Dr. Karyn Purvis appointed chair of the Committee of Licensing Standards for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Fort Worth, TX

11/17/2008

By: Katie Giangreco, TCU Office of Communications

Dr. Karyn Purvis, director of TCU’s Institute of Child Development has been appointed chair of the Committee of Licensing Standards for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.  Her appointment began this fall and will last through 2011.

The committee represents a cross-section of childcare in Texas, Purvis said. The passage of Senate Bill 758, created a committee of seven members appointed by the Governor, each with specific experiences and positions. According to the directions of the legislation, the committee includes one member who operates a residential child-care facility licensed by the department, one member who operates a child-placing agency licensed by the department, one member who operates a licensed child-care facility that provides care for children for less than 24 hours a day, one member who is a parent, guardian or custodian of a child who uses a facility licensed by the department, two members employed by the department who work with facilities licensed by the department and one member who is an expert in the field of child care and child development.

Purvis, who was appointed as the latter, said of the committee, “Each person comes with a unique expertise which will lead to rich collaboration as we examine the spectrum of childcare.”

Purvis and the committee will investigate the cases of children who died while in various forms of substitute care as well as look at the standards of all facilities caring for children across the state of Texas. Each December, the committee will make recommendations to the Governor and Legislature about what children in substitute care and protective custody need.

“This is a real honor and a real joy to help out these kids,” Purvis said. “One of our main goals is to make a huge difference for at-risk children.”

Purvis said there are 143 million orphans across the world and less than one half of one percent will have families again. Children who are in the foster care system have twice the rate of post-traumatic stress disorder as people who have seen war. Multiple placements throughout the foster care system rank kids at higher risk for PTSD.

Two of the main child welfare issues Purvis is concerned about are reducing the number of times a child is moved around in the foster care system and reducing caseworker turnover. Spending time and money on training caseworkers is a way to help the problem, Purvis said, as well as reducing caseloads.

“Many times caseworkers become discouraged with the heavy caseloads and feel they can’t make a difference for the children, which often leads to caseworker turnover,” Purvis said.

Statistics on children in protective custody show that caseworker turnover significantly reduces the chance of the child achieving permanency in a timely manner.

“We know that just by training caseworkers and reducing the size of their caseloads, we can fix a piece of the puzzle and make a dramatic difference for children,” Purvis said.

Purvis said her roles at TCU and on the committee are “wonderfully synonymous” because they both have the goal of positively impacting the care of at-risk children. When she goes to court to testify on behalf of children or when she travels overseas to visit orphanages, Purvis takes some of her students with her.

“We bring everything we’ve learned out in the field and that dramatically enriches the classroom work,” she said. “Students learn how they can make a difference in the global community through this hands-on learning.”

Purvis said she looks forward to setting new standards for children who will enter protective custody and other forms of substitute care in the years to come. While the Committee on Licensing Standards is charged with reviewing standards for all substitute care, children who are in protective custody remain a special interest for Purvis and the TCU Institute of Child Development.

“For some kids, we can’t stop the fact that they’re coming into custody, but we can make a difference while they’re there and what will happen for the rest of their lives,” she said. “I believe this committee is empowered to do that.”

For more information about the TCU Institute of Child Development, visit www.child.tcu.edu or call (817) 257-7415.