Andrew C. Brown, J.D., is the director of the Center for Families and Children at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Brown has dedicated his career to serving vulnerable children and strengthening families through community-focused, liberty-minded solutions.
Liberty Hamilton describes her time in foster care as “the most traumatic experience I ever had.” Her foster mother abused alcohol and drugs, she told a Texas Senate Committee on Monday. “She would always leave pipes lying around that she used to smoke,” she said. “She would party all night with loud music and random...
Texans were horrified to learn of the Department of Family and Protective Services’ mishandling of allegations that children in its care were sexually exploited at a shelter intended to protect victims of sex trafficking. In the weeks since the story made it clear that DFPS has broken its promise to children to take them to a place...
When Uvea was 9, Oregon’s foster care agency couldn’t find a placement in-state, so it sent her to Montana—to a poorly supervised facility where she was drugged, physically restrained and verbally abused by facility staff. “Can I say the two words she called me?” Uvea asked a lawmaker during a later legislative hearing. “They made...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—through its own missteps and unforced errors—lost the confidence of the American public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another agency, Child Protective Services, seems next in line for this inglorious achievement. In his State of the Union speech, President Joe Biden all but declared victory over COVID-19, touting new masking guidelines...
In what is becoming a sad tradition, U.S. District Court Judge Janis Jack again excoriated the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) for its failure to turn around the state’s beleaguered foster care system in a recent hearing. The status hearing focused on the state’s efforts to comply with remedial orders Judge Jack issued...
Democrats and Republicans are engaged in important debates about how the federal government can best serve families in these challenging economic times. There are no simple answers, but as we enter the holiday season, there is one thing on which we can all agree: Family is essential for achieving the best in our lives and...
The video is disturbing. A young man stands over a girl, his fists clenched, stomping on her as she screams for help that never comes. A caseworker with the Department of Family and Protective Services, which has custody of the children, stands nearby watching the abuse unfold, but never intervenes. As difficult as it is...
Tonight, an estimated 13 children will sleep on the floor of CPS offices throughout Texas. “Every day was uncertain,” one child who experienced it routinely told the Texas Tribune. “You don’t know where you’re going to lay your head — where you’re going to get your next plate of food.” The child described the experience...
Soon, every Texan will have more opportunity to pursue their dreams, to learn new skills, and to thrive. The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Opportunity Project supported and tracked important legislation that improved workforce development, removed governmental barriers, and reformed safety net programs—all of which will make Texas a more prosperous state. The 87th Texas Legislature...
Texans believe in second chances. That goes for families, too—even to parents whose past mistakes led to the involuntary termination of their parental rights. And a bill before the Texas House could give them their rights back and restore their families, if they turn their lives around and live up to their obligations. House Bill...
March 12 was the deadline to file bills at the Texas Legislature. For people who earn their livings in and around the Capitol, it’s a minor holiday. There’s a flurry of activity as staff work to finalize their boss’ legislative packages and lobbyists race to find sponsors for the remaining bills in their portfolios before...
Stories warning of a coming surge in child abuse have been a staple of local news reporting throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. For months, experts quoted in these reports issued dire predictions that severe instances of child abuse were poised to skyrocket due, in part, to the widespread move toward virtual schooling. The logic of these warnings followed...