TexProtects Applauds House Passage of Kinship Care Gill HB 4

Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas   Today the Texas House of Representatives unanimously passed House Bill 4 by Rep. Cindy Burkett which would increase the payments offered to kinship caregivers." TexProtects supported HB4 and CEO Madeline McClure issued the following statement:

The Texas House of Representatives took a brilliant step today toward reducing the number of our abused children entering the foster care system by passing House Bill 4. Helping kinship providers defray a portion of the costs of taking in their relatives is an important step in diverting kids from the negative outcomes too often experienced in foster care. Our children move much less frequently when placed with relatives exit state care sooner than foster children and show better overall well-being outcomes. We encourage passage by the Senate and hope for even greater kinship supports this session. Increased payments alone cannot fix the system. Relative caregivers also need child care commensurate with the number of hours they work as well as trauma-informed training that helps them heal children from the initial abuse. And kinship assistance alone is not going to avert abuse incidence and child abuse fatalities unless accompanied by critically needed investment upstream in evidence-based family support home visiting programs. If the state is serious about reducing the number of abused children in Texas investment in prevention programs is essential."