When children can't live safely at home and an appropriate non-custodial parent, relative, or close family friend is currently unable or unwilling to care for them, the court can give temporary legal possession to CPS and that agency temporarily places these children in foster care.

Foster care settings include:

• Kinship Caregiver homes; 
• Foster family homes; 
• Foster family group homes; 
• Residential group care facilities; and 
• Facilities overseen by another state agency.

Foster care is meant to be temporary until a permanent living arrangement is found and CPS no longer has legal custody of the child. However, for some children, it can become permanent. CPS strives to ensure quality services for children in foster care. However, children in foster care may have to change placements several times while in foster care due to a variety of factors, such as licensing standards violations, court rulings, or changes in the foster home or facility. CPS consistently works towards increasing placement options to better match the needs of each individual child.

State law requires each school district and open enrollment charter school to appoint at least one employee to act as liaison to facilitate the enrollment in or transfer to a public school of a child in the district who is in the conservatorship of the state.

Leigh Cook, District Liaison
Director of State and Federal Programs 
817-744-1296
leigh.cook@kellerisd.net 

Sharon Murphy
Secretary to the Federal Programs Director
817-744-1048
sharon.murphy@kellerisd.net