CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES

Relative caregivers, like grandparents who want to keep kids out of foster care, usually get half as much state assistance as strangers who take in children.

Relative caregivers, like grandparents who want to keep kids out of foster care, usually get half as much state assistance as strangers who take in children.

A board trustee with the North East Independent School District is accused of repeatedly hitting her teenage stepson, withholding food from him and calling the child “her slave,” court filings obtained by KSAT Investigates show.

Police said the family of Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez, the missing 6-year-old boy with severe disabilities, would not cooperate with investigators and left the country without him on March 23, two days before an Amber Alert.

News reports say three children have been killed and two other children wounded in an attack at a home in Texas on Friday afternoon.

Texas legislators are considering increasing the Department of Family and Protective Services’ budget, giving extended relatives more money to care for kids and notifying the subjects of child abuse investigations of their rights.

Texas lawmakers and a federal judge say attorneys in the case against the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services should not hire lobbyists using funds won in court.

Most reports of child abuse or neglect turn out to be unfounded. But while under investigation, parents with little understanding of their rights or the process often make decisions that could impact the fate of their families.

A girl who was reported missing more than a year ago was found hiding in the closet of a Michigan home. The girl was taken to the hospital where it was discovered she was pregnant.

Child Protective Services took her to a hospital, where it was discovered that she was pregnant.

The judge warned the state could be held in contempt of court for not following through with three mandates: youths not knowing their rights, not adequately responding to abuse allegations and still having too many children without placement.

In a fifth report tracking the state’s efforts to remedy its embattled foster care system, federal monitors documented persistent risks to Texas children ahead of next week’s court hearing.

Two girls in the care of Child Protective Services were allegedly sexually assaulted in October after sneaking out of a facility run by the state agency. Advocates say it’s a symptom of the Texas foster care systems’ problems.

A Madison County, Mississippi man pleaded guilty to sexual battery of a foster child who was in his custody for six months, and now faces up to 30 years in prison.

A father at the center of an ongoing battle with Child Protective Services over the custody of his children has been arrested in San Antonio for the second time in as many weeks, this time in connection to a 2021 felony child abuse case east of Houston.

Child Protective Services released a statement regarding the case of two parents facing charges of interference with child custody.

San Antonio parents are speaking out after Amber Alert, arrest amid a child custody clash with CPS.

Former DFPS commissioner Anne Heiligenstein was tapped by Abbott in June to serve as the agency’s executive deputy commissioner. Last month, she was out. Now she’s back.

Monday, Nov. 21, marked Adoption Day in Hidalgo County, and the county observed the day by holding adoption hearings for nine children and their six forever families.

A Child Protective Services case worker was forced to resign this summer, days after police in San Marcos found a juvenile runaway at her home.

The Texas Tribune spoke with LGBTQ voters, the parents of queer youth and advocates from across the state about what’s at stake for them this November.

The department is terminating the contract of Executive Deputy Commissioner Anne Heiligenstein, who was supposed to work until next June, amid a staffing crisis. The chief of staff for the agency’s top leader has also left.

A San Antonio child psychologist arrested on a child sex abuse charge in August remained under contract with Child Protective Services until this week, state records obtained Friday by KSAT show.

Residential treatment centers are meant to be a last resort for children in the state’s care, reserved for those with histories of severe trauma caused by neglect or abuse.

A Texas woman accused of stabbing and strangling her 5-year-old daughter is due in court Tuesday as disturbing details about the case emerge.

Virginia Republican state Senate candidate Tina Ramirez condemned journalist David Leavitt for calling Child Protective Services on her over a Columbus Day tweet.

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services leaders instructed employees to avoid written communications about the cases and barred low-level employees from handling the investigations, according to internal agency communications.

During Robert “Rich” Richman’s short tenure, he oversaw the investigation of parents who provide gender-affirming care to their transgender children and the mishandling of allegations of sex abuse at a foster care facility.

