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Why is HB 567 important While Texas House Bill 567 is not a new law we are only recently beginning to see its effects On September 1 2021 House Bill 567 narrowed the criteria DFPS uses to evaluate allegations and remove children from unsafe homes Before CPS could remove a child from a home for substantial risk With the new law CPS can only remove a child if they are in immanent danger While HB 567 was intended to mitigate unreasonable removals it has also blunted the ability of DFPS to respond to things like drug abuse or drug exposure often forcing children to be left in unsafe situations until more severe maltreatment is witnessed Now into 2022 we are seeing statewide removal rates declining see graph below On the surface this looks good However we are simultaneously witnessing higher levels of trauma in children who do enter care This is because HB 567 often delays a child s removal from a dangerous environment exposing them to more trauma The challenge is now how to receive rehabilitate and restore these traumatized children in stable familybased environments The time is ripe to equip our churches and communities to be there for these children 20 000 Open Foster Homes equip your community GET TRAUMA INFORMED THIS FALL On Thursday September 15 One Heart is hosting One Big Happy Home for two special events designed to give Lubbock tools to support kids from tough backgrounds The morning event Made to Connect is for churches schools and other organizations The evening event Parenting with Trauma in Mind is open to the public and includes free childcare for foster families LIMITED to 75 kids Workshops deal with topics like Adverse Childhood Experiences ACES trauma and the brain connection vs correction sensory activities for home and school the role of nutrition sleep and practical tools for most any situation To learn more and or register with the QR codes below Children Removed 15 000 10 000 FOR CHURCHES SCHOOLS AGENCIES FOR CAREGIVERS SUPPORTERS Made to Connect Parenting with Trauma in Mind 9 00am 1 00pm Aldersgate Church 350 organization 6 00 8 00pm Southcrest Baptist 20 per two 5 000 Source DFPS Databook 0 2019 2020 2021 2022 What can churches do We believe everybody can do something And we think the biggest something churches can do is build resilient villages of care to surround these children and families and nurture them to health Core focus areas for churches should be Equip members of your church with good information Have Trauma Informed Children s Ministries Be a safe place for new and existing foster kinship families Support and strengthen them Offer occasional meal support childcare or respite Host regular Foster Parent Nights Out Get to know them includes 1 year access to online training tools smART CAMPS Summer 2022 smART Camps In partnership with One Heart and TTU Global Education Outreach the Lubbock Arts Alliance is hosting four week long art camps for foster adoptive families bio siblings included Scan the QR for dates details and registration

summer 2022 FAQs by the numbers LUBBOCK AREA DATA ONE HEART QUARTERLY Lubbock Churches foster community update Q1 How exactly do kids get removed from their families 1 500 Children s Protective Investigations CPI examines reports of child abuse or neglect to determine if any child in the family has been abused or neglected They completed 157 519 investigations in 2021 If threats to the safety of the children are found they determine whether the parents are willing and able to adequately manage those threats to keep children safe If the investigator concludes the children are unsafe the investigator may Offer services to the family to address the problem Refer the case to Family Based Safety Services for monitoring File a court petition to remove children from the home while parents address safety issues or parental rights are terminated 1314 1 000 500 0 What s New in Stage Two 495 Lubbock Co Region 1 of kids in local foster or kinship care 46 Q2 Are church volunteers mandated reporters Should church volunteers pay attention to signs of child abuse and neglect Yes While professionals are mandated to report within 48 hours Texas law also requires any person suspecting child abuse or neglect to immediately make a report online or 1 800 252 5400 If your church is interested in a simple training to help recognize signs of abuse or neglect contact our local Children s Advocacy Center 806 740 0251 or Paige Belew Paige Belew dfps texas gov Percent of kids moved away from Lubbock Co for lack of foster homes WHO IS ONE HEART One Heart Foster Alliance is a coalition of churches that believes the Church is the answer to local child abuse and neglect We educate equip and connect churches around foster and kinship care in collaboration with community stakeholders Email us at oneheart oneheartlbk org or contact a One Heart Partner Church to see how you can join The Texas foster system has now been in redesign for over a decade The goal has been to enhance care for children in foster care by giving communities more local decision making power and accountability to build the local networks that support them The result is Community Based Care CBC or privatization It has been rolling out region by region since 2017 What exactly does CBC change Ultimately quite a bit Over time CBC will shift a majority of Child Protective Services CPS duties to a contracted non profit organization in each region Once complete this non profit will assume all responsibilities for foster care kinship reunification and adoption services in their designated region For the Lubbock Amarillo region Region 1 Saint Francis Ministries was chosen as the new lead agency in 2020 Until recently Saint Francis has been in a setup phase called Stage I Stage II the final phase of CBC roll out launched on March 1 2022 and transfers the full duties of CBC onto Saint Francis see fig 1 These are big changes with bigger Current CBC Regions 2022 CHURCH PARTNERS ALDERSGATE CHURCH HIGHLAND BAPTIST BROADWAY CHURCH OF CHRIST REDEEMER CHURCH FIRST BAPTIST LUBBOCK GREENLAWN CHURCH OF CHRIST MONTEREY CHURCH OF CHRIST THE CITY CHURCH oneheart oneheartlbk org QUAKER AVENUE CHURCH OF CHRIST HOLY SPIRIT CATHOLIC SHALLOWATER BAPTIST SOUTHCREST BAPTIST SUBSCRIBE HERE Fig 2 Active CBC regions as of June 2022 Fig 1 CBC Stage II changes implications for our area but for most people it s enough to know Saint Francis now plays a major role in the Lubbock Amarillo area As always we still 2021 the need more foster and adoptive homes in gap was 375 more homes needed for Region 1 However becoming a licensed foster or adoptive home is hardly the only way to make a difference Continue reading to learn more Source DFPS Databook