What are DFPS's Funding Priorities for Next Session?

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) recently released their Legislative Appropriations Request for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027. Legislative Appropriations Requests (LAR) outline a state agency's budgetary needs and priorities. The funding for Texas CASA’s Collaborative Family Engagement is in the DFPS budget and we are excited to announce that DFPS included it in their LAR again for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027. DFPS’ Fiscal Year 2026 and 2027 exceptional items support keeping children and vulnerable adults safe.

Texas HHSC officially released their Legislative Appropriations Request

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) officially released their Legislative Appropriations Request for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027. You can read HHSC’s LAR Presentation to the Legislative Budget Board here. In addition to their base budget request, HHSC included 24 exceptional items in their LAR including, Women’s and Children’s Health Services, Increasing Services for People with Disabilities and more.

Annual Survey Reminder

Evaluation of the services provided by Texas CASA informs our organizational planning and designation of resources and helps us identify areas for improvement. Please take a moment (average of 5 to 8 minutes) to complete the survey. Your input is greatly valued and each comment is reviewed by Texas CASA leadership. We are asking for the CASA network to complete the survey by Friday, October 28. The survey is open to executive directors, board members and staff.

TBRI Training Application

Texas CASA is pleased to invite 10 local CASA programs to be a part of the first Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) for CASA cohort. This opportunity will support selected local programs to integrate TBRI® into their advocacy and communities, so that children and youth that CASA is appointed to, and their families, are met with greater understanding and knowledge of trauma, plus skills around empowering, connecting and correcting. Please see below for more details, or to apply. 

Don't Miss the Last STAR Zoom of 2024! 

Please join the STAR Team on November 25 from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. as they welcome Renée Castillo-De La Cruz, Attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commission since 2019. The presentation and discussion will focus on the legal reasons for termination of parental rights, legal outcomes in CPS cases and the new legal requirement that reasonable efforts be made to keep families together. Cruz's primary areas of focus include, attorney training and education, and ensuring meaningful access to justice through projects focused on parent resources and legal representation.  

NEW RELEASE: Youth Mental Health Guide - National Legal Landscape

Unhoused young people face multiple barriers in accessing health care and have disproportionately high rates of chronic mental health issues. This guide is meant to outline the legal rights and public resources that do exist for unhoused youth and young adults, ranging from states that remove unnecessary barriers and improve access to states that greatly restrict, or block needed care. Mental health treatment alone will not solve youth homelessness, but it's an important tool in helping young people heal from the trauma of homelessness.

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