Texas Child Protection News For April

The following stories and articles about child abuse and child protection in Texas have been gathered from April 2016 

4/28/16- Immigrants Can Adopt Relatives from Foster Care Despite Immigration Status

http://kut.org/post/immigrants-can-adopt-relatives-foster-care-despite-immigration-status

4/28/16- In Texas, Citizenship Not a Factor in Latino Adoptions

https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/news-2/in-texas-citizenship-not-a-factor-in-hunt-for-adoptive-parents/17626

4/27/16- Texas High Risk Child Abuse Areas Now Tracked By Zip Code

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2016/04/27/texas-high-risk-child-abuse-areas-now-tracked-by-zip-code/

4/27/16- Organization Demands Crackdown on Human Smuggling

http://www.krgv.com/story/31835022/organization-demands-crackdown-on-human-smuggling

4/27/16- Q&A: Child welfare expert Katherine Barillas on what gives her hope amid Texas’ CPS crisis

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/latest-columns/20160427-qa-child-welfare-expert-katherine-barillas-on-what-gives-her-hope-amid-texas-cps-crisis.ece

4/27/16- Birkman: Ways to protect children from abuse and neglect (Opinion)

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/birkman-ways-to-protect-children-from-abuse-and-ne/nq9c7/

4/26/16- CPS changing approach to families with domestic violence

http://www.caller.com/topstories/cps-changing-approach-to-families-with-domestic-violence-3153729e-cc9b-3209-e053-0100007ff84b-377192711.html

4/25/16- Spriggs: Texas’ child protection system is failing our children

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/opinion/spriggs-texas-child-protection-system-is-failing-o/nrBbZ/

4/22/16- More than 30,000 Texas children in need of foster homes

http://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/more-than-30000-texas-children-in-need-of-foster-homes

4/22/16- Opinion: Texas’ foster care, child protection system confronts an urgent crisis

http://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/other-voices/article73428772.html

4/22/16- Opinion: Symptoms of a shattered foster care system

http://heralddemocrat.com/opinion/national-commentary/katherine-barillas-symptoms-shattered-foster-care-system

4/22/16- Uncut: Time for action for CPS in Texas

http://www.wfaa.com/opinion/uncut-time-for-action-for-cps-in-texas/150215311

4/21/16- Foster Parents Pack Fort Worth Town Hall

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Foster-Parents-Pack-Fort-Worth-Town-Hall-376652861.html

4/21/16- Opinion: Is the New Head of Texas’s Broken Foster Care System Really Interested in Reform?

http://www.houstonpress.com/news/is-the-new-head-of-texass-broken-foster-care-system-really-interested-in-reform-8337090

4/21/16- Texas’ Foster Care System Faces $40M Shortfall

http://www.governing.com/topics/health-human-services/tt-texas-foster-care-system-faces-40-million-shortfall.html

4/19/16- Texas House Speaker Joe Straus: Next budget a ‘significant challenge’

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/texas-house-speaker-joe-straus-next-budget-a-signi/nq7z2/

4/20/16- Opinion: Lack of foster homes contributing to foster teens’ bleak future

http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/opinion/lack-foster-homes-contributing-foster-teens%E2%80%99-bleak-future

4/20/16- Commentary: The Rio Grande Valley needs families for children

https://www.baptiststandard.com/opinion/other/19012-commentary-the-rio-grande-valley-needs-families-for-children

4/20/16- Texas Capitol hearing stresses urgency of reforming state child protections

http://keyetv.com/news/local/texas-capitol-hearing-stresses-urgency-of-reforming-state-child-protections

4/20/16- Lawmakers Hear Litany of Foster Care Woes

https://www.texastribune.org/2016/04/20/lawmakers-told-foster-care-woes/

4/20/16- Texas State Senate Focused On CPS & Foster Care Issues

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2016/04/20/texas-state-senate-focused-on-cps-foster-care-issues/

4/20/16- Senators joust over whether to fix CPS with higher pay or better management

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2016/04/senators-joust-over-raising-texas-cps-workers-pay-vs-improving-agency-management.html/

4/20/16- Lawmakers Wrangle Over Fix for ‘Broken’ Foster Care System

https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-child-welfare-system-hhsc-hearing/

4/20/16- Report outlines CPS missteps

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/dallas-county/report-outlines-cps-missteps/145538310

