Becky Fogel

A federal appeals court has ordered Texas to make significant changes to improve its foster care system.

A three-judge panel at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling Monday in the long-running class action lawsuit that revolved around the treatment of children in permanent managing conservatorship. These are children who are neither reunited with their biological families nor adopted out of the system. Instead, they remain in the state’s custody until they age out of foster care.  

Texans have become more supportive of transgender rights in recent years, a new public opinion survey suggests. 

More than 1,800 children and youth in foster care in Texas were reported missing during fiscal year 2018, according to a new report from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. DFPS was responsible for more than 52,000 kids during that period.

An environmental advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming federal officials are failing to protect threatened species of salamanders in Central Texas.

From Texas Standard:

Over the last year or so, state lawmakers have taken steps to improve the working conditions of caseworkers at the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Efforts were especially focused on raising the pay and reducing the caseloads of Child Protective Services caseworkers. (Caseworkers with Adult Protective Services did not receive raises as their counterparts in CPS did.)

From Texas Standard:

Texas Standard spoke with Kaysie Taccetta of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services about the new "community-based model" for foster care in the state. One service provider in North Texas is already working within the model. The Standard paid the group a visit. Listen to that part of the story below.

On Sept. 1, hundreds of new laws took effect in Texas. A number were aimed at improving the state's child welfare system. Failure to do so was not an option.

This story is part of a Texas Station Collaborative series examining Texas foster care. It looks at who's involved and affected by what has been deemed a "broken" system. 

Early into his tenure as governor, Greg Abbott said he was committed to overhauling the state’s struggling Department of Family and Protective Services, which oversees the foster care system. He was particularly focused on reducing child deaths as a result of abuse and neglect. From 2010 to 2014, 144 children died despite the fact that CPS was investigating claims of abuse in those cases. Back in 2015, Abbott’s office committed an extra $40 million to child welfare services.