When a child in Texas is a victim of abuse or neglect by his or her own parents, then the child is often taken away from the parents and placed into the care of Child Protective Services. But what exactly happens to the children once they are with Child Protective Services in the state of Texas?
The Denton Record Chronicle reports that Denton's Cumberland Presbyterian Children's Home is just one organization that opens itself up to the children. This residential care program provides housing, 24-hour supervision, counseling services, and medical/dental care for the children.
Child abuse and neglect have been ongoing problems in Texas, but its effects have only escalated with the weak economy. Texas family law attorneys say that child abuse in the home often breaks up a family; and is sometimes in connection with other family law issues like child custody. Parents who have been proven to be perpetrators of child abuse will often lose a child custody case in court.
In Denton County, Child Protective Services completed 2,755 investigations of child abuse or neglect in the year 2009. This is considered a large increase as the agency completed only 2,156 investigations in 2006. Over the past three years, reports of child abuse have increased by almost 15,000 in the North Texas. Marissa Gonzales, a public information officer for the Department of Family and Protective Services told the Denton Record Chronicle that about 60 percent of the child abuse cases deal with the issue of neglect.
Yet, even with a dwindling amount of resources, organizations like the Cumberland Presbyterian Children's Home still try to do everything possible to help the children who have experienced child abuse and neglect.
Cynthia Beard, a volunteer and mentor at Cumberland told Denton Record Chronicle, "All children deserve the opportunity to grow up in a nurturing, stable environment that prepares them for responsible adulthood. If there were more places like CPCH, we'd be a lot closer to meeting the needs of our nation's children."
Related Resources:
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Child Abuse Laws State-by-State (FindLaw)
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Find Texas Family Law Attorneys (FindLaw)
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