SAN ANTONIO – A new agency has won the bid to take over Bexar County’s foster, adoption and community care services.
Up until now, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has handled Bexar County.
However, last week SJRC won the bid to take it over. Since 2021, SJRC has handled foster, adoption and family services for the 27 rural counties surrounding Bexar County, serving 2,094 children.
In Bexar County alone, SJRC will now be tasked with serving 2,500 children.
The state will still handle child welfare investigations and removals, but SJRC will now oversee case management, foster homes, adoptions, family reunification and more.
SJRC Texas CEO Tara Roussett said more staff members will join the team as SJRC continues to grow.
“It’s a huge responsibility and one that we do not take lightly,” Roussett said.
Roussett said each section of the county may have different needs, but they have the infrastructure and plans to “build from what we’ve already started.”
“We want to build community supports in all parts of our region, all of Bexar County working together,” Roussett said.
SJRC impact
Parents Kaitlyn and Joshua English said they have relied heavily on SJRC Texas.
The couple struggled to have kids of their own, so they decided to take a different route.
They fostered to adopt a little boy, who they soon found out had two siblings out of state. They did something very rare and made the call, asking if they could adopt the other brothers too.
“We decided it was best to keep them together and having seen them grow up, I couldn’t imagine them not being together,” said Kaitlyn English.
Joshua English said, “There was no other decision to make.”
“They’re very resilient. The ability for them to overcome issues they never should have had placed in front of them,” he said.
The parents said it’s the SJRC staff members that make the true difference.
“Attracting the people who have the heart, have the skills and are willing to dedicate a huge part of their life to helping these kids,” Joshua English said. “That is a certain kind of emotional work that not too many people are cut out for.”
The couple believes some things make SJRC uniquely suited for the task.
“One thing I’ve learned is how many community partners they have and how involved in the community they are, and I think those resources for those families are going to be really helpful,” Joshua English said.
The parents have specifically taken advantage of SJRC’s partnership with the organization Chosen.
“It’s obvious that the kids need a lot of help, but the parents themselves often need some help too,” Joshua English said. “It gives us strategies and tools to help work through the behaviors.”
As the English family comes up on their one-year adoption anniversary, their hope is that families throughout Bexar County will soon find the love and support they’ve found.
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