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The Child Welfare Subcommittee’s Presentation on Bexar County Foster Care

Lauren Bick with the Child Welfare Subcommittee presented first, focusing on issues impacting Bexar County foster care, including the comparatively high numbers and rates of child removals occurring in at least the last five (5) years. In researching the “why” behind this issue, the Subcommittee relied on public records, state databases, previous grant-funded research, and interviews with eight (8) local child welfare experts affiliated with the Bexar County Children’s Court, CPS (Child Protective Services) Investigations, CASA (Child Advocates San Antonio), and other relevant organizations. The research yielded a better understanding of the risk factors for removals and the subsequent service and intervention needs of the families and children.

Firstly, the Subcommittee’s exploration of previous grant-funded research and interviews with local experts indicated that Bexar County’s high numbers and rates of child removals, when compared to other large Texas counties, may reflect stronger reporting and response mechanisms in the local child welfare system, rather than a unique severity or prevalence of risk factors, as initially theorized. 

Moreover, interviews shed light on several key successes the county has maintained in addressing child abuse and neglect, including model abuse and neglect courts, an impressive collection of specialty courts, and the existence of effective community programs aimed at strengthening the safety net for identifying and reporting suspected abuse and neglect. Alongside these successes, the interviews also highlighted key challenges impacting the local child welfare system, often impacting outcomes for families and children involved, including gaps in the accessibility of necessary services, capacity limits like limited placements for children, services provider shortages, and inadequate support for heavily-utilized relative caregivers, and continuously poor system outcomes, such as repeated removals and delayed permanency for children.

Finally, following a critical reminder that behind every statistic is a real child and family in need in our community as they manage trauma and crisis while seeking support and stability, the Subcommittee provided advocacy resources of varying levels of engagement to the audience, encouraging them to take steps to support the many children and families served by the Bexar County child welfare system. 

We thank all those who attended the presentation and are grateful for continued support of the League’s advocacy activities, especially those addressing the welfare of children in our community.

Conclusions and Future Directions for the Committee

The League of Women Voters San Antonio Area Program; Advocacy Committee will continue its efforts to support the best interests of the community through research and advocacy on pressing and salient concerns. As the Child Welfare Subcommittee finalizes their research, a comprehensive report highlighting key findings and recommendations will be published in the coming weeks. Again, we thank all those who attended the presentation and continue to support the work of the Program & Advocacy Committee.

If you are interested in learning more about our Committee or joining to provide support on upcoming advocacy projects, please contact us at advocacy@lwvsa.org .