Testimony to the Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee
We appreciate all the work that this Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Sunset Commission have done in recent years to improve child protection in Texas. Recent news about Child Protective Services (CPS) has made clear that the Legislature has more work to do to provide the agency the support it needs to reduce staff caseloads, both for the caseworkers handling investigation and those who ensure children in foster care are safe and supported. There are many dedicated, hard-working employees at CPS, but they need the Legislature's support if they're going to be successful and children are going to be safe. We are pleased to see a growing number of legislators recognize that strengthening CPS needs to be a priority during the next session. Of course, while safety is job one at CPS, we also need to make sure children in foster care have the support they need to be healthy, succeed in the classroom, and grow into self-sufficient adults.