Project Overview

The Community-Based Care (CBC) Program Evaluation is a process evaluation of CBC implementation in Department of Family and Protective Services regions 1, 2, 8B and select counties in region 3W. The evaluation is led by a collaboration of Texas child welfare researchers at UT Austin, UT San Antonio, and UT Arlington. This team will generate information to understand best practices and identify opportunities for improvement related to CBC implementation.

Project Purpose & Design

CBC will transition Texas child welfare from a state-operated system to a community-centered approach emphasizing adaptable service delivery. This approach shifts case management and contracting responsibilities from DFPS to Single Source Continuum Contractors (SSCCs) within 16 Designated Community Areas (DCAs). CBC requires SSCCs to meet specific performance measures.

The program evaluation primarily aims to contextualize CBC performance measure data. As a result, this will help better understand the strengths and challenges of implementation across the designated DCAs. The data collection tools for this evaluation are informed by the latest performance measure data and grounded in implementation science theory.

This evaluation does not involve gathering additional performance measure data. Instead, it focuses on how this data can be enhanced by gaining a greater understanding of the context in which CBC is being implemented. Thus, the findings from this program evaluation will be used for continuous improvement in service delivery to enhance child safety, well-being, and permanency.

Additional Project Staff

School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Rebecca Gomez, Researcher
Dr. Beth Gerlach, Researcher

School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Arlington
Dr. Catherine LaBrenz, Researcher
Dr. Hui Huang, Researcher
Lacey Jenkins, Doctoral Student

College for Health Community and Policy, The University of Texas at San Antonio
Dr. Megan Piel, Researcher
Dr. Amy Chanmugan, Researcher