South Texas Alliance for Orphans aims to lower number of children in foster care
The South Texas Alliance for Orphans is raising awareness for the fostering crisis in San Antonio and our surrounding counties.
Texas politics leave transgender foster youth isolated โ during and after life in state care
Support once afforded LGBTQ+ foster kids has vanished and a culture of silence has blanketed the agency tasked with raising children growing up in the system.
Ex-girlfriend of man on trial in her daughterโs death testifies against him
The ex-girlfriend of a man accused of physically abusing and torturing her 5-year-old daughter testified against him in court Thursday.
Affidavit: Man accused of abandoning son near busy street had previous run-ins with CPS
Christopher Martin, 37, is accused of leaving his child alone near a busy intersection last July. An arrest affidavit now says he had been the subject of previous investigations by child protective services.
Man admits to injuring 4-month-old baby who suffered fractured legs, ribs, clavicle, skull, investigators say
Police said Daniel Efrain Aguilera,19, admitted to causing the injuries and is charged with four counts of injury to a child - serious bodily injury with intent, a first-degree felony.
Sister of child abuse suspect says prior calls to Child Protective Services were missed
A woman who says she is related to the family in a Bexar County child abuse case says she reported them to the state several times.
One-third of Texas foster care caseworkers left their jobs last year as the agency continued putting kids in hotels
The Department of Family and Protective Services has increasingly relied on housing foster kids in hotels when it canโt find them a home. In the 2022 fiscal year, after record staff turnover, more than 1 in 4 caseworkers had less than one year of experience.
Texas names new head of child abuse investigations after high turnover and heavy criticism
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Servicesโ investigations division has seen record-high staff turnover, with 4 in 10 investigators leaving their jobs in 2022.
New Texas laws favor parents in child abuse investigations as legislators try to limit number of kids in foster care
Legislators also passed bills that will provide foster kids entering the troubled system with duffel bags or backpacks and those aging out of the system with help setting up bank accounts.
Judge admonishes Texas foster care officials, saying they donโt properly monitor facilities housing kids
A U.S. district judge has long presided over a court case that found Texasโ foster care system unconstitutionally harms kids. Tuesdayโs hearing was the first appearance by the stateโs new team of defense attorneys.
Local couple accused of injuring toddler could face charges in 2 counties
A man and woman arrested by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office is also under investigation for abusing the same child in Dimmitt County.
After abuse accusations at The Refuge, Texas will create new reporting and screening requirements for foster care workers
The legislation came after The Refuge, a Bastrop foster care facility, hired a caretaker without knowing she had a history of sexual misconduct with children at a state juvenile facility. Coworkers also concealed evidence of the abuse, which further put the foster girls at harm.
Federal judge says Texasโ use of psychotropic drugs puts foster kids at serious risk
Residential facilities did not refill medications in a timely manner, failed to follow psychiatric orders and, in several instances, violated state guidelines, court monitors documented after site inspections. The lawyer representing the foster kids said it could be โthe tip of the iceberg.โ
Texas Senate votes to close employment loophole after Refuge foster care scandal
The upper chamber unanimously passed Senate Bill 182 after The Texas Tribune reported that a state-licensed foster care facility hired a caretaker whom the Texas Juvenile Justice Department previously fired for having inappropriate relationships with children.
Texans who take custody of their relativesโ kids struggle to make ends meet โ and to get more aid from the state
Relative caregivers, like grandparents who want to keep kids out of foster care, usually get half as much state assistance as strangers who take in children.
Court records: NEISD trustee hit stepson, called him โher slaveโ
A board trustee with the North East Independent School District is accused of repeatedly hitting her teenage stepson, withholding food from him and calling the child โher slave,โ court filings obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
Texas lawmakers move to close foster care hiring loopholes and expand rights of parents facing investigations
Bills that would give relative caregivers more money have missed key deadlines to make it in front of the full House.
Lawyers representing children in federal foster care lawsuit rebuked for hiring lobbyists
Texas lawmakers and a federal judge say attorneys in the case against the stateโs Department of Family and Protective Services should not hire lobbyists using funds won in court.
Texas should tell parents their rights when it investigates child abuse claims, lawmaker proposes
Most reports of child abuse or neglect turn out to be unfounded. But while under investigation, parents with little understanding of their rights or the process often make decisions that could impact the fate of their families.
Federal judge again threatens contempt-of-court fines for Texasโ slow progress on foster care reforms
The judge warned the state could be held in contempt of court for not following through with three mandates: youths not knowing their rights, not adequately responding to abuse allegations and still having too many children without placement.
