Judge names Department of Family and Protective Services temporary managing conservator in Briscoe County child-protection case

A presiding judge at a virtual Briscoe County adversary hearing named the Department of Family and Protective Services as the temporary managing conservator of 2-month-old Carrie DeGraff and ordered parents to begin court-ordered services, the judge said during the hearing.

The finding, announced in cause number 3695, followed counsel reporting that both parents agreed to participate in services. The judge set a status hearing for Aug. 5, 2025, at 9 a.m. and warned parents that the case is generally expected to be resolved within 12 months unless an extension is warranted.

Why this matters: naming DFPS as the temporary managing conservator places primary responsibility for the child's immediate care and permanency planning with the agency while parents work on reunification steps. The judge said the department must use “reasonable efforts to reunify the family” and directed parents to begin service plans with the department’s contractors as soon as possible.

Attorneys and agency staff who identified themselves at the start of the Zoom hearing included Freddie McCluskey for the department and investigator Liz Juarez. Brooks Barfield appeared for Laina Baird (the child’s mother). Savannah Kinkade represented the child’s father, who the hearing transcript identifies as Mr. DeGraff. Bailey Sapien appeared on behalf of the child. A representative from Saint Francis, Krista Villanueva, and a CASA representative also were present. Deputy Glenn, Mr. Robison and Ms. Castillo were on the virtual line and were excused after counsel confirmed an agreement.

The judge explained the role of the court-appointed special advocate, saying “their sole job is to be looking for the child's best interest,” and urged cooperation with CASA and attorneys. The judge also instructed the parents to keep contact information current and to work directly with their new permanency specialist and caseworker from Saint Francis, whom the judge described as “an agency an agent of the department.”

On the record the judge said, “I do find that the evidence is sufficient to name the Department of Family and Protective Services as the temporary managing conservator of the child, Carrie DeGraff.” The judge reiterated timeline expectations: “You basically have 12 months from start to finish in this case. There are sometimes reasons why we might extend the case for 6 months,” and cautioned that delays by the parents in starting services would not be good cause for an extension.

The record reflects that both parents told the court they agreed to participate in services. Counsel waived the need for several professional witnesses to remain in the virtual courtroom after that agreement was confirmed. The judge told departmental counsel to release deputy and other witnesses who had appeared for the hearing.

Next steps and what was directed: the department will “go over service plans” with the parents and file those plans with the court; parents were told to sign the plans and to begin services immediately rather than waiting for the next hearing. The judge said the department should assist parents in getting providers and completing required classes. The next status hearing is Aug. 5, 2025, at 9 a.m., when the court will review progress on service plans and case status.

The hearing was conducted via Zoom and live-streamed; the judge noted there was no court reporter and said the Zoom cloud recording would be made available on request. The court thanked the parties for resolving matters in advance and closed the hearing.