Op-Ed: Mistreatment of migrant children by our government is intolerable

This op-ed was distributed to and published by newspapers statewide in Texas, including the Dallas Morning News, Longview News-Journal and Stephenville Empire-Tribune. Permission to reprint is freely granted under these conditions: The text may not be edited in any way. Authorship must be properly credited. Online reprints must link back to this blog post; paper […]

How Did Child Protection Systems Fare in the 86th Texas Legislature?

DID YOU KNOW? In 2018, there were 280,874 reports of suspected child abuse/neglect to Statewide Intake. 66,370 or 24% of those reports were confirmed. Child maltreatment will cost Texas an estimated $1.75 billion in CPS expenditures in FY 2019 and over $55 billion in total costs across the victims’ lifetimes. 43% of children who complete […]

How Did Prevention and Early Intervention Fare in the 86th Texas Legislature?

DID YOU KNOW? Four children die from abuse/neglect each week, and 80 percent of victims are 3 years of age and younger. 181 children are confirmed as abused/neglected every day, and the highest rates occur in children under age 5. Evidence-based home visiting programs can reduce child maltreatment by up to 48 percent and have […]

‘Be There’ – A Father’s Day Conversation With Rep. James Frank

Happy Father’s Day! Today is that day when all over the nation, we salute the men who guided and nurtured us – and perhaps are still doing so. We salute all the dads. Maybe he’s the one who has been with you since birth; maybe he’s a stepdad, uncle or grandfather who has stepped into […]

How Did Child Protection Fare in the 86th Texas Legislature?

The 86th Texas Legislative Session is now history – lawmakers gaveled out to finish the session on May 27. While this session did not see child protection take center stage the way it did two years ago (when Governor Greg Abbott named it an emergency priority), there was nonetheless important work to be done. At […]

The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift: Home Visiting

By Sophie Phillips, CEO, TexProtects Six Mother’s Days have passed since I’ve been with TexProtects, the Texas chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America. All were meaningful, because mothers are central to our mission, but this one deepened my perspective – it’s my first as a mother. In our efforts to prevent trauma from abuse and […]

‘What happened to you?’ – Rep. Tan Parker on Adverse Childhood Experiences

State Rep. Tan Parker has been a champion at the Texas Legislature this session in the drive to help prevent and mitigate the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences, including authoring this op-ed, which was published in the Houston Chronicle and Galveston County Daily News. His House Bill 4183 is key to this effort, as he explains below. […]