Texas Child Protective Services and the Health and Human Services Commission have been addressing disproportionality at the statewide level since 2005. The most recent data is directly below:
The patterns of disproportionality and disparities in Texas show the issue is complex and the problem begins at the front door. Based on FY 2018 statistics:
- African American children are 1.7 times more likely to be reported to CPS than Anglo children.
- African American children are 1.9 times more likely to be investigated.
- African American children are 1.9 times more likely to be removed.
- Hispanic children are slightly less likely than Anglo children to be reported, investigated or removed.
- Children of other ethnicities are 2.3 times are likely to be reported, equally likely to be investigated, slightly less likely to be removed compared to Anglo children.
As of FY 2018, disparities still existed for African Americans at key decision points in the CPS system, For African Americans, disparities emerged after removal. African American children who are removed were less likely to reunify and, when reunification was ruled out and they were freed for adoption, were less likely to be adopted within 12 months. However, out of exits that are not to reunification, African American children were slightly more likely to exit to relatives.
