The Texas Supreme Court's Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families is providing a limited number of scholarships for Texas attorneys to attend the one-day Child Abuse and Neglect Workshop at the State Bar's Advanced Family Law Conference on Aug. 3, 2011, in San Antonio, or for the video replays in S. Padre Island on Oct. 14 and in Dallas on Oct. 21. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is Friday, May 20. The scholarship covers registration only and does not include expenses for travel or lodging. To access the application form, click here. If you have not yet registered to use this site, please click on "Register" on the blue menu bar at the top of the page, and follow the instructions. Access is free to all active Texas judges and attorneys.

The Texas Supreme Court's Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families is providing scholarships for approximately 80 Texas attorneys to attend either of the following two highly acclaimed national training conferences sponsored by the American Bar Association and relating to representation of children and parents in child protection cases: the Second Annual National Parent's Attorney Conference on July 13 & 14 in Washington, DC, and the 2011 National Conference on Children and the Law on July 15 & 16, also in DC. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is April 8. To view information about the application process and to access the application form, click here. If you have not yet registered to use this site, please click on "Register" on the blue menu bar at the top of the page, and follow the instructions. Access is free to all active Texas judges and attorneys.

The State Bar's Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect is seeking nominations for its annual Fairy Davenport Rutland Award for Distinguished Service to Children and Families. The award is named after Ms. Rutland in recognition of her exceptional leadership as a founding member and chair of the Committee for over 20 years and her continuing dedication and many ongoing contributions to the field of child welfare. The award honors an attorney who has made a substantial contribution to the field of advocacy for abused and neglected children. The deadline for nominations is April 1, 2011. Click here to view the nomination form.

On December 14, 2010, the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths held a news conference to bring attention to the lack of national media coverage of child abuse deaths. Deaths of children from abuse and neglect outnumber deaths that receive much more national coverage, such as deaths from the H1N1 virus, Toyota automobile malfunctions, food-borne illnesses, military incidents in Iraq and Afghanistan, and coal mining. The coalition outlined seven initiatives to end child abuse deaths, including: developing a governmental strategy aimed at strengthening families and preventing maltreatment, additional spending to lower caseloads and increase training of caseworkers, requiring states to adopt national standards for protecting children, revising confidentiality laws, starting a public education campaign on reporting abuse, and creating a protocol for coordinating legal proceedings between child protection and law enforcement agencies. The coalition consists of the National Association of Social Workers, National Center for Child Death Review, National Children's Alliance, Every Child Matters Education Fund, and National District Attorneys Association. To view the Coalition's recommendations, click here.

The American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law's Bar-Youth Empowerment Project, directed by Andrea Khoury, would like to evaluate the frequency with which children and youth attend court hearings across the country and is asking that judges and attorneys answer questions about the practice in their jurisdictions. To participate in the survey, click here. The Center on Children and the Law started the Bar-Youth Empowerment Project to improve outcomes for youth currently in foster care, as well as young people who have aged out of care, by promoting youth participation in court cases that affect them and offering access to legal counseling and representation to youth in need of specialized legal assistance. For more information about the project, click here.

We are excited to let you know that TLC has been selected as one of three finalists for the Award for Excellence in Social Innovation to be given by the Dallas Center for Nonprofit Management. The nomination process is extremely competitive, so we are thrilled to be recognized as one of the top three Dallas nonprofits in the award category for organizations that provide "a novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient and sustainable... and demonstrates significant positive change around a specific social issue." The nomination is for TLC's Online Legal Resource and Communication Center. The award ceremony will be held on November 19 at the Hilton Anatole with Dallas Morning News columnist Steve Blow as the Master of Ceremonies.

In a recent policy paper, the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) calls for prevention of child abuse and neglect to be a greater priority in Texas. CPPP notes that, compared to other states, Texas ranks 50th in the rate of child abuse and neglect prevention coverage. In Texas, about 5 of every 1,000 children receive prevention services, while the national average is almost nine times higher, at about 44 of every 1,000 children. The prevention services which are provided by Child Protective Services are administered by the Prevention and Intervention (PEI) division. PEI's budget is only about 3 percent of the overall budget of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). In response to the legislature's request for a 10 percent budget reduction, DFPS has proposed an 84 percent reduction in the current PEI budget. CPPP urges that PEI's already small budget not be cut in the upcoming legislative session and makes specific recommendations on how PEI can prioritize where its services are provided to have maximum impact. Click here to view the paper.

On September 14, 2010, the Center for Public Policy Priorities issued a report that examines the problem of undocumented children who suffer abuse and neglect in this country. Who are these children, and why is it unworkable to send them back to their country of origin? The paper offers suggestions for system improvements to allow these children to obtain legal residency and for aligning immigration and child welfare laws to protect this population. Click here to view the report.

