CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES

Former DFPS commissioner Anne Heiligenstein was tapped by Abbott in June to serve as the agency’s executive deputy commissioner. Last month, she was out. Now she’s back.

Monday, Nov. 21, marked Adoption Day in Hidalgo County, and the county observed the day by holding adoption hearings for nine children and their six forever families.

The Texas Tribune spoke with LGBTQ voters, the parents of queer youth and advocates from across the state about what’s at stake for them this November.

The department is terminating the contract of Executive Deputy Commissioner Anne Heiligenstein, who was supposed to work until next June, amid a staffing crisis. The chief of staff for the agency’s top leader has also left.

Residential treatment centers are meant to be a last resort for children in the state’s care, reserved for those with histories of severe trauma caused by neglect or abuse.

Virginia Republican state Senate candidate Tina Ramirez condemned journalist David Leavitt for calling Child Protective Services on her over a Columbus Day tweet.

Child Protective Services confirmed Monday it is investigating the death of a three-year-old boy from Liberty County after law enforcement ruled the circumstances surrounding his death as “suspicious.”

On a warm, summer night in El Campo, Shacondra Greely reads a story to her 12-year-old son Reagan.

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services leaders instructed employees to avoid written communications about the cases and barred low-level employees from handling the investigations, according to internal agency communications.

During Robert “Rich” Richman’s short tenure, he oversaw the investigation of parents who provide gender-affirming care to their transgender children and the mishandling of allegations of sex abuse at a foster care facility.

The agency investigated the family just five days prior to the girl’s death in 2020 after the child arrived at school with a black eye. That was one of four previous occurrences in which Texas DFPS investigated the family dating back to 2018 with cases in both Bexar County and Harris County.

The high court also raised questions about why the state opened these investigations in the first place, noting that the child welfare agency is not bound by directives from the governor.

The court-appointed watchdogs expressed concern after learning that a caretaker accused of exploiting children at a state-licensed facility in Bastrop had been previously fired from a state juvenile justice facility for misconduct.

A Donna man will spend the next 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a child last week, according to a news release from Hidalgo County. Abraham Aguilar Robledo, 43, appeared before the 206th District Court and entered a guilty plea to aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by sexual contact, the release said. Judge Rose Guerra Reyna sentenced Robeldo to 15 years for each count, both sentences will run concurrently, and must register as a sex offender. “No child should have to suffer the physical and emotional trauma of sexual abuse, especially in their home and from someone that they trust,” Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez Jr. said in the release. “If you suspect child abuse, please reach out to your local law enforcement agency and report it.”The case was handled by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office and Child Protective Services, which provided the family assistance, the release said.

State records show Iesha Greene was fired in 2020 from a state juvenile facility for having inappropriate relationships with children. The Refuge said it was aware of her previous work there, but it never requested her publicly available personnel records.

Candidates hardly ever talk about improving the safety net for kids — unless the holes in the safety net have become big enough to get the attention of voters.

Other investigators don’t want to follow an order they believe harms families but worry about the impact of a mass employee exodus on the state’s most vulnerable children.

Most of the deaths were attributed to “preexisting medical conditions” or abuse suffered before the children entered the system, according to the DFPS report. The numbers are on par with those reported in previous years.

U.S. District Judge Janis Jack said she is seeking a federal criminal investigation into allegations that children were sexually abused and trafficked at The Refuge, a state-licensed foster care shelter for victims of sex trafficking.

Science clearly indicates that transitioning children have a lower suicide rate, depression and/or anxiety issues. Science and religion are two very different areas; however, they both tend to influence the transgender children who are transitioning. Transitioning children under professional guidance with gender conforming behaviors is the best practice for avoiding destructive outcomes. Abbott’s directive concerning transitioning children and the actions against those who support the transition. Josephine Tittsworth is executive director and Maria C. Gonzalez is financial director of Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Scholars, based in Baytown.

Science clearly indicates that transitioning children have a lower suicide rate, depression and/or anxiety issues. Science and religion are two very different areas; however, they both tend to influence the transgender children who are transitioning. Transitioning children under professional guidance with gender conforming behaviors is the best practice for avoiding destructive outcomes. Abbott’s directive concerning transitioning children and the actions against those who support the transition. Josephine Tittsworth is executive director and Maria C. Gonzalez is financial director of Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Scholars, based in Baytown.

Brooke Crowder said The Refuge is working to incorporate a deeper employee screening process with the help of a company recommended by the governor’s and attorney general’s offices.

The temporary injunction was issued as part of a lawsuit brought on behalf of parents being investigated by child welfare workers for letting their transgender teenager access gender-affirming health care.

The former child care investigations director said there are agency-wide communication issues that led to a breakdown in relaying key information, but two of his staff members are the ones who suffered the consequences.

It was also revealed at a special Texas Senate committee meeting that the Texas foster care worker who allegedly sold nude pictures of girls is also accused of dating a child trafficker.

An attorney representing foster care children in a suit against Texas said Department of Public Safety director Steve McCraw’s conclusion that there was no evidence of sexual abuse despite the investigation into the photos was “both surprising and extremely troubling.”

