T3C: How Texas Is Rebuilding Foster Care from the Ground Up

Texas Child-Centered Care — known as T3C — represents the most significant structural overhaul of the Texas foster care system in a generation. Directed by the Texas Legislature and implemented by DFPS in collaboration with the Health and Human Services Commission, T3C replaces the outdated Service Level System with a modern, outcomes-driven model.

What Changes

The old system categorized children into broad service levels. T3C replaces this with:

• 24 clearly defined Service Packages and 3 Add-On Services, each tied to specific needs
• A universal child assessment tool — the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment — to match children with appropriate services
• A fully funded rate methodology that compensates caregivers for delivering high-quality, individualized care
• New opportunities to claim federal Title IV-E funds

Outcomes Over Compliance

Perhaps the most important philosophical shift: T3C measures success by whether children are getting better, not just whether providers are following rules. Progress toward community transition, not length of stay, becomes the metric that matters.

Implementation Timeline

Texas is in the middle of a complex 32-month transition running from January 2025 through August 2027. DFPS began credentialing providers for T3C service packages in early 2025. By the end of FY 2025, more than 2,000 children had transitioned to the new model — approximately 30% of children receiving paid foster care services in Texas.

Provider Support

Organizations embracing the changes can access additional funding. Agencies are eligible for up to $150,000 in T3C implementation funds through FY 2025. Revenue is tied to delivering specific services within a package, rather than simply maintaining placements.

Quality Assurance

DFPS contracted with the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing (TXICFW) at UT Austin to lead a Continuous Quality Assurance and Improvement process. TXICFW collects data through interviews, focus groups, surveys, and administrative data analysis, engaging DFPS staff, providers, community organizations, and individuals with lived foster care experience.

Sources: DFPS T3C Blueprint (April 2025), TXICFW Continuous Improvement Initiative, TACFS T3C Ready Resources