Federal review of CPS includes Harris County cases
Presently about 30,000 Texas children receive services through the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. This agency includes Children’s Protective Services, better known as CPS. Sunday, July 20th’s Houston Chronicle ran a story about the shortcomings of the department based on a review by a federal agency. This federal agency was created by 1997 legislation, and the agency began reviewing all 50 states’ child welfare system outcomes in 2002. Recently there was a review of 65 CPS cases from Harris, Dallas, and El Paso Counties. Though a final report is expected in September 2008, the preliminary data highlights areas needing improvement.
The article is fairly even-handed in its criticisms of DFPS and recognition of its budget constraints. On a positive note, Texas exceeds federal standards in providing for children’s educations needs. The federal standard is 95%, and Texas scored 97%.
There were more areas where the state is falling well below the national standards. The most notable was in providing children with permanency and stability in their living arrangements. Texas’ score was 38%. However, providing permanency and stability is often a function of individual and family circumstances, availability of long term foster care, and the capabilities of each family to meet requirements to be reunited with the child(ren). Most of that is beyond CPS’s control.
Areas where Texas is still falling behind include providing medical, mental health and substances abuse services. These areas can be improved, but that requires lobbying the legislature and intervention by concerned citizens. It is never too early to begin contacting your state representatives about the importance of children’s issues.
To learn more about DFPS and the review process, visit their web site. To find out how to contact your state representative, visit the State of Texas online.