New Texas foster care report shows both improvements and continued deficiencies
In a fifth report tracking the stateโs efforts to remedy its embattled foster care system, federal monitors documented persistent risks to Texas children ahead of next weekโs court hearing.
After alleged sexual assault of two children living in state care, another foster shelter closes
Two girls in the care of Child Protective Services were allegedly sexually assaulted in October after sneaking out of a facility run by the state agency. Advocates say itโs a symptom of the Texas foster care systemsโ problems.
Father at center of San Antonio AMBER Alert arrested again, this time in connection to felony child abuse case
A father at the center of an ongoing battle with Child Protective Services over the custody of his children has been arrested in San Antonio for the second time in as many weeks, this time in connection to a 2021 felony child abuse case east of Houston.
Child Protective Services responds after parents speak out against agency following their arrest
Child Protective Services released a statement regarding the case of two parents facing charges of interference with child custody.
In after-hours notice, Gov. Greg Abbott announces another leadership change for the Department of Family and Protective Services
Former DFPS commissioner Anne Heiligenstein was tapped by Abbott in June to serve as the agencyโs executive deputy commissioner. Last month, she was out. Now sheโs back.
CPS case worker forced to resign after police find runaway at her home
A Child Protective Services case worker was forced to resign this summer, days after police in San Marcos found a juvenile runaway at her home.
LGBTQ Texans voting with marriage, worker protections and trans rights in mind
The Texas Tribune spoke with LGBTQ voters, the parents of queer youth and advocates from across the state about whatโs at stake for them this November.
Two Texas Family and Protective Services leaders exiting beleaguered agency
The department is terminating the contract of Executive Deputy Commissioner Anne Heiligenstein, who was supposed to work until next June, amid a staffing crisis. The chief of staff for the agencyโs top leader has also left.
San Antonio child psychologist remained under contract with CPS for 2 months after child sex abuse arrest
A San Antonio child psychologist arrested on a child sex abuse charge in August remained under contract with Child Protective Services until this week, state records obtained Friday by KSAT show.
Texas should place more foster kids with families rather than in residential treatment, report finds
Residential treatment centers are meant to be a last resort for children in the stateโs care, reserved for those with histories of severe trauma caused by neglect or abuse.
Babysitter of 5-year-old killed at Texas park said she reported abuse to CPS, report says
A Texas woman accused of stabbing and strangling her 5-year-old daughter is due in court Tuesday as disturbing details about the case emerge.
Texasโ child welfare agency told staffers to keep quiet about gender-affirming care investigations, documents show
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services leaders instructed employees to avoid written communications about the cases and barred low-level employees from handling the investigations, according to internal agency communications.
Head of embattled Texas child abuse investigations resigns after less than a year
During Robert โRichโ Richmanโs short tenure, he oversaw the investigation of parents who provide gender-affirming care to their transgender children and the mishandling of allegations of sex abuse at a foster care facility.
Texas Supreme Court allows child abuse investigations into families of transgender teens to continue
The high court also raised questions about why the state opened these investigations in the first place, noting that the child welfare agency is not bound by directives from the governor.
Lack of communication between child welfare and juvenile justice systems hurts foster kids, court monitors say
The court-appointed watchdogs expressed concern after learning that a caretaker accused of exploiting children at a state-licensed facility in Bastrop had been previously fired from a state juvenile justice facility for misconduct.
Bastrop shelter caretaker accused of exploiting girls was fired from previous job for misconduct with children
State records show Iesha Greene was fired in 2020 from a state juvenile facility for having inappropriate relationships with children. The Refuge said it was aware of her previous work there, but it never requested her publicly available personnel records.
Analysis: Texas candidatesโ silence allows persistent foster care problems to fester
Candidates hardly ever talk about improving the safety net for kids โ unless the holes in the safety net have become big enough to get the attention of voters.
Distraught over orders to investigate trans kidsโ families, Texas child welfare workers are resigning
Other investigators donโt want to follow an order they believe harms families but worry about the impact of a mass employee exodus on the stateโs most vulnerable children.
Wrong Harlandale student questioned by CPS investigators reveals breakdown between agency, school district
A Harlandale High School freshman pulled from class last week to be interviewed by Child Protective Services investigators was not the correct student they were looking for, district officials confirmed this week.
