Texas CASA Releases Legislative Priorities Ahead of the 90th Texas Legislative Session
As the 90th Texas legislative session approaches, Texas CASA has released its legislative priorities to guide advocacy efforts that impact children and families involved in the child welfare system and in Texas.
These priorities reflect what local CASA programs, staff, and volunteers see every day across the state: where the child welfare system is working, where gaps remain, and what children and families need to move toward safety, stability, and lasting connections.
Developed through months of collaboration among Texas CASA’s Public Policy team, local CASA programs, and volunteers, the priorities provide a shared framework for bringing the CASA Story to the Capitol and helping lawmakers understand the realities facing children and families in communities across Texas.
At the heart of these priorities is a simple goal:
Children and families deserve a child welfare system that is strong, responsive, and collaborative enough to meet them where they are and help them move toward stability.
#1) Investing in a Stronger CASA Network and Child Welfare System
A strong child welfare system depends on having the people, resources, and services necessary to support children and families. Texas CASA will advocate for increased and sustained investments that strengthen advocacy and system capacity and help more children access a CASA volunteer.
These investments are about more than funding. They are about ensuring volunteers have the support they need, expanding access to advocacy, and helping children build and maintain meaningful connections.
#2) Supporting Families and Strengthening Kinship Care
Texas CASA supports policies that help prevent unnecessary entry into foster care, strengthen families, and promote reunification when it is safe and possible.
That includes expanding access to prevention services, parenting support, in-home services, and other community-based resources that can help stabilize and support families. Texas CASA will also advocate for greater support and resources for kinship caregivers, including financial assistance and services that promote placement stability and long-term success.
When families have the support they need and children can safely remain connected to the people they love, there are greater opportunities for stability and positive outcomes.
#3) Expanding Safe and Stable Placement Options
When children do enter foster care, they deserve safe, stable placements that meet their individual needs and keep them connected to their communities whenever possible.
Texas CASA will support policies and funding that increase the availability of foster homes and other placement options across the state, particularly for children with higher levels of need. We will also support efforts to reduce out-of-region and out-of-state placements and increase placement capacity closer to children’s home communities.
The priorities also include strengthening child safety, placement oversight, and accountability, as well as improving how young people who run away from placements are located, supported, and safely stabilized.
#4) Strengthening Collaboration and Accountability
No single organization can create the outcomes children and families need. As Community-Based Care continues to expand across Texas, strong communication and collaboration among state agencies, Single Source Continuum Contractors, local service providers, CASA programs, and other community partners will be essential.
Texas CASA will advocate for policies and system improvements that strengthen communication, information sharing, service delivery, and accountability across the child welfare system. Texas CASA will also monitor the ongoing implementation and expansion of Community-Based Care and participate in the Department of Family and Protective Services Sunset Review process.
#5) Supporting Youth Beyond Foster Care
Young people do not stop needing support simply because they reach a certain age. For youth preparing to age out of foster care — particularly those with complex needs — strong wrap-around services can make an important difference as they transition into adulthood.
Texas CASA will support expanded access to behavioral health and substance use treatment, particularly in underserved settings such as schools and rural communities. The priorities also include strengthening efforts to prevent human trafficking, expanding support for youth involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and improving access to trauma-informed, youth-centered services.
Texas CASA will also advocate for increased funding, data tracking, and support for post-secondary education for youth in foster care and young adults who have experienced foster care.
Bringing the CASA Story to the Capitol!
The 90th Legislative Session will bring opportunities to strengthen the systems that support children and families across Texas. The CASA network will continue working with lawmakers and community partners to share what volunteers and staff see every day and to advocate for policies and investments that improve outcomes for children and families.
These priorities belong to everyone who believes all children and families in Texas deserve the opportunity to thrive. Whether through advocacy at the Capitol, partnerships in local communities, or continued support for CASA, there is a role for all of us in strengthening the child welfare system.
Read Texas CASA’s full legislative priorities to learn more about the policies, funding, and system improvements Texas CASA will advocate for during the 90th Texas Legislature.
Want to stay up to date on Texas CASA’s public policy and legislative advocacy efforts? Visit the Public Policy & Legislative Advocacy portal in the Learning Center for the latest updates, resources, and information.
Questions about Texas CASA’s public policy and legislative advocacy efforts? Contact Texas CASA’s Public Policy Team at publicpolicy@texascasa.org.
Ana O’Quin
Public Policy Director
AD Tincopa
Public Policy Specialist
See you at the Capitol! 💙
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