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Council urged to prioritize family‑protection representation as caseloads, lawyer shortages strain county systems
Summary
TIDC and council staff highlighted gaps in legal representation for children and parents in CPS cases, new fee schedule and attorney‑choice laws, and uneven pay and capacity that leave rural counties vulnerable.
Council members heard a detailed presentation on family protection representation—court‑appointed attorneys in child‑protection cases—highlighting caseload size, workforce trends, and two new state laws that will affect local practice.
Crystal Lafpione, director of family protection representation at the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, told the council that Department of Family and Protective Services statistics show just over 28,000 children in conservatorship last fiscal year and roughly 61,000 children involved in DFPS‑related cases when family…
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