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1 Social Change Project – Part II Andrea J. Musick, LBSW Master of Social Work, Walden University SOCW 6361A: Social Policy: Analysis and Advocacy Dr. Linda F. Samuel November 6, 2022

2 Revisiting the Problem of Adoption Discrimination in Texas As of September 2022, there were 21, 442 children in foster care in the state of Texas. When a child is without a placement the Texas Department of Family & Protective Services ("DFPS”) refers to them as Children Without Placement or “CWOP”. There were 811 CWOP children in Texas in September 2022. Given the precarious nature of the foster care system in Texas, this leaves the other more than 20,000 children at risk of joining them at any moment. Nationwide these numbers jump exponentially, and more than 400,000 children age out of foster care without ever having a stable, permanent home and the support of a family ( AFCARS Report, 2018). In summation, we do not have enough homes for these children. You would think given the dire nature of this situation that Texas would be doing whatever possible to recruit the best homes possible. There are over 100 placement agencies listed on the DFPS website proclaiming to be doing just that (DFPS, 2022). However, The Freedom to Serve Families Act of 2017, formally House Bill 3859 is a Texas bill that allows placement agencies that receive federal funds to discriminate against LGBTQ+ foster and adoptive parents if the organization has a religious objection (Freedom to Serve Families, 2017). These organizations are being funded by tax dollars to refuse LGBTQ persons the right to foster and adopt children. Social work is not just bound to but born of social justice. Our ethical principles are to direct us to the best practices for advocacy (NASW, 2022). As a social worker, I came face-to- face with the hypocrisy sometimes found in social work. As a senior at Stephen F. Austin State University, we were required to take unpaid internships. Given the rural nature of our location and the number of classmates, we were limited in our options. It came to light that one of the placements was a placement agency that contracted with DFPS and would not allow LGBTQ persons to foster or adopt. Our social work students were forced to work for an organization that

3 was in direct violation of our code of ethics. I was able to advocate for my fellow students and speak out about this, even enlisting a national advocacy organization to help us. Although they still allow students to be placed there, the students are able to refuse if they feel opposed to their practices. When looking for a policy for this class, the plight of LGBTQ families who want to become parents was the first thing I thought out. My undergrad education prepared me for policy analysis as well as my personal endeavors working for non-profits and as a paralegal. However, the scope of the project as a graduate student took my knowledge to a higher plain. Identifying social problems is not hard, but it was difficult to find a social problem that had a direct tie to a policy that I could dissect and gather information on. Also, there was so little pushback from Texas citizens that it was difficult to find a policy, and then when I discovered this act had been passed, I learned how difficult it is to undo something once it gets to that point in the legislature. Texas had already passed the Freedom to Serve Children act and to try to undo that would be terribly difficult given the state’s right-leaning politics and the current Governor. I learned that it is so important to be up to date on what is going on behind the scenes and stay abreast of what is going on politically, because these bills are touted as one thing and are something else. I learned that “measure twice and cut once” also lends itself to politics. Having found the policy alternative I found was pure luck, and truly one of the only ways to circumvent a state law when the state is so averse to the ethical ties of social work. Without the support in numbers of other residents, having the federal government have a policy that addresses the issue is a huge help because the left side of Texas is not strong and needs some of that weight. Additionally, the ECDFA is a sound alternative and provides other benefits to children’s welfare which we do not currently have. I do not think another alternative policy

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