4/20/16- Texas Foster Care Facing Budget Shortfall as Problems Mount

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Texas-Foster-Care-Facing-Budget-Shortfall-as-Problems-Mount-376404431.html

4/19/16- Texas pilot uses technology to improve outcomes for foster kids (and it’s working!)

http://smartcitiescouncil.com/article/texas-pilot-uses-technology-improve-outcomes-foster-kids-and-its-working

4/20/16- F. Scott McCown, Texas Perspectives: Underfunded, overworked Child Protective Services fails our most vulnerable in Texas

http://www.wacotrib.com/opinion/columns/guest_columns/f-scott-mccown-texas-perspectives-underfunded-overworked-child-protective-services/article_c9943ac1-8fc8-578c-a2d8-771470052cb1.html

4/19/16- Courts should back disabled children of Texas, restore funding

http://viewpoints.blog.statesman.com/2016/04/19/courts-should-back-disabled-children-of-texas-restore-funding/

4/20/16- Texas Re-Examines Foster Care System As Issues Mount

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2016/04/20/texas-re-examines-foster-care-system-as-issues-mount/

4/18/16- Child-welfare agency turmoil inexcusable

http://www.dentonrc.com/opinion/editorials-headlines/20160418-child-welfare-agency-turmoil-inexcusable.ece

4/18/16- Horrors of Texas Foster Care Are Not Materially Unlike Better Known Atrocities

http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/horrors-of-texas-foster-care-are-not-materially-unlike-better-known-atrocities-8219037

4/17/16- Research project aims to help foster children

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2016/04/17/research-project-aims-to-help-foster-children

4/16/16- McCown: Changes need to be made at Child Protective Services

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/opinion/mccown-changes-need-to-be-made-at-child-protective/nq6GG/

4/15/16- LGBT rights battles now playing out in statehouses got their start in Texas

http://www.dallasvoice.com/texas-country-10217959.html

4/15/16- Opinion: Texas can’t hold its head high until it fixes broken, corrupt child welfare system

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2016/04/texas-cant-hold-its-head-high-until-it-fixes-broken-corrupt-child-welfare-system.html/

4/14/16- CPS workers didn’t check on endangered kids but filed records showing they did

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2016/04/cps-workers-didnt-check-on-endangered-kids-but-filed-records-showing-they-did.html/

4/14/16- Davis: Child-abuse solutions rest with family, community

http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/opinion/columnists/ouisa-davis/2016/04/14/davis-child-abuse-solutions-rest-family-community/83047062/

4/14/16- Despite Systemic Failures, State Moves to License Detention Centers for Child Care

https://www.texasobserver.org/dfps-child-care-licenses-detention/

4/12/16- Opinion: How Young Is Too Young Before CPS Gets Involved?

http://www.texasstandard.org/stories/how-young-is-too-young-before-cps-gets-involved/

4/12/16- Straus Promises CPS Overhaul Is “Top Priority”

http://kykr.iheart.com/articles/247-texas-news-494117/straus-promises-cps-overhaul-is-top-14597240/

4/14/16- Report Finds One-Fourth of Texas Children Live in Poverty

http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2016-04-14/childrens-issues/report-finds-one-fourth-of-texas-children-live-in-poverty/a51420-1

4/13/16- Advocates talk about fight against child abuse

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/article_af8107a8-01f4-11e6-8edc-ab8a25c65da2.html

4/8/16- Foster Home Crunch Strands Children in Psych Facilities

https://www.texastribune.org/2016/04/08/foster-care-home-crunch-means-length-psych-stays-g/

4/12/16- An Expert Weighs In On The Child Welfare Crisis In Texas

http://keranews.org/post/expert-weighs-child-welfare-crisis-texas

4/12/16- Budget Cuts for Therapy Won’t Harm Kids, Judge Told

https://www.texastribune.org/2016/04/12/therapy-payment-cuts-will-not-harm-children-judge-/

4/12/16- San Augustine Co. to get long-overdue Children’s Service Building

http://www.ktre.com/story/31706042/san-augustine-co-to-get-long-overdue-childrens-service-building

4/12/16- As more CPS bigwigs quit, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus vows to better protect abused kids

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2016/04/as-more-cps-bigwigs-quit-texas-house-speaker-joe-straus-vows-to-better-protect-abused-kids.html/

4/12/16- Two more leaders resign amid problems with CPS and foster care

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/breaking-news/two-more-top-leaders-resign-amid-problems-at-child/nq4Lk/