Over 100 children have died in Texasโ child welfare system since 2020, report says
Most of the deaths were attributed to โpreexisting medical conditionsโ or abuse suffered before the children entered the system, according to the DFPS report. The numbers are on par with those reported in previous years.
Teen shot at Northwest Side hotel was foster care child, had vanished from hotel hours earlier
A teenage girl shot in the neck at a Northwest Side hotel early Wednesday morning was supposed to be in the care of Child Protective Services, testimony during an emergency hearing revealed Thursday.
Judge loses trust in Texasโ child abuse investigation of foster care facility and calls for federal inquiry
U.S. District Judge Janis Jack said she is seeking a federal criminal investigation into allegations that children were sexually abused and trafficked at The Refuge, a state-licensed foster care shelter for victims of sex trafficking.
Man, woman killed, baby safe after murder-suicide in west Bexar County, sheriff says
A woman and man are dead, and a baby is safe in Child Protective Services custody after a murder-suicide in west Bexar County, according to Sheriff Javier Salazar.
Founder of state-contracted child abuse shelter hopes to reopen after employee was accused of exploiting two girls
Brooke Crowder said The Refuge is working to incorporate a deeper employee screening process with the help of a company recommended by the governorโs and attorney generalโs offices.
Texas once again temporarily blocked from investigating gender-affirming care as child abuse
The temporary injunction was issued as part of a lawsuit brought on behalf of parents being investigated by child welfare workers for letting their transgender teenager access gender-affirming health care.
Texas child welfare official resigns, saying top agency leaders scapegoated employees
The former child care investigations director said there are agency-wide communication issues that led to a breakdown in relaying key information, but two of his staff members are the ones who suffered the consequences.
Texas CPS departmentโs culture kept worries about now-shuttered foster care facility from being addressed, official says
It was also revealed at a special Texas Senate committee meeting that the Texas foster care worker who allegedly sold nude pictures of girls is also accused of dating a child trafficker.
Texas Rangers confirm investigation into nude photos of children at Bastrop shelter but find โno evidenceโ of sex abuse
An attorney representing foster care children in a suit against Texas said Department of Public Safety director Steve McCrawโs conclusion that there was no evidence of sexual abuse despite the investigation into the photos was โboth surprising and extremely troubling.โ
State-licensed shelter where sex trafficking victims were reportedly abused ordered to close
The Refuge, which closed Friday, said it fired an employee accused of coercing the victims to sell nude photos as soon as it found out. The Bastrop-based shelter has not addressed the other eight staff members also accused of causing harm to the girls.
TribCast: Texas Department of Family and Protective Services investigates the families of trans children
In this weekโs episode, Matthew speaks with Eleanor and Sneha about Gov. Greg Abbottโs directive to open child abuse investigations into families providing gender-affirming care for their children.
Texasโ child welfare agency ordered to investigate trans kidsโ families has been in crisis for years
The Department of Family and Protective Services has been under federal court monitoring for over a decade for violating the civil rights of kids in foster care. Now, the short-staffed agency has to investigate parents who provide their children with gender-affirming care.
Kids in foster care whoโd been victims of sex trafficking endured fresh abuse at a state shelter, report says
The children were sexually abused and neglected while at The Refuge, a facility located in Bastrop contracted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, according to a report from a current employee.
Houston hospital pauses hormone therapy for transgender children as threats of child abuse investigations loom
Citing potential criminal penalties, Texas Childrenโs Hospital will no longer provide hormone therapy to transgender patients.
Attorney General Ken Paxton appeals restraining order that blocked state agency from investigating trans teenโs family
A Texas judge was scheduled to consider a statewide injunction on investigations of parents over obtaining gender-affirming care. The appeal now puts the hearing on hold.
New child abuse laws change the way judges rule in court
On the heels of two child deaths in San Antonio, allegedly from abuse, KSAT is taking a look at new laws passed last year that affect abuse and Child Protective Services cases.
โThe system failed these childrenโ: Judge holds hearing on toddlers found tied up, trapped inside playpen
A hearing was held Wednesday in children's court to find out how the kids found tied up and caged were doing.
โFrom bad to worseโ: U.S. judge deplores conditions for Texas foster kids sent out of state
As Texasโ long-running struggle to find enough placements for foster care children persists, more than 100 kids were sent out of state last year.
Local Child Protective Services director ripped own department, state in lengthy resignation letter
The director of Child Protective Services for the San Antonio area cited emotional and mental exhaustion and was sharply critical of the stateโs foster care agency when stepping down from her position this summer, according to a copy of her resignation letter obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders.
