Each organization’s plan and timeline for transitioning to the T3C System will be unique. Based on communication with stakeholders, DFPS has identified the following suggestions as some of the ways providers are approaching the transition:
- Review historical documents on Foster Care Rate Modernization, including the Foster Care Rate Modernization Final Service Description Report - January 2022 and the Foster Care Rate Modernization Pro Forma Modeled Rate Report - February 2023 to understand the process used to build out the modernized T3C System.
- Review the T3C System Blueprint, particularly the requirements for each Service Package and/or Add-On Service (see sections below) and identify which ones your organization may wish to provide.
- Conduct a gap analysis, based on the Service Packages and/or Add-On Services to determine what, if anything, is needed by the organization to provide the service, and use this information to develop a more thorough provider level transition plan.
- The request for applications for FY 25 T3C Provider Transition Grants has closed. Applications are currently being evaluated. It is anticipated that award notifications will be made in November 2024, with contracts beginning in December 2024.
- Visit T3C Ready at www.T3CReady.org an initiative of the SSCCs and the Texas Alliance of Child & Family Services. T3C Ready contains valuable information to help providers actively prepare for the transition, including a T3C Readiness Assessment tool, training opportunities, and other resources.
- Ask questions if something is unclear or if more information is needed – reach out to the Department via the agency’s dedicated email address: DFPS Texas Child-Centered Care.
- For IT related questions, please review the PowerPoint presentation that was provided to the SSCCs. If you have additional questions related to the content, please email DFPSTexasChildCenteredCare@dfps.texas.gov
Transition of Children and Youth From Current to T3C System After A Provider Becomes Credentialed
Once a provider is awarded their initial Active Interim Credential or their initial Active Full Credential, and the DFPS or SSCC Residential Contract(s) has been updated accordingly, the organization can begin delivering T3C services. DFPS has worked with stakeholders to develop a centralized process to support the transition of children, youth, and young adults already in the the provider’s care to the T3C System. A high-level overview of the process includes the following:
- DFPS will provide a template to the Credentialed provider to complete.
- The Credentialed provider’s Program Director, as well as Treatment Director and other clinical staff as applicable to the Services Packages Credentialed, who are responsible for certifying a child’s Continued Stay, as required in the T3C System Blueprint, will assess the provider’s current child census.
- Using the Service Package Description section for each Credentialed Service Package as the guide to determine need, the provider’s team will propose a Recommended Service Package for each child.
- The provider will return the completed template to the Department and will document in the child’s record justification for the Recommended Service Package, as well as the provider staff that participated in the the process for making the recommendation.
- DFPS Staff will work with the provider and the SSCC, as applicable, to review and approve for a child’s Selected Service Packages. DFPS and/or the SSCC reserve the right to override the Recommended Service Package, and will provide documentation to support the override reason.
- Upon approval, each child will be manually moved within the DFPS IMPACT database, and a Service Package start date will be established on the 1st of the month.
This process will only be applied to Foster Family Home and GRO Tier I Service Packages. Children, youth, and young adults that require GRO Tier II Service Packages will receive a CANS 3.0 Assessment to determine transition. The only exception is for children, youth, and young adults transitioning from the QRTP Pilot program.
If there are children currently placed with the provider that have needs that the programmatic/clinical staff cannot comfortably certify are aligned with any of the Service Packages for which the organization is Credentialed, the child must be identified on the report as requiring a CANS 3.0 Assessment. Once the child’s needs have been assessed using the CANS 3.0 to determine the appropriate Recommended Service Package, next steps will be determined by the child’s Service Planning team.
The transition of children, youth, and young adults to the T3C System is not intended to extend the time needed to successfully complete the program as defined in Minimum Standards or by the DFPS or SSCC Residential Contract.