TXICFW believes that every child in the foster care system has a right to a safe, supportive and stable home. We also believe physical permanency and relational permanency or lifelong relationships with supportive adults are key to successfully creating the highest quality of life for foster youth. The needs of youth transitioning out of foster care are unique and can be numerous. TXICFW is dedicated to creating a system of support that mentors and advocates for the needs of transitioning foster youth. Learn more about our foster care projects:
National Angels embarking on program evaluation, striving to build evidence National Angels has partnered with the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing (TXICFW) to explore the impact of its services for its Austin Angels chapter. After receiving years of anecdotal feedback to attest to the effectiveness of National Angels’ programming, TXICFW will conduct a… Read more »
Project Overview: The Texas Foster Youth Health Initiative (TFYHI) builds relationships across child welfare and adolescent health systems to promote optimal health for child welfare-involved youth. In partnership with the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and the Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services, the Texas Foster Youth Health Initiative will establish, fund, coordinate,… Read more »
About the study Foster youth tend to interact with many people, but they have few genuine connections. Older youth are most likely to experience placement instability that impacts their ability to develop and maintain close relationships with family, caregivers, peers, and dating partners. Rules in foster care often prohibit romantic relationships, yet foster youth have… Read more »
The Texas Permanency Outcomes Project (TXPOP) develops sustainable best practices utilized by child welfare agencies across Texas to connect children to their birth families, regardless of their permanency outcome. TXPOP is a project of the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing and the Texas Center for Child and Family Studies, in collaboration with the… Read more »
The Sue Fairbanks Psychoanalytic Academy cultivates its study at the intersection of psychoanalysis and social work. The Academy is located within the Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing at the University of Texas at Austin. Initially inspired by the Family Minds Project’s Lunch & Learn sessions, the Sue Fairbanks Psychoanalytic Academy will be expanding… Read more »
The Safe Babies program is designed to improve outcomes for infants and toddlers in foster care by supporting their attachment needs at the most critical time in a child’s development. First3Years, formerly Texas Association for Infant Mental Health (TAIMH), began in 1980 as a group of volunteers in the infant mental health field who were concerned about… Read more »
The Texas Youth Permanency Study (TYPS) examines the long-term outcomes and opportunities of youth in the Texas Foster Care System. Specifically, the study seeks to understand the quality of relationships developed by youth in care and identify factors that help youth sustain strong and supportive relationships when they exit out of foster care. Relational permanency… Read more »
Join us for our Psychoanalytic Lunch & Learns! Introduction David Howe, a world-renowned researcher in attachment and foster children, has stated (2006) that the most effective and impactful way to help foster children is to “work with and through” the foster parents themselves (p.129). One of the ways to significantly impact the mental health and… Read more »
The University of Texas Spark Program wants to empower former foster youth by providing necessary support systems to attend the university! Spark serves as a resource to help students build meaningful personal and professional relationships that are important to success. Spark is a new program located at the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing within… Read more »
March 4th, 2021 We are excited to share the 6-month progress report for the Texas Foster Youth Health Initiative (TFYHI)! As the first statewide learning community of its kind in Texas, this Initiative is meant to build relationships across child welfare and adolescent health systems to promote optimal health for child welfare-involved youth. Our goal… Read more »
Youth who have experienced adversity have higher rates of adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections compared to youth in general. Those in out-of-home care may miss sexual health education in schools and often have not had reliable caregivers to provide them with accurate sexual health information. Compounding the issue, many of these youth have experienced… Read more »