TexProtects, The Texas Association for the Protection of Children developed from the Dallas-based Child Abuse Prevention Advocacy Commission (CAPAC), a group organized in 2000 in response to the critical need for reform and funding for Dallas County’s Child Protective Services (CPS), and Prevent Child Abuse Texas (PCAT), an Austin based statewide-child abuse prevention education organization.  With Madeline McClure's local and statewide role with CAPAC and PCAT, she decided to lead a focused, statewide membership organization consequently founded TexProtects in April 2004.

TexProtects was created to tackle issues of CPS reform, prevention and public awareness to bring a collective, organized voice representing the needs of children at risk of abuse and survivors of child abuse and neglect.  The organization is autonomous, nonpartisan and apolitical, designed to educate decision makers, private funders and the public at large.  To date, no one single Texas organization has dedicated its focus on the main issues of protection, prevention, and healing of abused and neglected children.  Most importantly, TexProtects has identified and activated the most powerful and effective constituency to advocate for change in these issues whom had been missing from advocacy action:  survivors of child abuse and neglect.

TexProtects is the only membership-driven agency in Texas to take a holistic, detailed view of child abuse and prevention and apply it to an advocacy and education effort aimed at implementing research-based best practices.