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Legal Responsibility for the Division of Prevention
and Early intervention

Statutory References

Federal: Title XX, Social Security Act
Federal: Title IV-B, Part 2, Social Security Act
State: Texas Family Code, 264.301 also Chapter
265 – created through SB1574 below
State: Senate Bill 1574, 76th Legislature
State: Human Resources Code, 40.0561

The Division of Prevention and Early Intervention
(PEI)

PEI was created to consolidate prevention and early intervention programs within the jurisdiction of a single state agency. Consolidation of these programs is intended to eliminate fragmentation and duplication of contracted prevention and early intervention services for
at-risk children, youth, and families.

  • Community Youth Development (CYD)-The CYD program contracts with community-based
    organizations to develop juvenile delinquency prevention programs in ZIP codes with high
    juvenile crime rates. Approaches used by communities to prevent delinquency have included
    mentoring, youth employment programs, career preparation, youth leadership development and recreational activities. Communities prioritize and fund specific prevention services according to local needs. CYD services are available in 15 targeted Texas ZIP codes.

  • Services to At-Risk Youth (STAR)-The STAR program contracts with community agencies to
    offer family crisis intervention counseling, short-term emergency respite care, and individual and family counseling. Youth up to age 17 and their families are eligible if they experience conflict at home, truancy or delinquency, or a youth who runs away from home. STAR services are available in all 254 Texas counties. Each STAR contractor also provides universal child abuse prevention services, ranging from local media campaigns to informational brochures and parenting classes.

  • Texas Families: Together and Safe-TFTS funds evidence-based, community-based programs
    designed to alleviate stress and promote parental competencies and behaviors that increase the ability of families to become self-sufficient and successfully nurture their children. The goals of TFTS are to: improve and enhance access to family support services; increase the efficiency and effectiveness of community-based family support services; enable children to remain in their own homes by providing preventative services, and to increase collaboration among local programs, government agencies, and families.

  • Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention- The CBCAP program seeks to increase community awareness of existing prevention services, strengthen community and parental involvement in child abuse prevention efforts, and encourage families to engage in services that are already available. CBCAP funds a variety of contracts with community based organizations to provide child abuse and neglect prevention services. These include the Relief Nursery, Family Support and Rural Family Support programs, as well as various special initiatives and public awareness campaigns.

  • Family Strengthening - A variety of Family Strengthening services, available across the state, have been evaluated and proven to effectively increase family protective factors. These services are designed to increase the resiliency of families and prevent child abuse and neglect. Programs must also foster strong community collaboration to provide a continuum of family services. This program was eliminated as a result of budget cuts during the 82nd legislative session.

  • Youth Resiliency - Youth Resiliency Programs provide services proven to increase protective factors for youth. A variety of services are available across the state designed to increase youth resiliency and prevent juvenile delinquency. These programs must foster strong community collaboration to provide a continuum of services for participating youth. This program was eliminated as a result of budget cuts during the 82nd legislative session.

  • Community Based Family Services - This program serves families who were investigated by
    CPS but whose allegations were unsubstantiated, through community and evidence-based services. Services include home visitation, case management, and additional social services to provide a safe and stable home environment.

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  • Tertiary Child Abuse Prevention - Community-based, volunteer-driven prevention, intervention, and aftercare services are provided for children who are or have been, or who are at risk of being, abused and/or neglected. The goals of the program include reducing child maltreatment and the number of families re-entering the Child Protective Services system. Additional goals are to improve the quality and availability of aftercare services for abused children and enhance a statewide network of tertiary child abuse prevention programs.
  • Statewide Youth Services Network- The Statewide Youth Services Network contracts provide community and evidence-based juvenile delinquency prevention programs focused on youth
    ages 10 through 17, in each DFPS region.
  • Texas Youth and Runaway Hotlines-The toll-free Texas Runaway Hotline and the Texas Youth Hotline offer crisis intervention, telephone counseling, and referrals to troubled youth and families. Volunteers answer the phones and interact with callers facing a variety of problems including family conflict, delinquency, truancy, and abuse and neglect issues. The program increases public awareness through media efforts that may include television, radio, billboards and other printed materials.

