The latest Department of Family and Protective Services news from The Texas Tribune.
No one wanted Lena behind bars. She was not a prostitute; she was a child who had been sexually exploited. But teenage sex-trafficking victims in Texas end up in jail for one simple reason: There's nowhere else for them to go. Full Story
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After her father raped her, Jean became one of the roughly 12,000 Texas kids in long-term foster care, a system that often leaves children more damaged than when they arrive. For Jean, selling sex seemed like a safer bet. Full Story
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Texas leaders have publicly battled sex trafficking for more than a decade, but they’ve devoted hardly any resources to helping victims. Full Story
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Texas children facing abuse and neglect are going to be a major issue during the 85th Legislative Session as legislators grapple with less funding, a federal court case and troubling headlines about failings at the Department of Family and Protective Services. Full Story
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Here’s a look at the top health and human services storylines The Texas Tribune tracked this year. Full Story
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A new pilot program led by Gov. Greg Abbott’s office aims to provide specialized care and services for 500 of the most emotionally traumatized foster children in Texas. Full Story
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A new legal filing from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has put Texas leaders in a delicate position of conceding problems in foster care but arguing against a federal judge's proposed reforms. Full Story
Although Texas offers free tuition waivers and other benefits to ease foster youths' transition to higher education, the number of students using the resources has declined. Full Story
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The long-awaited report comes almost a year after U.S. District Judge Janis Jack ruled that Texas’ long-term foster care system violated children's civil rights. Full Story
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“Texas children remain at risk," Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Hank Whitman wrote. "This is unacceptable." Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants faith-based communities to help find foster and adoptive homes for kids in need. Full Story
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The governor's office has put the Department of Family and Protective Services on notice to come up with a plan to help foster children find home placements faster and seek out those facing abuse. Full Story
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Texas must continue drafting court-ordered plans to fix its broken foster care system, according to a new order from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Full Story
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In a wide-ranging interview, Hank Whitman, the new commissioner overseeing Child Protective Services, explains how he thinks he can turn around a child welfare agency crippled by low morale, high turnover and a spate of high-profile child deaths. Full Story
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Throughout Mental Health Month in May, the Tribune is partnering with the Mental Health Channel and KLRU for a series focusing on some of Texas’ biggest challenges in providing mental health care. Full Story
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State officials hope a new network of clinics will better connect foster children with trauma-informed behavioral health care. Full Story
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Two special masters appointed by a federal judge to oversee reforms at the state's troubled foster care system have started work, and the tab is running. Full Story
A nonprofit organization has sued the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for issuing a temporary child-care license to an immigration detention facility that hold women and children from Central America. Full Story
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The state’s child welfare agency faces a $40 million budget shortfall, a critical shortage of good homes for foster children and overwhelming caseloads for staff, agency leaders told state lawmakers at a hearing on Wednesday. Full Story
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At a time of heightened public scrutiny of Texas’ embattled child welfare agency, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday appointed new leadership of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Full Story
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