Media Center
>August 22, 2006
Nationally respected provider of foster care for children comes to Texas
Pressley Ridge will offer treatment foster care under new DFPS outsourcing program
DALLAS—Pressley Ridge, a nationally recognized provider of treatment foster care, will begin providing services in Texas.
Pressley Ridge traces its roots to 1832, and already provides treatment foster care in seven states and the District of Columbia. Pressley Ridge has been licensed to begin working with children in foster family settings throughout Texas.
"Our goal is to combine innovative, best practice models with compassionate service delivery," said B. Scott Finnell, president and CEO of Pittsburgh-based Pressley Ridge. "Children and families in Texas and across the nation face increasing problems that aren't going away, at least not in our lifetime. Our mission is to provide solutions."
Leading Pressley Ridge Texas is Cynthia Williams, a veteran in serving children and families. Cynthia is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Texas and a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) with the National Board of Certified Counselors. Her 12 years of experience of developing creative and innovative programming to keep the most difficult and hard to serve children in their community, will be replicated in Arlington.
"Our nationally recognized program of treatment foster care has been a life-changing alternative to traditional residential care programs," Williams said. "We want to provide the children and families of Texas with the same care and opportunities that we have been able to offer thousands of children and families in other states."
Under the DFPS program, Pressley Ridge will work with agencies whose children may benefit from foster care, and match the children with trained, qualified foster families in Dallas and Tarrant counties.
"In our program, we teach families how to remain stable and manage everyday problems, and that's how we help reunite children with their biological parents," Williams said. "If a child cannot return home, we make sure that he or she can still have a stable, positive environment and supportive family relationships in foster care while progressing toward a permanent adoption or independent living."
To learn more about Pressley Ridge Treatment Foster Care program in Texas, contact Cynthia Williams at 817.357.0956 or cwilliams@pressleyridge.org.
About the DFPS outsourcing program
Under Senate Bill 6, the omnibus reform legislation passed by the 79th Texas Legislature, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, DFPS, and numerous stakeholders are planning and implementing changes to transform the Texas system for protecting children from neglect and abuse. One aspect is the outsourcing of case management and substitute care services for children in DFPS legal conservatorship. The goal is to improve outcomes for children in the conservatorship of DFPS and their families.