The State Bar's Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect (the "Child Abuse Committee") honored R. Darin Darby as the recipient of its annual Fairy Davenport Rutland Award for Distinguished Service to Children and Families. The award is named after Ms. Rutland in recognition of her exceptional leadership as a founding member and chair of the Committee for over 20 years and her continuing dedication and many contributions to the field of child welfare. The current Chair of the Child Abuse Committee, Barbara Elias-Perciful, presented the award to Mr. Darby at the Advanced Family Law Course in August. Mr. Darby is a Felony Chief Prosecutor in the Crimes Against Children Division of the Harris County District Attorney's Office, where he prosecutes sex offenders and others who injure children. He is devoted to protecting children and advocating for those children who have been victimized by physical and sexual abuse. Click here to view the 4 letters in support of Mr. Darby's nomination. Click here to see a picture of the award presentation.

FLDS leader Warren Jeffs was convicted in Utah of 2 counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in the compelled marriage of 14-year-old Elissa Wall to her 19-year-old cousin and the subsequent sexual intercourse between them. He was sentenced to two consecutive prison terms of 5 years to life. Finding that the trial court's jury instructions on sexual consent were erroneous, the court reversed and remanded the case for a new trial, saying, "We regret the effect our opinion today may have on the victim of the underlying crime, to whom we do not wish to cause additional pain. However, we must ensure that the laws are applied evenly and appropriately, in this case as in every case, in order to protect the constitutional principles on which our legal system is based. We must guarantee justice, not just for this defendant, but for all who may be accused of a crime and subjected to the State's power to deprive them of life, liberty, or property hereafter." Click here to read the court's opinion.

The Travis County Model Court for Children and Families has issued its first newsletter. This installment focuses on the successful initiative conducted in March 2010 called "Explore UT," where 40 foster youth toured the UT campus and engaged in a number of events designed to introduce them to the many ways that attending college can impact their futures. The newsletter also discusses the Family Finding and Youth Connectedness Training the court hosted in April 2010, as well as other initiatives the court has underway. TLC thanks Hon. Darlene Byrne for graciously sharing information about her model court on an ongoing basis for the benefit of others around the state who may wish to undertake similar initiatives. Click here to view the newsletter.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) launched a foster care redesign project in January 2010. Objectives include determining the location and types of services needed, how to contract for quality services, and how to pay for the services. Guiding principles include placing children in their home communities and minimizing moves that disrupt children's personal connections and educational progress. DFPS contracted with Chapin Hall of the University of Chicago to compile data on outcomes, process of care, service quality, and system capacity. The PDF Group, LLC, will provide project management, including collaboration with external stakeholders. DFPS will make recommendations to the 2011 Texas Legislature regarding structuring foster care contracts and appropriations to promote desired outcomes for children, implications of system changes, and a way to balance demand and supply for foster care services. For more information, click here.

Hon. John Specia (Ret.), who is serving as Jurist in Residence with the Texas Office of Court Administration, is producing a series of letters giving current and compelling information for judges hearing CPS cases. In order to reach as many judges as possible with this information and in order to make the information available to attorneys as well, Judge Specia has graciously agreed to allow TLC to post these letters here. The first letter in this series provides information on health services for children in foster care through the STAR Health Program and information on psychotropic medication. Click here to view it. The second letter concerns opportunities for judges and attorneys to be provided in 2010 by the Texas Supreme Court Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families. Click here to view it. The third letter discusses the Permanency Care Assistance Program (PCA), which is how Texas plans to implement a very important aspect of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 and includes an update regarding verification under the new PCA program. Click here to view it. These letters can also be found by topic or title in the section on Articles/Papers.

Travis County is seeking a Managing Attorney for the Office of Parental Representation. The office provides representation of parents in civil matters related to child abuse and neglect. Job dutuies of the Managing Attorney include overseeing personnel, case handling, resources, and operations of the office. Interested attorneys should apply immediately through Travis County, as interviewing of candidates has already begun. To view the job posting, click here.

The National Association of Counsel for Children recently completed a report for the Nebraska Legislature, titled "Evaluation of the Guardian Ad Litem System in Nebraska." The NACC studied the state's system of child representation in abuse and neglect and delinquency cases. The report found that the guardian ad litem system in Nebraska is failing the state's children because appointees are not accountable. While children are statutorily entitled to have an attorney appointed as a guardian ad litem in every case, the report noted that the state does not have a uniform system of representation nor a uniform set of practice standards. The report also stated that guardians frequently do not inform the court of their clients' views of the case and do not receive adequate training. It also said that appointees are often a rubber stamp for the state's department of human services instead of zealous advocates for their child clients. The NACC's recommendations included establishing a statewide entity to oversee GALs, instituting mandatory practice standards, monitoring of guardians ad litem, caseload caps, and a mentoring program for new guardians ad litem. To download the report, click here.