Judge Ordered Children Out of Foster Care in 2013
Nearly two years before the murder of six Houston siblings, a state district judge denied a request by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to keep them in foster care, according to a memo sent to members of the Legislature on Tuesday.
Murdered Houston Family had Extensive CPS History
The six children found murdered along with two adults in Houston over the weekend were no strangers to Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which investigated at least four complaints about their care dating back 2011, and temporarily took the children into foster care two years later.
Gutsy Attorney Outs a Too-Powerful Texas CPS Baby Mill Agenda
HOUSTON, TX – Julie Ketterman of KHA Lawyers, PLLC, is passionate about defending families and the rights of parents in cases involving Child Protective Services (CPS), a program of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
Report outlines CPS missteps before Fort Worth toddler’s death
FORT WORTH, Texas — A new state report reveals a series of missteps in the horrific abuse death of a 2-year-old boy earlier this year.The case of Adrian Langlais surfaced in April after his mother’s boyfriend was arrested on a murder charge.
What Happens When Foster Kids ‘Age Out’ of the System
Salaya Leal of Austin, Texas, was killed by a hit-and-run driver while panhandling earlier this month. She was 24, and had struggled since aging out of the foster-care system at 18.
Texas Passes Legislation Creating Ombudsman to Serve Foster Youth
Texas legislators passed a bill last week to create an ombudsman who will independently address issues foster youth have with the Department of Family and Protective Services.
State must lower CPS caseloads
Early in his tenure as governor of Texas, Greg Abbott suggested a clear and noble goal for the state’s beleaguered foster care system — a system in which far too many kids have died, including 10 in 2013.
Kurt Senske: How can you help Texas’ foster kids?
The narrative around foster care in Texas usually centers on overloaded caseworkers, traumatized children and a flawed, underfunded state system. However, few of us look in the mirror and wonder what we ourselves can do to improve the lives of children in the Texas foster care system.
Foster care deaths prompt legislative changes
AUSTIN — An alarming number of deaths of children in foster care last year sparked legislative change this session, but watchdogs argue that those measures didn’t go far enough.
There are 17,000 children in foster care in the state.
Texas Senate approves bill boosting foster care training
The Senate has approved mandating 35 hours of training for potential foster care parents, more than double what some are now required to have.