The high court also raised questions about why the state opened these investigations in the first place, noting that the child welfare agency is not bound by directives from the governor.

The court-appointed watchdogs expressed concern after learning that a caretaker accused of exploiting children at a state-licensed facility in Bastrop had been previously fired from a state juvenile justice facility for misconduct.

A Donna man will spend the next 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a child last week, according to a news release from Hidalgo County. Abraham Aguilar Robledo, 43, appeared before the 206th District Court and entered a guilty plea to aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by sexual contact, the release said. Judge Rose Guerra Reyna sentenced Robeldo to 15 years for each count, both sentences will run concurrently, and must register as a sex offender. “No child should have to suffer the physical and emotional trauma of sexual abuse, especially in their home and from someone that they trust,” Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez Jr. said in the release. “If you suspect child abuse, please reach out to your local law enforcement agency and report it.”The case was handled by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office and Child Protective Services, which provided the family assistance, the release said.

State records show Iesha Greene was fired in 2020 from a state juvenile facility for having inappropriate relationships with children. The Refuge said it was aware of her previous work there, but it never requested her publicly available personnel records.

Texas Governor's directive is the latest anti-trans measure the state has attempted to pass  SAN ANTONIO – Republican Governor Greg Abbott, seven days before the Grand Old Party (GOP) primary election where he was accused of not being conservative enough, ordered Child Protective Services (CPS) to investigate any reports of transgender children receiving hormone treatment. …

A Stafford County day care owner has been charged with three felony offenses after three 1-year-old children under her care were determined to have a psychoactive compound found in cannabis

Candidates hardly ever talk about improving the safety net for kids — unless the holes in the safety net have become big enough to get the attention of voters.

Other investigators don’t want to follow an order they believe harms families but worry about the impact of a mass employee exodus on the state’s most vulnerable children.

A Harlandale High School freshman pulled from class last week to be interviewed by Child Protective Services investigators was not the correct student they were looking for, district officials confirmed this week.

Most of the deaths were attributed to “preexisting medical conditions” or abuse suffered before the children entered the system, according to the DFPS report. The numbers are on par with those reported in previous years.

A teenage girl shot in the neck at a Northwest Side hotel early Wednesday morning was supposed to be in the care of Child Protective Services, testimony during an emergency hearing revealed Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Janis Jack said she is seeking a federal criminal investigation into allegations that children were sexually abused and trafficked at The Refuge, a state-licensed foster care shelter for victims of sex trafficking.

Science clearly indicates that transitioning children have a lower suicide rate, depression and/or anxiety issues. Science and religion are two very different areas; however, they both tend to influence the transgender children who are transitioning. Transitioning children under professional guidance with gender conforming behaviors is the best practice for avoiding destructive outcomes. Abbott’s directive concerning transitioning children and the actions against those who support the transition. Josephine Tittsworth is executive director and Maria C. Gonzalez is financial director of Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Scholars, based in Baytown.

Science clearly indicates that transitioning children have a lower suicide rate, depression and/or anxiety issues. Science and religion are two very different areas; however, they both tend to influence the transgender children who are transitioning. Transitioning children under professional guidance with gender conforming behaviors is the best practice for avoiding destructive outcomes. Abbott’s directive concerning transitioning children and the actions against those who support the transition. Josephine Tittsworth is executive director and Maria C. Gonzalez is financial director of Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Scholars, based in Baytown.

A woman and man are dead, and a baby is safe in Child Protective Services custody after a murder-suicide in west Bexar County, according to Sheriff Javier Salazar.

Brooke Crowder said The Refuge is working to incorporate a deeper employee screening process with the help of a company recommended by the governor’s and attorney general’s offices.

The temporary injunction was issued as part of a lawsuit brought on behalf of parents being investigated by child welfare workers for letting their transgender teenager access gender-affirming health care.

The former child care investigations director said there are agency-wide communication issues that led to a breakdown in relaying key information, but two of his staff members are the ones who suffered the consequences.

