View our Mission Possible document with details on our 81st Legislative Session Priorities 

View TexProtects Bills

Invest in proven prevention programs with high return on investment to prevent abuse and neglect from happening in the first place.  This includes programs that focus on home visitation, parenting skills and sexual abuse prevention.

• Costs of child abuse and neglect including the indirect or long-term costs, are estimated nationally at $107 billion each year, or $293 million each day[1].
• Home visitation is the most innovative and holistic prevention program used in educating and supporting at-risk families, making a wide range of community and professional services available to the family.  Support full funding for the Nurse Family Partnership (HHSC) and SB 2159.
• Require unique prevention applications and population targets addressing the separate pathology of sexual abuse predators.  Support HB 1041.
• Support prevention of juvenile delinquency for at-risk-youth and break the inter-generational abuse cycle.  Support HB 3076, DFPS exceptional item #11 plus additional $20 million for proven child abuse prevention programs, especially those demonstrating cost-effectiveness to the state.

Enhance child well-being through CPS workforce improvements:

• Reduce caseloads by reassigning abandoned cases to just-in-time caseworker replacements: Re-institute the "Hire Ahead" program in targeted regions.  Support SB1734//HB4622.
• Improve caseworker quality, education, recruitment and retention by increasing worker compensation.  Support DFPS funding item #14 plus additional $40 million.
• Improve child safety, improve quality of casework and help caseworkers implement family centered policies to keep children in their own home.  Support SB285, SB1064, SB788.
• Reduce caseloads.  Support DFPS funding exceptional items #4,6,7,9,10.

Protect the lives of abused children and improve substitute care:

• Support the “Fostering Connections Act” DFPS Exceptional Item #2 to improve well-being of children in the CPS system and save costs by accessing federal assistance for:  

1)      Special needs adoptions;

2)      Enhanced relative/ kinship care assistance;

3)      Equipping foster parents with trauma-informed, trust-building training; and

4)      Independent living assistance for “aging out” foster youth.

• Improve transitional services for these youth. Support DFPS Exceptional Item #5.
• Eliminate Recidivism and Retraumatization of abused children. Support SB 285; SB 1380// HB2584; and SB1381//HB 3751.
• Increase Foster Care Rates for all provider types. HHSC Consolidated Budget.
• Provide Comprehensive Assessments of children entering foster care.