4/11/16- Abbott picks new leaders for CPS

https://www.news-journal.com/news/2016/apr/11/abbott-picks-new-leaders-for-cps/

4/11/16- Abbott Names New Leaders at Embattled Child Welfare Agency

https://www.texastribune.org/2016/04/11/abbott-names-new-leaders-child-welfare-agency/

4/11/16- Editorial: Turmoil at Texas’ child-welfare agency is unconscionable

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20160411-editorial-turmoil-at-texas-child-welfare-agency-is-unconscionable.ece

4/11/16- Texas CASA Introduces Collaborative Family Engagement (CFE) During Child Abuse Prevention Month

http://www.sectorpublishingintelligence.co.uk/news/1394435/texas+casa+introduces+collaborative+family+engagement+cfe+during+child+abuse+prevention+month

4/9/16- Community, CPS collaborate to care for foster children (+ video)

http://heralddemocrat.com/news/local/community-cps-collaborate-care-foster-children-video

4/9/16- Overnight at CPS: Need for foster families outpaces local supply

http://heralddemocrat.com/news/local/overnight-cps-need-foster-families-outpaces-local-supply

4/10/16- Caseworkers, Kids Trapped in Collapsing Foster System

https://www.texastribune.org/2016/04/10/children-caseworkers-under-pressure-amid-foster-ca/

4/10/16- Child Protective Services questioned after UT homicide

http://kxan.com/2016/04/10/child-protective-services-questioned-after-ut-homicide/

4/8/16- Report: Teen charged with killing Austin student was abused in foster care

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/national/article-suspect-in-haruka-weisers-death-abused-whi/nq2zP/

4/7/16- Foster Care, Dead Children and Greg Abbott’s Cognitive Dissonance

http://www.houstonpress.com/news/foster-care-dead-children-and-greg-abbotts-cognitive-dissonance-8301677

4/6/16- Dallas State Senator: CPS System Needs a Fix

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Dallas-State-Senator-CPS-is-a-crisis-374828551.html

4/6/16- Program strives to end child abuse in Arlington

http://www.theshorthorn.com/news/program-strives-to-end-child-abuse-in-arlington/article_bc959b26-f75d-11e5-9653-934b250348b6.html

4/6/16- Breaking the cycle of child abuse

http://www.dailytribune.net/opinion/breaking-the-cycle-of-child-abuse/article_9ffcd4b6-fb7c-11e5-afc8-376da9418140.html

4/6/16- Let’s work for ‘no child left behind’ in abuse

http://www.fredericksburgstandard.com/articles/2016/04/06/lets-work-no-child-left-behind-abuse

4/6/16- Child Abuse Prevention Month – Texas Statistics

http://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/news/child-abuse-prevention-month-texas-statistics

4/5/16- Harris County’s most wanted offenders highlighted at Child Abuse Prevention Month kickoff

http://www.click2houston.com/news/harris-countys-most-wanted-offenders-highlighted-at-child-abuse-prevention-month-kickoff

4/5/16- Dallas region’s top CPS official retires amid staggering caseloads

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2016/04/amid-tumult-in-texas-protective-services-dallas-regions-cps-director-retires.html/

4/5/16- Emails Show Abbott’s Involvement at Child Welfare Agency

https://www.texastribune.org/2016/04/05/emails-show-abbotts-involvement-child-welfare-agen/

4/4/16- 2 fired, 1 resigns amid allegations CPS could have prevented girl’s fatal beating in Grand Prairie

http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2016/04/cps-employees-fired-investigator-resigns-after-allegations-the-agency-could-have-averted-grand-prairie-girls-fatal-beating.html/

4/2/16- CPS scrambles over loss of child-abuse investigators in North Texas

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional/cps-scrambles-over-loss-of-child-abuse-investigato/nqxzH/

4/1/16- Despite Texas’ broken child welfare system, many heroes still hard at work

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2016/04/despite-texas-broken-child-welfare-system-many-heroes-still-hard-at-work.html/

4/1/16- So many Dallas CPS investigators have quit, state has to bring in backups from other areas

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2016/04/so-many-dallas-cps-investigators-have-quit-the-state-has-to-move-in-backups-from-other-areas.html/

3/31/16- No excuse: ChildSafe sets lofty goal to combat child abuse, neglect

http://www.ksat.com/features/childsafe-chooses-lofty-april-goal-1-million