New Texas foster care report shows both improvements and continued deficiencies

The federal court monitors found a staffing contract that noted the agency took “appropriate action” to protect kids in only 42% of the cases in which DFPS investigations suspected maltreatment or abuse of children. (Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune)

Court monitors following a yearslong lawsuit against the state and the Department of Family and Protective Services released a fifth report Friday evening, tracking where the agency made progress and where it falls short.

The anticipated update from federal monitors found improvements in the number of children assigned to caseworkers and the accuracy of DFPS investigations. However, it also found several DFPS investigations in which the state failed to protect children from safety risks, including a lack of medication monitoring and exposing children to trafficking.