Recognizing Child Abuse Prevention Month: A Call to Action

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness and take action to support families and prevent child abuse and neglect. While Texas has made significant progress in preventing child abuse, there is still much work to be done. In 2024 alone, there were 53,543 confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in our state. This heartbreaking reality underscores the urgent need to extend a helping hand to struggling families. 

Children thrive in stable, safe, and supportive environments. The most effective way to protect Texas children is by supporting the adults in their lives—parents, caregivers, and formal and informal kinship providers. Prevention is not just a policy goal; it is a shared responsibility that requires the support of all Texans. 

 

Supporting Texas Families Through Prevention 

No two families are the same, and their needs vary. Some may benefit from one-time support from their church to cover rent, utilities, or groceries. Others may need more comprehensive assistance through evidence-based home visiting programs. These services provide essential support to parents, promoting nurturing environments where children can thrive. 

However, community-based providers across Texas report increasing challenges. Families are facing greater hardships, and the demand for services has surged. At the same time, providers are dealing with staffing shortages and high workloads, making it even harder to meet the growing needs. 

 

Moving Beyond Awareness to Action 

As we observe Child Abuse Prevention Month, it’s an opportunity for each of us to reflect on how we can contribute to building stronger, healthier families. Prevention is not just the responsibility of policymakers or service providers; it’s something we can all take part in. 

Here are a few ways you can get involved: 

  • Advocate: Get to know our 89th Legislative Priorities and raise awareness about the needs of families in your community. Want to join TexProtects in advocating for policies that prioritize prevention and family support? Email us to find out how to engage during the Legislative Session at the Capitol.  
  • Connect with Your Community: Your community is key in preventing child abuse and there are organizations in your own backyard that work every day to strengthen families. Reach out to TexProtects’ Partner Engagement and Policy Implementation Manager, San Juanita Ruvalcaba, to connect with providers in your community.  
  • Support Your Neighbors: Simple acts of kindness—like offering a helping hand, providing a listening ear or connecting families with resources—can create a ripple effect of positive change. 

 

Together, We Can Make a Difference 

We all play a critical role in preventing child abuse and neglect. Every action, no matter how small, contributes to building a stronger, safer Texas for children and families. With hope as our guide and prevention as our strength, we can create a future where every Texas family has the support they need to thrive. 

Igniting Hope: The Power of the HOPES Grant

Imagine a Texas family navigating the joys and challenges of early parenthood. From sleepless nights to important developmental milestones, families can be in constant need of support. The HOPES grant supports communities to provide these families with the resources they need to thrive.

What is HOPES?

Established in 2004 by the Texas Legislature, the Healthy Outcomes through Prevention and Early Support (HOPES) grant stands out for its unique approach. Unlike many grant programs that dictate specific outcomes and methodologies, HOPES empowers communities to take the lead.

Recognizing that every community faces distinct challenges and possesses unique strengths, HOPES encourages local organizations to analyze their specific needs and develop tailored solutions. By examining local data and identifying critical areas for improvement, communities can apply for funding to implement evidence-based strategies and programs that directly address their most pressing concerns. This community-driven approach ensures that resources are allocated effectively and efficiently, resulting in more impactful and sustainable outcomes for children and families.

 

HOPES at a Glance

  • $31,218,813 Annual Budget In FY2024
  • Average Number of Families Served Per Month: 3,440
  • 33 Counties Served
  • Funded 28 Grantees & 25 Subgrantees
  • $1,114,958 Average Grantee Budget

 

HOPES funding impacts four key areas that ultimately benefit Texas families:

  • Empowers Communities
  • Promotes Self-Sufficiency
  • Strengthens Partnerships
  • Improves Outcomes

Learn more about HOPES including parent and provider testimonials here. 

From Bills to Laws: Advocacy in Action

Every two years, Texas lawmakers convene for 140 days during the Legislative Session to make crucial budget decisions and update laws that affect all Texans. During this time, bills go through a series of steps, including being filed, discussed in committees, debated, amended, and voted on in both chambers of the Legislature. If a bill passes both the House and Senate, it is sent to the governor, who can sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature. While the process may seem complex, it offers multiple opportunities for public involvement and influence.

Click here to view a graphic outlining each step.

