year 2024 (September 2023 through August 2024), 73.1% of youth in foster care were placed within 50 miles of their home communities, exceeding the state benchmark.
- During the first quarter of the state fiscal year 2025 (September 2024 through November 2024), EMPOWER recorded fewer placement moves per child compared to the statewide average, with a 1.14% placement move rate.
- Since October 2024, EMPOWER has seen remarkable progress concerning CWOP in the Metroplex East region. With the reduction in the number of CWOP, more and more children are staying in safe and secure placements.
- As of January 2025, 95% of EMPOWER’s staff had a caseload of no more than 14 to 17 children for the fourth consecutive month. This caseload is in compliance with guidelines and marks significant improvements since entering the CBC contract.
“We have also been pleased to see our staff’s generosity and tireless efforts to care for the youth in our region, like volunteering their personal time to take turns holding a baby in distress in the NICU, donating personal funds for children who need braces, contributing to diaper and coat funds, and providing endless determination to better the lives of children and families in our region,” says Neff.
In one notable success story, a family in the Metroplex East region became verified Treatment Foster Care (TFC) parents with CK Family Services, welcoming a nine-year-old girl who was previously placed with her siblings in an adoptive setting, but their shared trauma made healing seem impossible. Through therapy and case management provided by CK Family Services and EMPOWER, the girl became more confident and stable, eventually leading to adoption. A couple of weeks after her adoption, the family welcomed one of her younger siblings, while two other TFC families provided care for the other siblings who also had faced significant challenges. Through sibling visits and continued support, CK Family Services and EMPOWER continue to support the children’s journey to stability and healing.
CBC offers an innovative approach to traditional foster care services by partnering with local nonprofits to outsource out-of-home placement and case management services. Under CBC, a single entity is responsible for coordinating and delivering all child welfare services in a specific geographic area. By leveraging local resources and community support, CBC ensures that the unique needs of children and families are met. CBC’s goal is to have children placed in foster care close to their home so that they may thrive and remain connected to their family, friends, school and community.
The Metroplex East contract is one of the largest CBC awards in U.S. history and the fifth region in Texas to transition to CBC services. At any given time, there are approximately 2,000 foster children in the Metroplex East region.
There are many local children in foster care in need of a safe, loving place to call home. To learn more about how individuals and families can help these children in need, please visit www.3empower.org/fosterfutures/.
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EMPOWER is a unique partnership between Texas Family Initiative LLC, CK Family Services, Jonathan’s Place, Bair Foundation, Pathways Youth and Family Services that works together to serve some of our most vulnerable children and families. This partnership has almost 190 years of combined child welfare experience and will further our community’s pursuit of caring for our children and families with integrity and success. To learn more, please visit www.3EMPOWER.org.
