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TPPF, Coalition Makes 9 Recommendations for Families During COVID-19 to Texas DFPS

    A group of more than one dozen family rights activists submitted a letter to the commissioner of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services with nine recommendations for protecting the rights of parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic.  These are summarised below:

    1. Expedite reunifications of families
    2. Consider either suspending all new investigations with the exception of Priority I reports
    3. Maintain in-person visitation to the maximum extent possible
    4. Suspend the use of safety plans and Parental Child Safety Placements for all non-immediate or non-serious threats to a child’s safety
    5. Prevent removals for failure to comply with the terms of any safety or service plan
    6. Suspend or alter service plan requirements that expose parents to a significant risk of exposure to COVID-19
    7. Suspend drug-testing requirements
    8. Prohibit caseworkers from marking parents’ progress as “unsatisfactory” or “noncompliant” with service plan terms due to pandemic-related barriers.
    9. In the event a foster placement disrupts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritize reunification of the child with their parents

    Read more here