What are Citizen Review Teams?
Citizen Review Teams are volunteer-citizen panels created by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to review and evaluate casework and decision-making about services for children and families who experience child abuse or neglect. Several of these teams are designated as meeting the requirements of Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).
Citizen Review Team members are DFPS volunteers who represent a broad spectrum of their communities. The members have experience in the prevention or treatment of child abuse and neglect, are nominated locally, and approved by the DFPS Commissioner. At least two members of each team must be parents.
Citizen Review Teams meet regularly to review investigations and ongoing interventions conducted by DFPS investigators and caseworkers. They issue reports that DFPS uses to help improve services and casework practice and to provide accountability for federal funding.
The purpose of each review is to:
- Evaluate the quality of DFPS investigations and interventions.
- Help identify barriers to protecting children from abuse or neglect.
- Assess if DFPS policy and procedure is effectively meeting the Agency’s child protection responsibilities in accordance with the State plan.
- Identify staff needs in the areas of training, supervision, and program management.
- Give citizens opportunities to play an important role in ensuring that DFPS is meeting its goals of protecting children from abuse and neglect.
Currently, the Citizen Review Teams review child fatalities that met criteria for a Regional Child Death Review Committee. These meetings include reviews of:
- Prior investigations within the last three years.
- Previous Family-Based Safety Services, Conservatorship, Kinship, and/or Adoption cases within the last three years, if applicable.
- Various types of abuse and neglect allegations in cases.
- Appropriateness of service delivery.
In an effort to expand citizen input on DFPS services and to comply with federal regulations, recommendations from the Citizen Review Teams that have a statewide scope and the DFPS written response to each recommendation are included in the annual Citizen Review Team Report.
The annual Citizen Review Team Report is also part of the annual report DFPS submits to the Administration of Children and Families. The public is encouraged to read and comment on these recommendations. Send your advice and comments to DFPS by email.
For more information regarding Citizen Review Teams, recommendations made by the teams, and the DFPS responses to them, you may review the annual Citizen Review Team Reports on this website.
What about my case?
If you have questions or concerns about a specific case, please direct inquiries to your local DFPS investigator, caseworker, or supervisor. If you have case-specific questions but do not know which office to call, find a DFPS office near you by using the Contact Us section of this website.
If you think DFPS is not following agency policies, and you can't resolve the issue with your investigator, caseworker, or supervisor, contact the Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) by calling 1-800-720-7777 or by email.
What if I need to make a report of abuse or neglect?
If you need to make a report of abuse or neglect of a child, or a report of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an adult with a disability or an elderly person, you may contact the Statewide Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400 or make a report online at https://www.txabusehotline.org.