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Prevention and Early Intervention - Expenditures and Staffing as of 1/9/2013

Staff Cost $1,101,866.00
Total Staff 16.6
Contracted Services $27,862,496.26

PEI Programs - Contracted FY 2012 Expenditures Percent of Total
Services to At-Risk Youth $16,792,154.35 62.7%
Community Youth Development 4,692,711.02 17.5%
Texas Families: Together and Safe 2,281,923.58 8.5%
Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention 716,847.63 2.7%
Community-Based Family Services 420,974.73 1.6%
Statewide Youth Services Network (SYSN) 1,600,194.95 6.0%
Total Contracted Expenditures $26,504,806.26 99.0%

 

PEI Programs
Non-Contracted
FY 2012 Expenditures Percent of Total
Texas Runaway and Youth Hotlines 255,824.00 1.0%
Total Expenditures $26,760,630.26 100%

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STAR (Services To At-Risk) Youth Who Are Registered and Received a Service By Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year Average Monthly - Youth Served Annual Number -
Youth Served
2008 5,875 32,163
2009 5,468 29,406
2010 6,116 30,042
2011 6,438 30,168
2012 5,863 26,834

STAR (Services To At-Risk) Youth by Presenting Problem Fiscal Year 2012

Presenting Problem Number of Youth Percent of Total
Family Conflict 18,230 67.9%
Misdemeanor Offense 4,053 15.1%
Runaway 335 1.2%
State Jail Felony Offense 31 0.1%
Truant 3,850 14.3%
Youth Under 10 Delinquent 335 1.2%
Total 26,834 100%

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Community Youth Development (CYD) Youth Served
by Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year Average Monthly - Youth Served Annual Number -
Youth Served
2008 4,563 18,074
2009 5,668 19,390
2010 5,930 17,799
2011 6,158 19,731
2012 5,530 16,900

Community Youth Development (CYD) Average Monthly Clients Served
Fiscal Year 2012

City Zip Code of Site County Average Unduplicated
Youth Served per Month
Amarillo 79107 Potter 301             
Austin 78744 Travis 238             
Corpus Christi 78415 Nueces 471             
Dallas 75216 Dallas 352             
Dallas 75217 Dallas 386             
El Paso 79924 El Paso 574             
Fort Worth 76106 Tarrant 471             
Galveston 77550 Galveston 269             
Houston 77081 Harris 260             
Lubbock 79415 Lubbock 276             
McAllen 78501 Hidalgo 707             
Pasadena 77506 Harris 505             
San Antonio 78207 Bexar 395             
Waco 76707 McLennan 326             
State Total NA NA 5,530             

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Texas Youth and Runaway Hotlines Incoming Calls by Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year Texas Youth &
Runaway Hotlines
Forwarded from
 STAR Program
Total Calls
2008 19,363 11,913 31,276
2009 13072** 0 13072**
2010* 12,940 0 12,940
2011* 9,757 0 9,757
2012* 9,011 0 9,011

*In prior fiscal years calls were forwarded from STAR program when STAR program operators were absent or unavailable. Beginning in fiscal year 2009, the STAR program was required to have staff available at all times so calls were no longer forwarded and therefore not included in the Runaway Hotline counts.

**Fiscal Year 2009 call data from the Youth hotline 1-800-98YOUTH is incomplete and missing due to a reporting malfunction (number was omitted from Vendor's online reporting system).

