The Children’s Commission is offering up to 14 reimbursement scholarships to qualified attorneys (see criteria below) to complete the Texas District and County Attorney’s Association (TDCAA) Fundamentals of Child Welfare Law online course. This six-part online course covers the fundamental skills needed for prosecutors assigned to represent the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), from pretrial to final outcomes of a child welfare case. The entire online course qualifies for 5.25 hours of MCLE. More information about the online course is available on the TDCAA website.

Eligible applicants must currently represent DFPS in child welfare cases, indicate a financial need, and be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas. Preference will be given to attorneys who are new to the practice of child welfare law with up to three years of experience representing DFPS in child welfare cases or who have limited knowledge of the online course topics. The scholarship will take the form of reimbursement of the $175 registration fee after the completion of the online course.

All scholarship recipients must commit to timely registration and completion of the online course, as well as submission of a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission. Applicants who meet all the criteria will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis for a scholarship, until all 14 scholarships are awarded.

For more information about the scholarship and to submit an application, please visit the Children’s Commission’s Attorney Scholarships webpage.