Group of Happy Kids

What's New

If you were not able to attend the T3C System Blueprint Webinars, the recording and presentation are now available.

April 2024

Release of the Second Edition of the Blueprint

DFPS released the second edition of the Texas Child-Centered Care (T3C) System Blueprint on April 29, 2024.  Also included is a Change Log that details each change in the new edition. 

DFPS is hosting a webinar to discuss the changes of the T3C System Blueprint on May 7th at 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. You may click this link at the time of the webinar to attend on Microsoft Teams.

If you are not able to attend, the webinar will be recorded and posted to this page in the webinar recordings section.

New Office Hours

The Texas Center for Child and Family Studies and DFPS are excited to partner together to announce virtual T3C Office Hours! T3C Office Hours will be regularly scheduled as a time to drop in and ask any questions you may have about T3C, as well as learn from each others' experience. T3C Office Hours are available for Licensed Providers only. T3C Office Hours start on May 10, 2024, at 10 a.m. and subsequent dates will be posted at T3Cready.org.

T3C Ready - An initiative of the SSCCs and the Texas Alliance of Child & Family Services

The shift to T3C will require substantial changes to provider operations in Texas. Through Community Based Care (CBC), the SSCCs have historically worked closely with providers to build much needed capacity for Texas’ children. Given both the opportunities and challenges in moving to T3C, the SSCCs proposed to DFPS that the SSCCs administer the Fiscal Year 2024 grants in both SSCC catchments and legacy areas to support provider transition to T3C. For ease of administration, the SSCCs agreed for funding to be awarded to one SSCC. ACH Child and Family Services-Our Community Our Kids (ACH-OCOK) has agreed to be the lead SSCC for the project and has entered into a contract with the state to administer the FY 2024 funds. All SSCCs will provide support to the implementation and grant award process.   

T3C Readiness Grants

The T3C grants will help providers begin developing the skills and tools needed to successfully implement T3C.  The Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services (TACFS) has well developed access, communication, and relationships with most providers in Texas.  The Texas Center for Child and Family Studies (TCCFS) at TACFS will provide support to ACH-OCOK and facilitate a process for administration of the T3C provider grants.  A close partnership with DFPS, throughout the project, is a priority and will be critical to the success of the grant implementation. The T3C Ready team and DFPS plan to have close communication throughout the process to keep information current, respond to questions, and promote success.

The identified name for this grants project is T3C Ready and T3Cready.org has been established to share information about any of the opportunities associated with the provider transition grants and provider readiness activities. 

Applying for the Grants

In Fiscal Year 2024, providers have two types of grants they can apply for to assist them in T3C Readiness:

  • T3C Readiness Building Grants are smaller grants that will support the development of skills needed by providers in the T3C environment or in obtaining technical assistance and consultation to assist strategic planning and exploration of tools to meet T3C requirements.
  • T3C Operations Grants are larger grants that will be specifically targeted for organizations that are advanced in their ability to meet the requirements to apply to be credentialed to serve in the T3C service array in early 2025.

Applicants can receive a grant award in only one category. Applicants for the T3C Operations Grants may also choose to submit for a T3C Readiness Building Grant simultaneously. Should a dual applicant not be selected for an Operations Grant, their application(s) for a Readiness Building Grant would be considered.

Both the Readiness Building Grants and the Operations Grants will fund initiatives in five categories and activities within those categories.  The categories are:

  • Policies and procedures consistent with selected primary models and targeted service package(s) the provider will be delivering.
  • New targeted and upfront training for intake, case managers, directors, foster parents (if applicable), direct delivery staff (if applicable), etc. on new primary models/service packages and CANS 3.0 assessment tool and process.
  • Information Technology (IT) systems to support operating under the new service array.
  • Data collection system to track and report changes.
  • System to complete cost collection to populate a more robust cost report.

Requests for Application (RFA) will open on May 8, 2024, and will close on May 24, 2024, with notification of grant awardees in mid-June 2024, and distribution of grant funds in early July 2024.  Additional grant requirements, timeline, and information will be available at T3Cready.org.

March 2024

Attention all 24-hour Residential Childcare Providers

The Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services (TACFS)/The Center will be hosting a series of workshops across Texas called “T3C Ready: Texas Child-Centered Care System (T3C) Readiness Workshops”, in the month of April!

Who is invited? All licensed providers that contract with either DFPS or a Single Source Continuum Contractor (SSCC).

What is the purpose of the workshops? These workshops will be an opportunity for providers to start digging into the details of T3C and are meant to help prepare organizations for planning and implementation efforts.

The Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services (TACFS)/The Center will introduce an online T3C Readiness Assessment Tool that will aid providers in assessing their readiness and organizational needs. Bring your laptop! It will be a busy and interactive day.  TACFS/The Center will talk about the T3C System Blueprint, how to align your business to the T3C System model and capacity needs, and introduce and start your individual organizational assessment.

Providers may bring two or three staff per organization (depending on location) but should prioritize attendance for individuals who can examine their organization’s readiness and strategic business planning.

These workshops are designed to provide education about T3C and to assist providers as they identify and prepare for the service package(s) they will deliver.

When are these workshops?

Please note that the workshops listed below are being provided and hosted by TACFS/The Center.  To participate, providers must register using the links listed below.

***Lunch will be included at each seminar.

February 2024

DFPS released the first edition of the Texas Child-Centered Care (T3C) System Blueprint on February 29, 2024.

The Blueprint is a guide for Texas foster care stakeholders to gain an understanding of the framework and parameters inherent in each of the twenty-four Service Packages and three Add-On Services. 

The Texas Child-Centered Care System Blueprint is a product of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and will be updated quarterly (January, April, July, October) to include revisions (if necessary) and provide detailed information related to transition and implementation of the T3C System. 

The transition to this new system will be an iterative process where lessons will be learned, and modifications will be made for continued improvement, so the T3C System Blueprint will be the primary vehicle for communicating changes.

Webinar Recordings

If you are not able to attend the T3C System Blueprint webinars, you can watch the recordings posted here.

March 2024 Webinar

May 2024 Webinar

  • Coming soon

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