This chart counts the number of unique children in DFPS custody who lived in an adoptive placement at some point during the fiscal year. Children in DFPS custody are those for whom a court has appointed DFPS legal responsibility through temporary or permanent managing conservatorship or other court ordered legal basis. An adoptive placement occurs when the child's caseworker, the family's case manager, and the adoptive family sign paperwork officially placing the child in the home for adoption. Before the paperwork can be signed, a child must be free for adoption (meaning a court has terminated parental rights), have a permanency goal of adoption and the family must have been approved for adoption through a licensed child placing agency.

Children may have more than one disabling condition.

Drug/Alcohol disabling condition can either be due to self-abuse or exposure to an individual with the condition.

Other includes teen parent or pregnant teen.

Visit dfps.state.tx.us for more information about DFPS and our programs.

This chart counts the number of unique children in DFPS custody who lived in an adoptive placement at some point during the fiscal year. Children in DFPS custody are those for whom a court has appointed DFPS legal responsibility through temporary or permanent managing conservatorship or other court ordered legal basis. An adoptive placement occurs when the child's caseworker, the family's case manager, and the adoptive family sign paperwork officially placing the child in the home for adoption. Before the paperwork can be signed, a child must be free for adoption (meaning a court has terminated parental rights), have a permanency goal of adoption and the family must have been approved for adoption through a licensed child placing agency.

Children may have more than one disabling condition.

Drug/Alcohol disabling condition can either be due to self-abuse or exposure to an individual with the condition.

Other includes teen parent or pregnant teen.

Please visit dfps.state.tx.us for more information about DFPS Adoptions and all our programs.

This counts placement types, not unique children in substitute care. Children will be duplicated by moving from foster care to other substitute care or by relative to non-relative placements. For example, a child who spent a portion of the year with a relative, but the rest with a non-relative would be counted twice.

Children in DFPS custody are those for whom a court has appointed DFPS legal responsibility through temporary or permanent managing conservatorship or other court ordered legal basis. These children may be residing in substitute care or may be living with a parent, referred to as a return and monitor. DFPS legal responsibility terminates when a court orders DFPS custody ended or a youth turns 18, whichever comes first.

Substitute care - all children who are living in a DFPS out of home placement. It does not include children in DFPS custody who are living with a parent on a return and monitor. Unless otherwise noted, it does include youth over 18 who are in extended foster care but are not in DFPS custody.

Kinship care- a subset of substitute care that includes all children in DFPS custody who are living with a legal or blood relative or other individual who has a significant relationship with the child or the child's family known as "fictive kin."

Foster care - a subset of substitute care that includes all children living in a placement that has been verified to provide 24-hour residential care for a child, in accordance with Chapter 42 of the Human Resources Code and related regulations. These placements include foster homes, including kinship care where the caregiver has been verified, general residential operations (GRO), emergency shelters, residential treatment centers (RTC), and juvenile facilities.

Paid foster care - a subset of foster care where DFPS is making foster care payments.

Visit dfps.state.tx.us for information on substitute care placements and all DFPS programs.

This chart counts the number of children who exited from DFPS custody during the fiscal year, the average time to exit and the average number of placements while in DFPS legal responsibility. Children in DFPS custody are those for whom a court has appointed DFPS legal responsibility through temporary or permanent managing conservatorship or other court ordered legal basis. A child exits from DFPS custody when a court terminates DFPS legal responsibility or a youth turns 18.

Counties and regions are based on the outcome county.

A description of the different types of exits from DFPS legal responsibility is in the CPS Data Book glossary: https://www.dfps.texas.gov/About_DFPS/Data_Book/Child_Protective_Services/Resources/glossary.asp.

Visit dfps.texas.gov for information on all DFPS programs.

This chart counts the number of unique children for whom a court entered a legal status order during the fiscal year. If a court entered multiple different legal statuses for a child during the fiscal year, the child is only counted once.

A description of the different types of legal statuses is in the CPS glossary.

Visit dfps.texas.gov for information on substitute care placements and all DFPS programs.

For children who cannot reunify and for whom adoption has been ruled out, the Permanency Care Assistance (PCA) Program provides a monthly subsidy to relatives and fictive kin that take legal custody as a permanent managing conservator and have been a verified foster care provider for the child for at least 6 months. The PCA subsidy is similar to an adoption subsidy.

Does not include non-recurring payments.

Note: The Permanency Care Assistance program began in Fiscal Year 2011.

Children in the Custody of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS)- All children for whom DFPS legal responsibility through court ordered temporary or permanent managing conservatorship or other court ordered legal basis. These children may be residing in substitute care or may be living with a parent, referred to as a trial home visit. DFPS legal responsibility terminates when a court orders DFPS custody ended or a youth turns 18, whichever comes first.

Substitute care - all children who are living in a DFPS out of home placement. It does not include children in DFPS custody who are living with a parent on a return and monitor. Unless otherwise noted, it does include youth over 18 who are in extended foster care but are not in DFPS custody.

Kinship care- a subset of substitute care that includes all children in DFPS custody who are living with a legal or blood relative or other individual who has a significant relationship with the child or the child's family known as "fictive kin."

Foster care - all children in DFPS custody living in a placement that has been verified to provide 24-hour residential care for a child, in accordance with Chapter 42 of the Human Resources Code and related regulations. These placements include foster homes, including kinship care where the caregiver has been verified, general residential operations (GRO), emergency shelters, residential treatment centers (RTC), and juvenile facilities.

Paid foster care - a subset of foster care where DFPS is making foster care payments.

Visit https://www.dfps.texas.gov/ for information on substitute care placements and all DFPS programs