Analysis: Texasโ foster care problems are clear. The response from state leaders isnโt.
The stateโs foster care system has been dangerous to children and embarrassing to the state for years. But with state officials constantly chasing other issues, itโs still suffering from neglect.
Texas foster care children exposed to sexual abuse, given wrong medication and neglected in unlicensed placements, new report says
The federal judge overseeing the decadelong lawsuit against Texas for conditions in its foster care system cut this weekโs hearing short. She proposed all parties involved, including the governor, โcut to the chaseโ to identify solutions.
Texas foster care crisis worsens, with fast-growing numbers of children sleeping in offices, hotels, churches
Increased oversight and lack of funding mean hundreds of children spend their nights in hotels and churches and on office floors.
New state law ensures people know they can record CPS investigation interviews, appeal results
The law mandates CPS investigators to verbally remind people under investigation they have the right to record conversations and appeal investigation results.
Mother charged with killing her daughter may have access to other child, attorney claims
A San Antonio mother accused of killing one of her children could have access to the other one if a local judge grants permanent custody to the father, according to an attorney representing the second child, who is 11 months old.
State to take over Bexar County foster care placement again as Family Tapestry ends contract
A DFPS spokesman was unable to definitively say when the contract would end but said the state would be taking over that role until โif and whenโ they decide to put the contract out for bid again.
Family Tapestry terminates foster care contract with the state
Family Tapestry, the wing of The Childrenโs Shelter responsible for its community-based care initiative, has canceled its contract with the Department of Family and Protective Services, a DFPS spokesperson confirmed late Monday.
Report: 23 Texas foster kids have died in state custody since July 2019
Twenty-three foster care children in Texas have died the past 21 months while in state custody, according to a massive report filed Tuesday as part of a decade-old federal lawsuit.
More Texas children died during 2020 of child abuse and neglect than in the previous two years, advocates say
Data released this month by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services shows an increase in child abuse and neglect deaths in 2020, a jump from the previous two years.
Foster children not forgotten despite losing โfairy godmotherโ
Since 1989, real estate agent Zenobia Coverson was a fairy godmother for children in the foster care system that she called โthe forgotten children.โThroughout the year, Coverson would fill about 700 gift baskets and wrapped gifts for distribution to children in the CPS foster care program. CPS caseworker Mary Lou Rodriguez was there as the doors to The Forgotten Child storage unit were opened. Rodriguez was able to pick out gifts for children under her guidance. Eleanor Salazar, a CPS caseworker, said foster children generally donโt have high expectations for the holidays. CPS is looking for brand new gifts for children ages infant to older teenagers.
Death of toddler injured in Kerrville ruled homicide
KERRVILLE, Texas The death of a 2-year-old boy who was injured in Kerrville and taken to a San Antonio hospital last week has been ruled a homicide, an official with the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office confirmed Friday. Gideon Barideaux, who passed away Aug. 9, died from a subdural hemorrhage, an official confirmed to KSAT 12 News. Barideaux was injured in Kerrville while his mother visited her boyfriend, a source familiar with the criminal investigation confirmed. San Antonio police officials on Friday referred all questions about the case to the Kerrville Police Department, which so far has not responded to inquiries from KSAT about its investigation. A subdural hemorrhage, or brain bleed, typically occurs after a person suffers a significant head injury.
Missing 10-month old San Antonio girl found safe
SAN ANTONIO โ A missing 10-month-old girl from San Antonio has been found safe. Rhiannon Sullivan is now in custody of Child Protective Services, the state agencyโs spokeswoman, Mary Walker, said. There is no word on how authorities located the toddler. San Antonio police ask for help in search for missing 10-month old girlPolice issued a public appeal for the whereabouts of Rhiannon, who authorities said may have been with her biological mother. Rhiannonโs mother was recently ordered to turn her over to Child Protective Services, police said.
San Antonio police ask for help in search for missing 10-month old girl
Published: May 27, 2020, 5:01 am Updated: May 27, 2020, 8:31 amSAN ANTONIO โ The San Antonio Police Department is seeking the publicโs help in finding a missing 10-month-old girl. Police are searching for Rhiannon Sullivan, who they believe may be with her biological mother. Police said Rhiannonโs mother was recently ordered to turn her over to Child Protective Services. Rhiannon has brown hair and brown eyes, and weighs about 20 pounds, police said. She has straight hair to her ears and was wearing a pink onesie.