Child Protective Investigations (CPI) is authorized to investigate abuse and neglect allegedly committed by a person responsible for a child's care, custody or welfare and to protect abused and neglected children from further harm. This authorization is derived from the U.S. Social Securities Act, Texas Family Code, Human Resources Code, Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, Indian Child Welfare Act and the Adam Walsh Act.

CPI conducts either a traditional investigation or Alternative Response (AR). Both require CPI to assess safety and take needed actions to protect a child and assess the risk of future abuse or neglect in the foreseeable future. AR, however, allows for a more flexible, family engaging approach on lower priority cases involving alleged victims who are age 6 or older. AR differs from traditional investigations in that 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 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. 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 cases. A description of Alternative Response and how it differs from a traditional investigation is in the glossary.

FOOTNOTES
An investigation represents a report of abuse or neglect and can involve multiple children.

The data on completed investigations does not include investigative stages that were administratively closed or merged into another investigation.

All completed investigations have a case disposition and a risk finding.

Visit dfps.state.tx.us for information on Abuse/Neglect Investigations and all DFPS programs.

This chart counts the different legal statuses granted during the fiscal year for children in DFPS custody. 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.

This chart includes any child in DFPS custody at some point during the year. Children may be duplicated in the count, if they were in and out of DFPS custody more than once during the fiscal year.

A description of the different types of legal statuses is in the CPS glossary: https://www.dfps.texas.gov/About_DFPS/Data_Book/Child_Protective_Services/Resources/glossary.asp

Visit dfps.texas.gov for information on all DFPS programs

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.

DFPS sets priorities for the delivery of protective services. In establishing priorities, DFPS defines timeframes for conducting initial face-to-face interviews with alleged victims. The priorities are based on severity and immediacy of alleged threat to the life or physical safety of the alleged victim. (40 Texas Administrative Code §705.2101)

The initial face-to-face contact with the alleged victim is conducted according to the following priorities:

Priority 1: Allegations that the victim is in a state of serious harm or is in danger of death from abuse or neglect. APS makes face-to-face contact within 24 hours of SWI’s receipt of Priority I allegations.

Priority 2: Allegations that the victim is abused, neglected, or financially exploited and, as a result, is at risk of serious harm. APS makes face-to-face contact within three calendar days of SWI’s receipt of Priority II allegations.

Priority 3: All other allegations that the victim is in a state of abuse or neglect. APS makes face-to-face contact within seven calendar days of SWI’s receipt of Priority III allegations.

Priority 4: Allegations of financial exploitation when there is no danger of imminent impoverishment or deprivation of basic needs. APS makes face-to-face contact within 14 calendar days of SWI’s receipt of Priority IV allegations.

Inclusion is based on the Intake Closure Date.

This chart counts the number of children who exited from DFPS custody during the fiscal year, the average time to exit and the average number of placements while in DFPS legal responsibility. 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. A child exits from DFPS custody when a court terminates DFPS legal responsibility or a youth turns 18.

Counties and regions are based on the outcome county.

A description of the different types of exits from DFPS legal responsibility is in the CPS Data Book glossary: https://www.dfps.texas.gov/About_DFPS/Data_Book/Child_Protective_Services/Resources/glossary.asp.

Visit dfps.texas.gov for information on all DFPS programs.

Reflects children who receive an adoption subsidy that is paid through either federal or state funds.

Subsidy includes financial payments only, not medical and non-recurring subsidies.

This data addresses Texas Family Code §261.004, Subsection (b) (5).

This chart counts the number of unique children for whom a court entered a legal status order during the fiscal year. If a court entered multiple different legal statuses for a child during the fiscal year, the child is only counted once.

A description of the different types of legal statuses is in the CPS glossary

Visit dfps.texas.gov for more information

Types of Abuse, Neglect and Financial Exploitation

A single APS case can have more than one allegation.

Neglect is the failure to provide the protection, food, shelter, or care necessary to avoid emotional harm or physical injury. The alleged perpetrator of the neglect may be the victim or the victim's caregiver. There are three types of neglect allegations: Physical Neglect, Medical Neglect, and Mental Health Neglect.

Other allegation types include: Financial Exploitation, Physical Abuse, Emotional or Verbal Abuse, or Sexual Abuse.

The population totals do not match prior DFPS Data Books, printed or ontline. 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.

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

CPI Intakes: Priority, Screening and Assignment

To establish timeframes for investigations, each report of child abuse and neglect is assigned a priority:

Priority I - Intake reports that concern children who appear to face an immediate risk of abuse or neglect that could result in death or serious harm. CPI must initiate the investigation within 24 hours of receiving a Priority I report.

Priority II - All reports of abuse or neglect that are not assigned as Priority I are assigned as Priority II. These are reports that contain allegations of abuse or neglect in which there does not appear to be an immediate threat of serious harm or death. A subset of these reports are sent down the Alternative Response (AR)* pathway. Those reports not sent to AR continue as a traditional investigation. CPI must initiate these investigations within 72 hours of receiving a Priority II report.

*In November 2014, CPI implemented Alternative Response (AR) which is a different way to respond to reports of abuse/neglect. AR allows for a more flexible, family engaging approach while still focusing on the safety of the children. AR cases differ from traditional investigations cases in that there will be no substantiation of allegations, no entry of perpetrators into the Central Registry (a repository for reports of child abuse and neglect), and there will be a heightened focus on guiding the family to plan for safety in a way that works for them and therefore sustains the safety.

This dashboard addresses Texas Family Code Section 264.017(b)(1).