This chart counts victims in completed investigations. Completed investigations only include those cases conducted as a traditional investigation that were not administratively closed or merged into another stage. An investigation can only be administratively closed if all allegations have a disposition of administrative closure. A completed investigation can include more than one alleged victim. Completed investigations do not include any Alternative Response stages.

A confirmed victim on a completed investigation is a child who is a victim on at least one allegation with a disposition of reason to believe.

An unconfirmed victim on a completed investigation is a child who was an alleged victim on at least one allegation with a disposition of unable to complete, unable to determine or ruled out.

A description of Alternative Response and how it differs from a traditional investigation and the definitions of the different dispositions in a traditional investigation are in the glossary.

Visit dfps.texas.gov for information on CPS Abuse/Neglect Investigations and all DFPS programs.

Recidivism is a measure of the APS clients with investigations closed in a particular fiscal year, who had a separate investigation opened in the same fiscal year.

To protect the identities of clients in counties with very small populations, data from counties with between 1 and 5 cases of Recidivism are displayed as "1-5", and no Recidivism % is provided. Additionally, these counties will be unavailable on the Ranking, Trends, and Gender Balance charts for fiscal years in which they have 5 or fewer cases of Recidivism.

Visit dfps.state.tx.us for information on all DFPS programs.

This chart counts the number of unique children in DFPS custody who lived in an adoptive placement at some point during the fiscal year and the total number of adoptive placements during the year. Children can have more than one adoptive placement. This chart includes children in DFPS custody for whom a court has appointed DFPS legal responsibility through Permanent Managing Conservatorship.

An adoptive placement occurs when the child's caseworker, the family's case manager, and the adoptive family sign paperwork officially placing the child in the home for adoption. Before the paperwork can be signed, a child must be free for adoption (meaning a court has terminated parental rights), have a permanency goal of adoption and the family must have been approved for adoption through a licensed child placing agency.

Visit dfps.state.tx.us for information on adoption and all DFPS programs.

Child Protective Investigations (CPI) conducts either a traditional investigation or Alternative Response (AR). Traditional investigations and Alternative Response require caseworkers to assess safety and take needed actions to protect a child while assessing any risk of abuse or neglect in the foreseeable future. AR cases present a less adversarial more collaborative approach to working with families by allowing for family engagement along with other community supports to ensure child safety. AR differs from traditional investigations in that AR cases are Priority 2 cases involving victims who are age 6 or older, there is no substantiation of allegations, no entry of perpetrators into the Central Registry (a repository for reports of child abuse and neglect), and there is a heightened focus on guiding the family to plan for safety in a way that works for them and therefore sustains the safety.

Completed investigations only include those cases conducted as a traditional investigation that were not administratively closed or merged into another stage. Investigations may include more than one alleged victim.

All allegations in a completed investigation are given one of the following dispositions:
Reason to Believe (RTB) - defined in section 2281.2 of the CPS policy handbook
Ruled Out (RO) - defined in section 2281.3 of CPS policy handbook
Unable to Complete (UTC) - defined in section 2281.4 of CPS policy handbook
Unable to Determine (UTD) - defined in section 2281.4 of CPS policy handbook

If at least one allegation has an RTB disposition, the investigation is given an overall disposition of RTB. If there are no allegations with an RTB disposition but there is at least one allegation with a disposition of UTD, the investigation is given an overall disposition of UTD.

Visit dfps.texas.gov for information on CPI Abuse/Neglect Investigations and all DFPS programs.

Recidivism is a measure of the APS clients with investigations closed in a particular fiscal year, who had a separate investigation opened in the same fiscal year.

To protect the identities of clients in counties with very small populations, data from counties with between 1 and 5 cases of Recidivism are displayed as "1-5", and no Recidivism % is provided. Additionally, these counties will be unavailable on the Ranking, Trends, and Gender Balance charts for fiscal years in which they have 5 or fewer cases of Recidivism.

APS may provide or arrange for emergency services to alleviate or prevent further abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation. APS works in partnership with other social service agencies to provide resources to vulnerable adults. These services may be provided through collaboration with other state agencies or community organizations. DFPS may use Purchased Client Services funds and may enter into contracts to provide services to clients. All other available resources must be used where feasible before purchased client services are initiated.

After the victim's immediate safety is assured and investigation is completed, APS may remain involved for a short period to stabilize a low-risk situation. In other cases, victims with more complex problems or deemed at moderate or high risk of further maltreatment or self-neglect may receive more intensive services or assistance for a longer period of time.