Everyone is an advocate, and your voice matters in shaping the decisions that impact your community. Lawmakers represent the people in their districts and rely on hearing from constituents to understand challenges and explore possible solutions. Voices of those with lived experience and providers working directly with families carry powerful stories that can guide policymakers toward better outcomes. Building relationships with your lawmakers, sharing your experiences, and participating in the legislative process—whether through testimony, advocacy campaigns, or direct communication—can create meaningful change for children and families. By engaging in this process, you become a vital part of ensuring Texas laws and budgets reflect the needs and priorities of its people.

Watch to learn more: TexProtects’ Director of Policy and Advocacy shares with the Texas Prevention Network how lawmakers create bills and how to become involved in Texas’ 89th Legislative Session.

Home Visiting Programs Build Strong Texas Families

In 2023, there were 58,120 confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect. Texas children deserve better, and together, we can prevent this from shaping their future. Most families want what’s best for their child and placing blame on a parent is not the solution. Children thrive in stable, safe and supportive families, and the best way to protect Texas children is by providing support to the adults in their lives. 

Home visiting is a prevention strategy that brings trained staff to support expectant mothers and new families to promote positive parenting and child development, improve school readiness, and prevent child abuse and neglect. Home visiting is a two-generational approach that reduces risk factors while simultaneously increasing protective factors that support caregivers and their children. 

Depending on the programs, outcomes of home visiting include: 

  • Depending on the program, Improved maternal and newborn health: 69% reduction of infant deaths, 50% reduction in low birthweight babies, and 36% fewer subsequent teen births. 
  • Improved school readiness: 1.5-2 times more likely to test ready for kinder; 5 times more likely for 1st grade promotion; outperformance of peers on 5th grade reading/math assessments; 91% parents more involved than peers 
  • Improved family economic self-sufficiency: 83% increase in mom’s labor force, 20% reduction in months on welfare. 
  • Reduced child injuries, abuse and neglect: 35-45% reduction in ER visits and 28-48% reduction in child abuse and neglect. 
  • Reduced crime and domestic violence: 53% reduction in child arrests at age 17. 
  • For every $1 invested in home visiting programs, there is a return between $1.80 and $5.70 outcomes of home visiting include: 

The Need for Home Visiting in Texas 

In 2023, there were 1,738,500 pregnant women and families with children under 6 years old not yet in kindergarten who could benefit from home visiting.  

  • 178,439 home visits provided 
  • 16,449 families served 
  • 16,582 children served  

Only 1.9% of Texas families who could benefit from home visiting received state-funded services. 

Expanding and Strengthening Home Visiting in Texas  

In 2022, TexProtects successfully advocated for the reauthorization of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) grant program at the federal level, a primary funding source for home visiting and prevention programs throughout Texas communities. Thanks to this recent federal advocacy, MIECHV funding in Texas is set to nearly double by the Fall of 2027. 

While this is fantastic news for Texas families and communities, we must be prepared for this positive development. Between now and 2027, TexProtects will work to ensure that its network of home visiting providers, the Texas Prevention Network, has the tools and knowledge to leverage 

this increased federal funding and to strengthen and expand the services they provide to families throughout the state. Anyone that works to strengthen families including home visiting programs are welcome as members of the Texas Prevention Network. If you are interested in joining, please contact us at admin@texprotects.org. Together, we can all play a part in supporting Texas families and ultimately reducing child maltreatment. 

View this information as a flyer 

Virtual Series: Connecting Families To Resources

Learn how we can connect Texas families to resources through policy efforts in the 89th Legislative Session.

Virtual Series: Building Strong Extended Families

Learn how to support extended Texas families in the 89th Legislative Session.

 

What is the Difference between Formal and Informal Kinship?

When children are to be removed from their homes to ensure their immediate safety, grandparents, abuelas, aunts and uncles, cousins, and close family friends may step forward to care for the child.

Learn more about informal kinship here.

Virtual Series: Building Strong Families through Community Programming

Learn how we can support strong Texas families in the 89th Legislative Session.

The Texas Prevention Ecosystem

Families are often supported by multiple systems and it’s crucial to collaboratively these factors across multiple sectors of society, not just in silos, to effectively strengthen families.

Learn more about the Texas Prevention Ecosystem