In Texas, the lead-up to Father’s Day has been filled with bad news out of the Department of Family and Protective Services. The DFPS oversees Child Protective Services, which is charged with protecting Texas’ children at risk for abuse or neglect. And CPS is an agency in crisis.
Two years ago, an independent audit by the Stephen Group found a whopping turnover rate of CPS caseworkers of 25.5 percent per year and caseworkers so burdened by paperwork that they spend barely one-fourth of their time with the kids they’re supposed to be protecting. Texas pays starting caseworkers rock-bottom rates and buries them with caseloads exceeding twice the industry standards. No wonder so many leave.