Visit dfps.state.tx.us for information on all DFPS programs

APS investigates allegations of abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation and provides protective services, regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin to people who are:
• age 65 or older;
• age 18-64 with a mental, physical, or developmental disability that substantially impairs the ability to live independently or provide for their own self-care or protection; or
• emancipated minors with a mental, physical, or developmental disability that substantially impairs the ability to live independently or provide for their own self-care or protection.
APS clients do not have to meet financial eligibility requirements.

The population totals will not match previously printed DFPS Data Books. Past population estimates are adjusted based on the U.S. Census data as it becomes available. This is important to keep the data in line with current best practices, but may cause some past counts, such as Abuse/Neglect Victims per 1,000 Texas Population, to be recalculated.

Population Data Source - Population Estimates and Projections Program, Texas State Data Center, Office of the State Demographer and the Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Current population estimates and projections for all years from 2010 to 2019 as of December 2019.

Adults age 65 or older are automatically eligible for APS services based on their age. An adult age 18 to 64 old must be substantially impaired to be eligible for APS services.

Substantial impairment is defined as: "When a disability grossly and chronically diminishes an adult’s physical or mental ability to live independently or provide self-care as determined through observation, diagnosis, evaluation, or assessment." (Texas Human Resources Code §48.002(a)(8); 40 Texas Administrative Code §705.1001)

Assessment of a mental, physical, or developmental disability as indicated by one of the following:
• A medical condition
• Professional diagnosis
• Reported or observed behavior that is consistent with such a diagnosis. The disability must cause a long-lasting and considerable inability to live independently or provide self-care.

The population totals do not match prior DFPS Data Books, printed or online. Past population estimates are adjusted based on the U.S. Census data as it becomes available. This is important to keep the data in line with current best practices, but will cause some past counts, such as Abuse/Neglect Victims per 1,000 Texas Children, to be recalculated.

Population Data Source - Population Estimates and Projections Program, Texas State Data Center, Office of the State Demographer and the Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Current population estimates and projections for all years from 2014 to 2023 as of December 2023.

Services provided to clients by DFPS may include social casework, case management, and arranging for psychiatric and health evaluation, home care, day care, social services, health care, respite services, and other services.

The APS specialist works with the client to develop a service plan to address identified problems. Safely maintaining clients in the least restrictive environment is a primary goal of APS intervention.

Protective services may be necessary to alleviate or prevent the client from returning to a state of abuse, neglect or financial exploitation. In this case, DFPS may also provide services to a family member or caretaker. (Texas Human Resources Code §48.002(a)(5) and §48.204) Protective services may be delivered in every stage of an investigation

The APS specialist makes all reasonable efforts to resolve problems, including root causes, and stabilizes the client’s condition. Full resolution of a client’s problems is always the goal of APS casework, but it is not always achievable. When full resolution is not a practical goal because of inadequate resources, client resistance, or some other impediment, the APS specialist closes the case when a client’s situation is as close to stable as possible.

The phrase "reasonable effort" implicitly recognizes that:
• personal choice on the part of the client may limit the effectiveness of APS intervention;
• resources available to APS for helping clients are limited; and
• APS cannot remedy all situations.

1. Counts for FY 2015 and subsequent years cannot be compared to those from prior Data Books, due to changes in the APS casework practice model. Cases with services provided during the investigation may not have a separate service stage.

2. Clients in validated cases may receive more than one service.

Visit dfps.state.tx.us for information on all DFPS programs

Children in DFPS custody are those for whom a court has appointed DFPS legal responsibility through temporary or permanent managing conservatorship or other court ordered legal basis. These children may be residing in substitute care or may be living with a parent, referred to as a return and monitor. DFPS legal responsibility terminates when a court orders DFPS custody ended or a youth turns 18, whichever comes first.

Substitute care - all children who are living in a DFPS out of home placement. It does not include children in DFPS custody who are living with a parent on a return and monitor. Unless otherwise noted, it does include youth over 18 who are in extended foster care but are not in DFPS custody.

Kinship care- a subset of substitute care that includes all children in DFPS custody who are living with a legal or blood relative or other individual who has a significant relationship with the child or the child's family known as "fictive kin."

Foster care - a subset of substitute care that includes all children living in a placement that has been verified to provide 24-hour residential care for a child, in accordance with Chapter 42 of the Human Resources Code and related regulations. These placements include foster homes, including kinship care where the caregiver has been verified, general residential operations (GRO), emergency shelters, residential treatment centers (RTC), and juvenile facilities.

Paid foster care - a subset of foster care where DFPS is making foster care payments.

Visit https://www.dfps.texas.gov/ for information on substitute care placements and all DFPS programs.