Report: Texas Child Welfare and Domestic Abuse Services Riddled with Holes
The report stresses that child welfare and domestic abuse services lack resources and staffing to meet the needs of victims and families.
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According to a new analysis funded by the Criminal Justice Division of the Office of the Governor, domestic violence and child welfare agencies in Texas do not have enough resources to provide survivors with consistent housing, child care and counseling services, reports UT News. Surveys and interviews with numerous stakeholders including survivor parents, youths exposed to domestic violence and legal aid professionals revealed that although survivors identified long-term housing and child care as top needs, only 53 percent of agencies surveyed provide housing beyond emergency shelter, and only 40 percent offer onsite child care.
Disruptions to the social safety net caused by the COVID-19 pandemic also increased risk for violence for survivors, with 69 percent of domestic violence agency staffers reporting decreases in client families’ safety since the start of the pandemic. Although domestic violence and child welfare agency staff members quickly pivoted to virtual services, staffers and clients both reported limited resources and service closures due to COVID-19. Most Texas domestic violence agencies surveyed offer children’s counseling and child advocacy services, but more than half reported needing to increase counseling and advocacy capacity for youths by at least 50 percent to meet demand. The top reported needs of youths exposed to domestic violence and their survivor parents were housing, child care and counseling. Since the pandemic began, 73 percent of Texas domestic violence agencies and child welfare staffers have reported increased work stress.
