The regional education specialist provides assistance and support to DFPS staff. The regional education specialist must:

 •  provide advice to internal and external stakeholders on resources to improve the educational outcome for children and youth in DFPS conservatorship;

 •  provide additional training to enable staff members to represent a child’s best interest in an education setting;

 •  identify and provide information on educational services or resources in the region;

 •  help identify resources for specialized placement that meet the child’s educational needs;

 •  participate and provide information in case planning, transition planning, and permanency roundtable meetings to identify specific educational needs and services, as needed;

 •  attend as many Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meetings as possible for children and youth in DFPS conservatorship, and all meetings that the caseworker is unable to attend;

 •  act as a liaison with staff from Texas Education Agency (TEA), the independent school districts (ISDs), school district foster care liaisons, Education Service Centers (ESC), and other program specialists with the DFPS state office;

 •  help caseworkers resolve education issues with schools and providers, acting as a liaison with staff from DFPS’s Legal Division, as needed;

 •  develop training curriculum and train CPS staff and foster parents;

 •  prepare and present training to internal and external stakeholders on education-related topics;

 •  develop and coordinate regularly scheduled regional consortiums with internal and external stakeholders to address education-related issues and concerns;

 •  provide regularly scheduled training and certification for interested stakeholders appointed as surrogate parents;

 •  work with regional DFPS staff to ensure that children in the conservatorship of DFPS receive appropriate educational services and that each child’s case record includes a copy of the necessary education records; and

 •  help coordinators associated with the Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program develop transition plans for youth who are aging out of DFPS conservatorship.

See 10200 Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) and its subitems.

Additional resources are available to caseworkers, caregivers and students. See the Education for Children Resource Guide under Education Resources.