Private contractors in the Texas foster care system would have more authority under a proposal offered by a blue-ribbon panel.
The Dallas Morning News reported Tuesday that the plan calls for Texas to scrap its system of allowing anyone to start a private child-placing agency and ask to care for abused and neglected youngsters.
A lead provider would be named, for a region, and subcontract with vendors to arrange foster homes and treatment center beds.
The review panel included ex-Judge Scott McCown of Austin. McCown says what's hopeful about the proposal is harnessing a team with incentives "to get kids treated at a lower level care and get them home sooner."
The 2005 Legislature passed foster care privatization, but it fell apart over outsourcing of duties of state caseworkers.
