Sad stats: Child abuse and neglect
April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services reports that Child Protective Services investigated more than 168,164 allegations of child abuse or neglect in Texas last year.
Abbott sets right tone on foster care – San Antonio Express-News
It’s early in his tenure, but Gov. Greg Abbott is setting the right tone with Child Protective Services. It’s one that balances accountability with a call for better investment in the agency.
Court drops CPS case against ETX father whose daughter died in hot car
TYLER, TEXAS (KETK) — A Child Protective Services case against an East Texas father whose daughter died after being locked in a hot car last summer has been dropped.According to Shari Pulliam, Public Information Officer for CPS, Russell Lindstrom will no longer have to submit to testing or evaluations by CPS because Lindstrom’s wife and younger daughter, Zoey, moved out of state.
Office of Inspector General Podcast – Antipsychotic Drugs Prescribed for Children Enrolled in Medicaid
Antipsychotic Drugs Prescribed for Children Enrolled in Medicaid
Gov. Abbott demands reform after 3 die in foster care system
Get your act together. That’s the message from Gov. Greg Abbott to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. In a letter sent to the commissioner of the department, Judge John Specia, this week, Gov. Abbott scolded the agency for allowing three children to die within the first three months of 2015 alone.
Foster kids fight for extracurricular activities
AUSTIN, Texas – Foster parents pushing for the passage of Senate Bill 1407 testified alongside former foster kids Tuesday in a health and human services committee.
Foster care kids put on too many psych drugs, report says – CBS News
Many children in foster care are being overmedicated with antipsychotic drugs they may not really need, or the drugs are being given incorrectly, according to a government review obtained by CBS News.
Second-Generation Antipsychotic Drug Use Among Medicaid-Enrolled Children: Quality-of-Care Concerns Report (OEI-07-12-00320) 03-25-2015
Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are a class of drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and psychotic depression. SGAs are widely used to treat children enrolled in Medicaid who have mental health conditions. However, SGAs can have serious side effects and little clinical research has been conducted on the safety of treating children with these drugs.
U.S. GAO – Foster Care: HHS Needs to Improve Oversight of Fostering Connections Act Implementation
To implement the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Fostering Connections Act), many states GAO surveyed (which included the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) reported requiring caseworkers to employ multiple practices to improve outcomes for children in foster care; however, states continue to face challenges that can undermine progress.
Reports on the Overmedication of Texas Foster Children
Initiated in 2004 by Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn in a report called “Forgotten Children” investigations started into the overmedication of foster children in Texas.