In Texas and nationwide, there is increased awareness to address the impact of trauma on children, youth, young adults, and families who interface with the child welfare system. On February 8, 2019, the Children’s Commission released Building a Trauma-Informed Child Welfare System: A Blueprint , a roadmap that outlines the paradigm shift needed to better serve Texas children and families involved with the child welfare system.



The Statewide Collaborative on Trauma-Informed Care, comprised of over 100 multi-disciplinary stakeholders and led by the Honorable Darlene Byrne, developed strategies for the Blueprint through an extensive 18-month collaborative process. The Blueprint is a framework for creating a statewide child welfare system that is trauma-informed and trauma-responsive, and includes guiding principles and strategies that range from short-term to long-term in duration.

Please link here to view the Blueprint: http://texaschildrenscommission.gov/our-work/statewide-collaborative-on-trauma-informed-care/

The Children’s Commission will provide registration scholarships to judges and qualified attorneys to the National Association of Counsel for Children’s Red Book Online Training Course .  Additionally, the Commission is offering reimbursement scholarships to attorneys for the ABA’s 18th National Conference on Children and the Law: Access to Justice for Children and Families   or the ABA’s National Conference on Parent Representation . Interested attorneys are welcome to apply for a scholarship to the NACC’s online training and/or one of the ABA conferences.  

Greater detail about these current and future scholarship opportunities are provided here for judges and here for attorneys on the related scholarships pages of the Children’s Commission website.

 

The closing date for scholarship applications to both conferences is midnight on Friday, February 15, 2019 . Scholarships are limited so applications to either or both conferences should be submitted as soon as possible.

The Family First Prevention Services Act provides new opportunities and requirements in the child welfare system. Upon this first anniversary of its enactment, the ABA is soliciting input on how the legal community can best strengthen families using the Family First Act, what the most effective ways to support the legal community's role may be, and attorney and judicial perspectives on the Act.

Please complete this survey https://americanbar.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3CxYs9tSzNI7yBv by Thursday, February 21, 5 pm EST. If you have any questions, you may contact Cristina Cooper via email at cristina.cooper@americanbar.org .

This survey was developed by the ABA in collaboration with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Casey Family Programs, National American Indian Court Judges Association, National Association of Counsel for Children, National Center for State Courts, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and National Court Appointed Special Advocates Association.

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For a complete list of  Jurist in Residence Letters  and  Attorney Resource Letters , please visit the Children's Commission website. Information provided by the Children’s Commission should not be read as a commentary by the Supreme Court of Texas or any other court. For more information about the Children’s Commission, please visit our  website .