Services
Investigations
Special investigators handle or assist in investigations of abuse and neglect in situations when law enforcement experience is crucial or when their skill set is more appropriate than that of a CPS investigator. This includes:
- Conducting all child death investigations where there are no surviving children.
- Conducting all investigations of abuse and neglect involving school personnel.
- Handling cases involving law enforcement.
- Working with the Texas Department of Public Safety to place a missing family on the Child Safety Check Alert List.
- Assisting CPS investigators in their investigations as needed.
Missing Children
Special investigators play a large role in locating and recovering children that have gone missing from foster care or other forms of DFPS conservatorship (legal custody). They are liaisons in missing children cases to the National Crime Information Center and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and they provide recovery interviews and services and assist with the Governor’s human trafficking initiatives. Special investigators work closely with the DFPS Human Trafficking Team to develop tools to help in investigations involving missing children and victims of sex or labor trafficking.