Characteristics of Hotline Callers Fiscal Year 2012

Gender Total Percentage
Female 6,668 74.0%
Male 2,343 26.0%
Total 9,011 100%
Age Group Total Percentage
Adult 6,488 72.0%
Youth 2,523 28.0%
Total 9,011 100%

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Number of Families (Primary Caregivers) Served in the Child Abuse/Neglect Prevention Programs by Fiscal Year

Total Families Served: 2,653

Unduplicated Families Served by Program 2010 Number 2010 Percent 2011 Number 2011 Percent 2012 Number 2012 Percent
Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) 372 13.8% 461 12.0% 577 21.7%
Community-Based Family Services (CBFS) 337 2.2% 280 7.3% 206 7.8%
Texas Families: Together and Safe (TFTS) 3,410 59.8% 2,110 55.0% 1,870 70.5%
Family Strengthening Program (FSP) 1,616 23.6% 938 24.5% 0 0.0%
Tertiary Child Abuse Prevention (TPP) 61 0.6% 44 1.1% 0 0.0%
Total 5,796 100% 3,833 100% 2,653 100%

Characteristics of Families (Primary Caregivers) Served
Fiscal Year 2012

Primary Caregivers Ethnicity

Primary Caregivers Race/Ethnicity CBCAP CBPS TFTS FSP TPP Total Percent
African American 21 17 302 0 0 340 12.8%
Anglo 145 42 392 0 0 579 21.8%
Asian 1 1 24 0 0 26 1.0%
Hispanic 405 145 1,127 0 0 1,677 63.2%
Native American 1 0 3 0 0 4 0.2%
Other 4 1 22 0 0 27 1.0%
Total 577 206 1,870 0 0 2,653 100%

Primary Caregivers Gender

Primary Caregivers Gender CBCAP CBPS TFTS FSP TPP Total Percent
Female 489 190 1,710 0 0 2,389 90.0%
Male 88 16 160 0 0 264 10.0%
Total 577 206 1,870 0 0 2,653 100%

Primary Caregivers Age Group

Primary Caregivers Age Group CBCAP CBPS TFTS FSP** TPP** Total Percent
Under 18 50 9 73 0 0 132 5.0%
18-25 183 79 511 0 0 773 29.1%
26-35 200 74 697 0 0 971 36.6%
36-45 90 32 399 0 0 521 19.6%
Over 45 54 12 190 0 0 256 9.6%
Total 577 206 1,870 0 0 2,653 100%

* As recommended by the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to ensure consistency across all HHSC agencies, in 2012, the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) adopted the HHSC methodology on how to categorize race and ethnicity. As a result, data broken down by race/ethnicity in 2012 and after is not directly comparable to race/ethnicity data in 2011 and before.

**This program was eliminated as a result of budget cuts during the 82nd legislative session.

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Number of Youth Served in the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Programs By Fiscal Year

Unduplicated Youth Served

Program 2010 Number 2010 Percent 2011 Number 2011 Percent 2012 Number 2012 Percent
Services to At Risk Youth (STAR) 30,042 54.8% 30,168 53.2% 26,834 54.8%
Community Youth Development (CYD) 17,799 32.5% 19,731 34.8% 16,900 34.5%
Statewide Youth Services Network (SYSN) 5,513 10.1% 5,720 10.1% 5,273 10.8%
Youth Resiliency Program (YRP) 1,445 2.6% 1,066 1.9% 0 0.0%
Total 54,799 100% 56,685 100% 49,007 100%

Characteristics of Youth Served in the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Programs, Fiscal Year 2012

Race/Ethnicity* STAR CYD SYSN YRP** Total Percent
African American 210 3,490 1,829 0 5,529 11.3%
Anglo 424 611 854 0 1,889 3.9%
Asian 4 141 25 0 170 0.3%
Hispanic 13,718 12,397 2,420 0 28,535 58.2%
Native American 3 13 10 0 26 0.1%
Other 12,475 248 135 0 12,858 26.2%
Total 26,834 16,900 5,273 0 49,007 100%
Gender STAR CYD SYSN YRP** Total Percent
Female 12,186 9,049 2,791 0 24,026 49.0%
Male 14,628 7,846 2,480 0 24,954 50.9%
Unknown 20 5 2 0 27 0.1%
Total 26,834 16,900 5,273 0 49,007 100%
Age Group STAR CYD SYSN YRP** Total Percent
Under 6 2,343   27   305   0   2,675   5.5%   
6-9 4,889   2,136   135   0   7,160   14.6%   
10-17 19,602   14,025   4,833   0   38,460   78.5%   
Over 17 0   712   0   0   712   1.5%   
Total 26,834 16,900 5,273 0 49,007 100%

