Acknowledgments
This revised edition of the Texas Child Protection Law Bench Book includes statutory changes from the 84th Texas Legislative Session as well as additions of and revisions to important topics such as psychotropic medications, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and educational outcomes for children in the child welfare system.
This project was supported by the Court Improvement Program grants, awarded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. The information in this publication has been developed by the Bench Book Advisory Committee and the staff of the Supreme Court of Texas Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families (Children’s Commission). Any resource materials or other written contributions provided by the Children's Commission should not be read as an advisory issued by the Supreme Court of Texas or any other court. Contributions to this Bench Book are not rulings on specific cases or legal issues, but are solely intended to address the improvement of the law, the legal system, and the administration of justice related to child protection cases.
Checklists found in previous versions of this Bench Book have been redeveloped based on feedback from judges who participated in a Checklist Pilot in 2014 to make the checklists more succinct and of greater use to members of the judiciary.
Because of the timeframe necessary for online links to new statutes to be developed after a legislative session, some links in the Bench Book may not be operational until September 30, 2015.
Children’s Commission Jurists in Residence:
The Honorable Dean Rucker (ret.)
The Honorable Robin Sage (ret.)
Children’s Commission Staff:
Tina Amberboy, Executive Director
Jessica Arguijo, Administrative Assistant
Jamie Bernstein, Staff Attorney
Monica Mahoney, Administrative Assistant
Milbrey Raney, Staff Attorney
Tiffany Roper, Assistant Director
Kristi Taylor, Program Attorney
Rashonda Thomas, Grants and Finance Specialist