It was also revealed at a special Texas Senate committee meeting that the Texas foster care worker who allegedly sold nude pictures of girls is also accused of dating a child trafficker.

An attorney representing foster care children in a suit against Texas said Department of Public Safety director Steve McCraw’s conclusion that there was no evidence of sexual abuse despite the investigation into the photos was “both surprising and extremely troubling.”

The Refuge, which closed Friday, said it fired an employee accused of coercing the victims to sell nude photos as soon as it found out. The Bastrop-based shelter has not addressed the other eight staff members also accused of causing harm to the girls.

In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Eleanor and Sneha about Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive to open child abuse investigations into families providing gender-affirming care for their children.

The Department of Family and Protective Services has been under federal court monitoring for over a decade for violating the civil rights of kids in foster care. Now, the short-staffed agency has to investigate parents who provide their children with gender-affirming care.

The children were sexually abused and neglected while at The Refuge, a facility located in Bastrop contracted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, according to a report from a current employee.

Citing potential criminal penalties, Texas Children’s Hospital will no longer provide hormone therapy to transgender patients.

A Texas judge was scheduled to consider a statewide injunction on investigations of parents over obtaining gender-affirming care. The appeal now puts the hearing on hold.

On the heels of two child deaths in San Antonio, allegedly from abuse, KSAT is taking a look at new laws passed last year that affect abuse and Child Protective Services cases.

Families and advocates against child abuse coming together tonight to call for changes to reporting and investigating alleged abuse.

A Prince William County teacher who lives in Stafford has been charged with assault and battery for allegedly spitting on a 14-year-old student earlier this month, police said.

Local nonprofit organization assumes regional foster care placement responsibilities

A hearing was held Wednesday in children's court to find out how the kids found tied up and caged were doing.

The arrest resulted from an investigation conducted by Child Protective Services.

As Texas’ long-running struggle to find enough placements for foster care children persists, more than 100 kids were sent out of state last year.

Child Protective Services and San Antonio police are investigating after two toddlers were found tied up and home alone on the Southeast Side.

A single father who’d been living in a van with his five children is among 538 unhoused individuals and families no longer out on the streets.

The director of Child Protective Services for the San Antonio area cited emotional and mental exhaustion and was sharply critical of the state’s foster care agency when stepping down from her position this summer, according to a copy of her resignation letter obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders.

The state’s foster care system has been dangerous to children and embarrassing to the state for years. But with state officials constantly chasing other issues, it’s still suffering from neglect.

The federal judge overseeing the decadelong lawsuit against Texas for conditions in its foster care system cut this week’s hearing short. She proposed all parties involved, including the governor, “cut to the chase” to identify solutions.

Estrada is among the thousands in San Antonio who grew up disconnected from opportunity leading to a cycle of poverty that has perpetuated through generations. Editors Note Disconnected is a series about economic segregation in San Antonio. Poverty TaxPoverty is complicated, said Eric Cooper, president and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank. It took several more weeks, and bus trips to the San Antonio Food Bank, to reinstate the benefits when the kids returned home. In a city like San Antonio, the job can be overwhelming even when the economy is good.

Sabinal Police Department and Child Protective Services have been notified about a Sabinal Independent School District employee who has been accused of misconduct with six students. According to Sabinal ISD Superintendent Richard Grill, the allegations were reported last Thursday afternoon, students were interviewed by a female administrator and a female counselor, and parents of the reporting students were notified by 3 p.m. Friday. The accused male employee, who has been with Sabinal ISD for less than one year, has been placed on administrative leave. These steps were taken out of an abundance of caution as the safety and well-being of our students is paramount, Grill said. This investigation is ongoing, and no final conclusions have been made at this time.(The story does not continue beyond this line.)

Maryland CPS puts "free-range" parents on notice Child Protective Services is accusing a couple of neglect after allowing their 10- and 6-year-old kids to walk home alone. Now, the family is fighting back and plans to appeal to keep letting their children roam free. CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the family's legal limbo.