Who in the state of Texas can I contact to complain about Child Protective Services?

Question

We're in the process of adopting two older boys and have been told false dates of appointments, placements, etc. Very poor communication between our agency and the caseworker of the boys. We want our voice and others to be heard and noticed.

Answer 1

You can contact the commissioner.  Right now it's Carey Cockerell, but he announced his retirement, so you could also wait until his replacement is instated.

Look at this site: http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Protec... to see if you can find out the contacts from the commissioner and below.  I'd probably start out with the director of the branch nearest you and escalate it from there.

Answer 2

I know your pain and have to agree with pretty much everything MamaKate said.

We adopted in Texas.  In the one year process of our adoption, our boys had 3 different case workers.  Communications were very poor.  It took us repeatedly calling and nagging people to get information and to get things moving.  And, thankfully, we had a very good CASA volunteer who kept us reasonably informed.

While I agree that you should make your feelings known, you should know that they are extremely understaffed, underfunded, and unsupported by legislators.  It is a thankless job, which also makes turnover very high.  Try to keep that in mind when you discuss the problems, and be sure to point out those who did do a good job.

Answer 3

http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Contact_Us/I...

You have to start with the office of consumer affairs, then escalate from there if you don't receive a satisfactory answer.

This link will take you to the form and the phone numbers.

Answer 4

Dear John,

Unfortunatly this is a chronic problem which CPS is notorious for. (Texas has one of the worst CPS records in the nation.)

You should start by speaking to your caseworker's supervisor and move up the local chain of command using proper channels. If you get to the top and still have not recieved satisfactory attention to your issues then you need to speak to folks at the State level.

If your child has been assigned a CASA/GAL then you can also speak to them about your concerns.

If all else fails, get in touch with your local state representative. Congressmen, Senators and the media have an amazing effect on getting things done! Make sure to have documented proof of you complaints available and keep copies of any letters etc.

I can tell you from experience that CPS is often over-worked, under-staffed, have workers who either don't know what they are doing or just don't care and are often very difficult to work with.

When I was a GAL, I had cases where the worker saw the child once a month when I saw them twice a week. I had to track down SWs, paperwork, leave a million messages to get a call back, deal with missed appointments by the SWs, etc. It can be incredibly frustrating.

There are some people who work for CPS who are amazing at their jobs, love the people they serve and do everything in their power to their jobs well and carefully dispite all the disorganization, overload, crappy pay and lack of respect. These people deserve medals, IMO - there are far too few of them.

I wish you the best of luck in getting your concerns met in a timely and acceptable fashion. Thank you for opening your hearts and home to children in need! Please also accept my sincerest & heartfelt wishes for a happy and healthy future for your family! :)

ETA: It is usually wise to start at the bottom rather than jump to the top with your complaints. Showing that you have moved through proper channels means a lot to these folks. (I have heard of other "difficulties" arising for folks who by-pass the "accepted" methods for adressing grievences - as disgusting as it sounds.)

Answer 5

Attorney general's office might be of some help