The Refuge, which closed Friday, said it fired an employee accused of coercing the victims to sell nude photos as soon as it found out. The Bastrop-based shelter has not addressed the other eight staff members also accused of causing harm to the girls.

In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Eleanor and Sneha about Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive to open child abuse investigations into families providing gender-affirming care for their children.

The Department of Family and Protective Services has been under federal court monitoring for over a decade for violating the civil rights of kids in foster care. Now, the short-staffed agency has to investigate parents who provide their children with gender-affirming care.

The children were sexually abused and neglected while at The Refuge, a facility located in Bastrop contracted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, according to a report from a current employee.

Citing potential criminal penalties, Texas Children’s Hospital will no longer provide hormone therapy to transgender patients.

A Texas judge was scheduled to consider a statewide injunction on investigations of parents over obtaining gender-affirming care. The appeal now puts the hearing on hold.

Here are things to know for Friday, Feb. 25:

A 12-page child fatality report shows Child Protective Services was involved, at multiple points, in the life of a family that included an 8-year-old boy whose corpse was found among his living siblings back in October 2021.

Local nonprofit organization assumes regional foster care placement responsibilities

The arrest resulted from an investigation conducted by Child Protective Services.

As Texas’ long-running struggle to find enough placements for foster care children persists, more than 100 kids were sent out of state last year.

Following a string of high-profile child abuse cases in the Houston area, child advocates argue Texas needs to change its priorities when it comes to providing a safety net for abused and neglected children.

The state’s foster care system has been dangerous to children and embarrassing to the state for years. But with state officials constantly chasing other issues, it’s still suffering from neglect.

The federal judge overseeing the decadelong lawsuit against Texas for conditions in its foster care system cut this week’s hearing short. She proposed all parties involved, including the governor, “cut to the chase” to identify solutions.

Increased oversight and lack of funding mean hundreds of children spend their nights in hotels and churches and on office floors.

Renequa Burch still wonders why exactly Child Protective Services took four of her five kids away from her in the summer of 2018, but she’s convinced the fact that she and her children are Black had something to do with it. According to data from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the state...

December 12, 2019, was an important day in the future of two little girls, the court was to decide who would have legal custody of them.

Child safety advocates expressed concern Friday that incidents of child abuse and neglect are up statewide, despite what they say has been a lack of data due to the pandemic.

DAISETTA, Texas – The parents of a 1-year-old girl who was found dead in a neighbor’s pool in Liberty County have been arrested, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office. It was initially reported that the child was found in the family’s pool but it was later discovered that the child was in the neighbor’s pool. On Wednesday morning, the parents, Londell Laviene and Bonnie Tarrant, were charged with interfering with public duties and also with resisting arrest. Both were placed in the Liberty County jail. AdChild Protective Services and their fatality investigation unit is also investigating the incident because the parents had another child drown in 2015 in Liberty County.

Houston nonprofit in critical need of supplies for Child Protective Services kidsBEAR Be A Resource for CPS Kids BEAR Be A Resource for CPS Kids Photo: Courtesy Photo: Courtesy Image 1 of / 105 Caption Close Houston nonprofit in critical need of supplies for Child Protective Services kids 1 / 105 Back to GalleryHouston nonprofit Be a Resource for Child Protective Services' Kids (BEAR) assists abused and neglected children in care by providing basic necessities. Like many nonprofits, its resources are being stretched thin as it struggles to keep up with an unprecedented demand for its services amid the coronavirus pandemic. HOMESCHOOL HEADACHES: Homeschooling memes let parents vent about quarantinesOur warehouse typically serves 460 kids a month. An unexpected need for school supplies, art kits and educational activities for the kids is also a concern. We likely won't have the resources to get the items we need."

Vivian Gooden, 25, is accused of slapping her 7-month-old baby multiple times at a shelter in March, 2019. HOUSTON - A 25-year-old woman is accused of slapping her 7-month-old baby multiple times while she was staying at the Houston Area Women's Center in March, according to documents filed in court. Gooden's roommate at the shelter told police that at about 7 p.m. on March 25, the baby became fussy and would not go to sleep. When Gooden found out that Child Protective Services had been called, she took the baby and left the shelter. Child Protective Services also took custody of the child.

HCSOHOUSTON - UPDATE: Investigators located the father of a young boy found walking alone in northwest Harris county, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said in a Tweet. Investigators with the Harris County Sheriff's Office are asking for the public's help identifying a young child found walking alone in northwest Harris County early Sunday morning. HCSO deputies searched for the boy's family in and around the neighborhood but couldn't locate any of the child's relatives. The boy was transported to Child Protective Services after paramedics cleared him with no injuries. HCSO urges anyone with information on the identity of this child to call the HCSO Child Abuse Unit at 713-221-6000 or Child Protective Services at 713-394-4000.

Maryland CPS puts "free-range" parents on notice Child Protective Services is accusing a couple of neglect after allowing their 10- and 6-year-old kids to walk home alone. Now, the family is fighting back and plans to appeal to keep letting their children roam free. CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the family's legal limbo.