House Bill 2680 sheds light on what has traditionally been a hidden part of our child welfare system. In Texas, and many other states, child protection agencies often utilize agreements between a family and the agency to either temporarily place a child outside of the home or require the family to submit to supervision and services without going through the normal family court process.

Dr. Josh Gupta-Kagan, an associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law, has famously labeled these arrangements “hidden foster care” because they resemble foster care but often lack court oversight and are not reported in official data reports.

Testimony Submitted to the Texas House Human Services Committee