Denton County proclaims April Child Abuse Prevention Month; local agencies urge volunteer support

Denton County Commissioners Court on April 15 proclaimed April 2025 as Child Abuse Prevention Month and heard presentations from local child-welfare agencies about rising caseloads and volunteer needs.

The proclamation, read in open court by Judge Eads, noted that in 2024 Denton County Child Protective Services (CPS) received 8,104 reports of child abuse and that 5,600 of those reports were assigned to caseworkers. The court moved and seconded the proclamation and approved it unanimously.

Court officials and nonprofit leaders described the local system that responds to child abuse and neglect, and emphasized volunteer recruitment and donations. Ruthie Cherry of Community Our Kids said 87% of staff who previously worked for the state joined their nonprofit after a conservatorship contract transfer, and that 90% of that staff remains with the organization. Cherry said Community Our Kids places about half of children in care with family members and has worked to keep foster care short-term when possible.

Karen Lowry, program director for Child Protective Investigation, said her team is the frontline that responds when hotline reports come in and described the emotional toll and unpredictability of investigations. Lauren Romero, a Denton County employee who serves on the board of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Denton County, said CASA volunteers provided more than 20,000 hours of advocacy last year and supported 577 children; she urged the court and the public to help recruit volunteers through CASA’s Project 100 campaign.

Representatives from Community Partners of Denton County and Cumberland Youth and Family Services described material needs and services: John Peery, president of Community Partners, said emergency supplies such as beds are in short supply as intakes increase; Courtney Banatoski, CEO of Cumberland, said the nonprofit provided 18,000 days of care last year and more than 2,000 hours of trauma‑informed counseling.

Joan Parks Saunders, representing the CPS Board, and Roshan Ivory of Family Based Safety Services (FBSS) also addressed the court and thanked the commissioners for county support. Commissioner Edmondson and Commissioner Mitchell both urged citizens to volunteer and share information about opportunities; Edmondson specifically said he would promote CASA’s 100‑volunteer recruitment campaign in his newsletter.

The proclamation text read in court summarized the county’s 2024 CPS statistics (reports, assignments, custody placements and average children in protective custody) and called on citizens, community organizations and agencies — including the Denton County CPS Board, Community Partners of Denton County, Cumberland Youth and Family Services, CASA of Denton County and the Children’s Advocacy Center of North Texas — to increase participation in prevention and support efforts.

Members of the court voted unanimously to adopt the proclamation. The court said it will publish agency profiles on county social media and newsletters to publicize volunteer and donation opportunities.

The court’s action was procedural (a proclamation) and did not change county policy or funding during the meeting; presenters and commissioners asked for community support and volunteer recruitment rather than asking the court for additional county appropriations at this session.

The presentations occurred during the court’s “resolutions, awards and presentations” portion of the agenda and were followed by separate proclamations and business items on the agenda.