Acknowledgments

This revised edition of the Texas Child Welfare Law Bench Book (Bench Book) includes additions of and revisions to important topics such as Reasonable Efforts. The 2023 edition is organized into the following sections: Statutory, Legal Essentials, Federal, Health, Well-being, Safety, System Issues, and Family Connections.

This project is supported by the Court Improvement Program grant, awarded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families to the Supreme Court of Texas Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families (Children's Commission). The information in this publication has been developed by the Bench Book Advisory Committee and the staff of the Children's Commission. Any resource materials or other written contributions provided by the Children's Commission should not be read as an advisory issued by the Supreme Court of Texas or any other court. Contributions to this Bench Book are not rulings on specific cases or legal issues but are solely intended to address the improvement of the law, the legal system, and the administration of justice related to child welfare cases.

Children's Commission Staff:

Jessica Arguijo, Communications Manager

Jamie Bernstein, Executive Director

Renée Castillo-De La Cruz, Staff Attorney

Aimee Corbin, Staff Attorney

Tiffany Edwards, Executive Assistant

Chelsea Martinez, Program Specialist

Dylan Moench, Director of Legal Representation

Patrick Passmore, Finance Manager

Milbrey Raney, Assistant Director

Willette Sedwick, Accountant

Andrea Vicencio, Program Specialist

The Honorable Robert Hofmann, Senior Jurist in Residence

The Honorable Piper McCraw, Jurist in Residence