Center Overview

The Texas Center for Child and Family Studies (Center) is a 501(c)3 subsidiary operated by the Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services. The Center strives to support and initiate the development of high-quality child welfare services to ensure appropriate care for all Texas children. Our mission is to provide education, research, and training to strengthen the capacity of organizations and systems of care in order to protect and deliver support services to children and families in Texas.

To fulfill this mission, the Center provides consultation, training workshops, conferences, research, development and dissemination of guidelines for best practice, and advocacy.

The Center is committed to building upon its mission through the design and implementation of activities that center around three explicit goals:

• Design and implement training opportunities to improve the skill level of caregivers – including foster parents, direct care staff, and administrators – which in turn promotes the stability of placements, continuity of caregivers, and positive outcomes for children;
  
• Advance the development and implementation of best practice models in out-of-home care services through research and nonprofit organizational capacity building;
  
• Serve as a resource center for practitioners, policymakers, and the media by monitoring, analyzing, and promoting sound public policy, legislation, and research to support the goals outlined above.

The Center provides a yearly training calendar and offers training events around the state. Although most training is open to any provider, Alliance member agencies receive discounts for Center training.

The Center plans and organizes the Texas Child Care Administrators’ Conference each fall. This conference provides approved credit for the Child Care Administrator’s License and approved CEU credits.

Center Mission and Vision

To equip Texas nonprofit child and family service agencies to provide high quality, services to children and families.

The mission is accomplished through training and education, consultation and research.

Strategic Goal: The Center will become known as the repository and primary resource for best practice and promising practice information for child and family services and services to at risk youth and families.