Analysis:

The State of Foster Care in Texas: Court Monitors’ Third Report

Children in Texas are being illegally placed overnight in unlicensed facilities due to mounting demand for placements and a lack of providers for placement in Texas (Flahive, 2022). The trauma being inflicted upon PMC children in these settings surpasses loneliness and missing meals. In some cases, children have been subjected to sexual and physical abuse and a few children have gone missing while in the state’s care (Bohra and Oxner, 2021). This is the current reality of foster care in Texas.

The State of Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is facing a continual crisis after 11 years of litigation and 5 years of court-ordered monitoring and oversight of more than 9,800 children in Permanent Managing Conservatorships (also described as foster care). The following analysis describes the findings of the Court Monitors’ third report following the mandate issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that implemented the Court’s many remedial orders. These remedial orders addressed the overburdening of caseworkers and high caseloads, the lack of swift and effective investigations into abuse and neglect accusations, caseworkers not completing required training properly, and DFPS’ ability to provide children with the proper points of contact for reporting issues relating to abuse or neglect. 

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