Mission and History

The North Texas Foster Care Consortium was formed in 2015 to promote collaboration and information sharing among the many stakeholders committed to the well-being of children in the child welfare system. 

With a growing and diverse membership, the Consortium facilitates productive partnerships and sponsors informative programming, drawing on the resources of integrated health care and other service providers, child advocates, policy groups, child placing agencies, education liaisons, foster parents, court personnel, single source continuum contractors, and Texas Department of Family and Protective Services leadership.

The original steering committee, with representatives from Dallas CASA, DFPS, Our Community Our Kids, and the Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence, has evolved into a board-led organizational structure to allow for greater representation and participation.

Several of the Consortium’s original board members also served on the Community-Based Care (CBC) Readiness Steering Committee for DFPS Regions 3W (non-CBC) and 3E, which provided valuable input to the preparers of the North Texas Community-Based Care Environmental Assessment (March 2021).

Who We Serve

The Consortium, by way of its organizational members, serves the children and communities in the 19 North Texas counties designated by the Department of Family and Protective Services as Region 3. These counties and their child populations are shown in the table below:

Our Membership and Leadership

The Consortium’s regular and affiliate members are organizations that directly or indirectly serve the needs of children with child welfare involvement and those at risk of entering foster care in the North Texas Region. Membership is not required to participate in Consortium quarterly meetings and special events, but being a member is a way to show commitment to a collaborative approach to supporting children with child welfare involvement and at-risk of such involvement in North Texas. The only activities that require membership are serving on the board and on a committee. See a list of our current members.

A Board of Directors oversees the Consortium. Currently, the Board has 13 members. The Board may establish special or ad hoc committees on an as-needed basis to address specific issues, projects, or topics of concern. These committees shall be temporary and dissolve upon the completion of their assigned task.