Collaborative Family Engagement: A Promising Approach to Supporting Children in State Care

Recognizing the important role that extended family can play in improving outcomes for children who are in state custody due to abuse or neglect, Texas approved funding for the Collaborative Family Engagement (CFE) pilot project. The CFE project is a collaboration between the Texas Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Child Protective Services (CPS) that aims to increase the number of adult relatives willing to act as a support system for children placed in substitute care, and to strengthen the collaboration between CASA and CPS. This brief highlights preliminary findings on the first year of CFE implementation.