* As recommended by the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to ensure consistency across all HHSC agencies, in 2012, the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) adopted the HHSC methodology on how to categorize race and ethnicity.   As a result, data broken down by race/ethnicity in 2012 and after is not directly comparable to race/ethnicity data in 2011 and before. 
**This program was eliminated as a result of budget cuts during the 82nd legislative session.

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Prevention and Early Intervention Performance Outcomes, Outputs and Efficiencies by Fiscal Year

Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Programs

Community Youth Development (CYD) 2009 2010 2011 2012
Percent of CYD Youth Not Referred to Juvenile Probation 97.8% 98.3% 98.8% 98.1%
Annual number of youth served 19,390 17,799 19,731 16,900
Average monthly number of CYD youth served 5,668 5,930 6,158 5,530
Average monthly cost per CYD youth served $84.06 $75.14 $82.77 $69.91
Statewide Youth Services Network (SYSN)* 2009 2010 2011 2012
Annual number of youth served 6,548 5,513 5,720 5,273
Average monthly number of SYSN youth served 3,232 3,099 3,126 3,055
Average monthly cost per SYSN youth served $51.76 $51.73 $52.94 $43.65
Youth Resiliency Program(YRP)*** 2009 2010 2011 2012
Annual number of youth served 1,654 1,445 1,066 0
Average monthly number of YRP youth served 707 694 547 0
Average monthly cost per YRP youth served $224.03 $213.95 $224.83 $0.00

Child Abuse/Neglect Prevention Programs

Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) 2009 2010 2011 2012
Annual number of families served 699 372 461 577
Average monthly number of CBCAP families served 163 130 141 132
Community-Based Family Services (CBFS)* 2009 2010 2011 2012
Annual number of families served 110 337 280 206
Average monthly number of CBFS families Served 51 99 82 58
Texas Families: Together and Safe (TFTS) 2009 2010 2011 20120
Annual number of families served 3,040 3,410 2,110 1,870
Average monthly number of families served by TFTS Program 991 1,087 573 586
Average monthly cost per family served in the TFTS Program $275.62 $249.52 $433.71 $362.54
Family Strengthening Program (FSP) 2009 2010 2011 2012
Annual number of families served 1,200 1,616 938 0
Average monthly number of  served by Texas Families Program 507 666 250 0
Average monthly cost per family served in the Texas Families Program $267.07 $337.06 $945.92 $0.00
Tertiary Child Abuse Program** 2009 2010 2011 2012
Annual number of families served 32 61 44 0
Average monthly number of  served by Tertiary Families Program 9 17 14 0

Child Abuse/Neglect and Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Programs

Services to At-Risk Youth (STAR) 2010 2011 2012
Percent of STAR Youth with better outcomes 90 days after termination 87.3% 87.7% 87.5%
Annual number of youth served 30,042 30,168 26,834
Average monthly number of youth served 6,116 6,438 5,863
Average monthly cost per STAR youth served $287.90 $246.38 $243.84

* The Community-Based Family Services (CBFS) Program began in FY09 and served clients for five months during the fiscal year. The average monthly count is based upon the five months of service.

** The Tertiary Child Abuse Program began in FY09 and served clients for ten months during the fiscal year. The average monthly count is based upon the ten months of service.

***This program was eliminated as a result of budget cuts during the 82nd legislative session.

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