Judicial Conferences

The 18th Annual Child Welfare Judges Conference will be held on October 27-29, 2025. This conference is hosted by the Children’s Commission in partnership with the Texas Center for the Judiciary. Designed for judges who devote a minimum of 15% of their docket to hearing civil child welfare cases, this conference attracts judges from across the state who handle child welfare cases, including Child Protection Court judges; district, county court-at-law, and associate judges; and appellate judges. The curriculum is expected to provide approximately 13-15 hours of Continuing Judicial Education, a minimum of 4 hours of Family Violence Credits, and ethics hours. Speakers will include members of the judiciary, OCA leadership, DFPS leadership, SSCC leadership, and persons with lived experience in the child welfare system.

Conference registration is now open. Please visit the Texas Center for the Judiciary website to register. 

2024 Child Welfare Judges Conference

The Children’s Commission, in partnership with the Texas Center for the Judiciary (TCJ) hosted the 17th annual Child Welfare Judges Conference (CWJC) on October 21-23, 2024. A pre-conference training hosted by the Office of Court Administration was held on the opening day of the conference for Child Protection Court Judges and Child Protection Court Coordinators, and was followed by the full conference. Registration was limited to judges who handle civil child welfare cases.  

The full conference curriculum provided 14 Continuing Judicial Education hours, 2.0 ethics hours, and 9 Family Violence hours. Presentations included a Keynote Address from Vivek Sankaran, Clinical Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School; Director, Child Advocacy Law Clinic and Child Welfare Appellate Clinic, entitled “Improving the Child Welfare System One Family at a Time:  Research-Based Strategies to Strengthen Judicial Practice. Presentations which followed were titled: How to Attract and Keep High Quality Legal Representation on Your Court Appointment Wheel; The Importance of Engaging Fathers in Child Welfare Cases; Office of Court Administration Update; Dealing with Death, Grief, and Loss on the Bench; The Science of Resiliency; The REALLY Panel:  Redefining Engagement, Advocacy, and Listening to Lived Experience Youth; The Future of Foster Care in Texas: Texas Child-Centered Care (T3C) System; DFPS Leadership and Statewide Data Updates; Community Based Care Panel; Housing Options, Challenges, and Solutions for Transition Age Youth and Young Adults; IV-E Meets IV-D: Child Support Matters in Child Welfare Cases; and Recognizing Judicial Leadership and Innovation. Speakers included members of the judiciary, DFPS leadership, OCA leadership, SSCC leadership, and youth with lived experience in the child welfare system. Additionally, Regional Breakouts were convened with DFPS and Single Source Continuum Contractors (SSCC) staff, including RDIs, CPS RDs, RSIs, and SSCC representatives from regions in Community-Based Care.

Child Protection Courts, also known as CPCs, were created to specialize in managing child abuse and neglect dockets. Like the child support court associate judges, these associate judges are appointed by their regional presiding judges and are OCA employees. CPC judges hear child welfare cases exclusively. The goal for CPC dockets is to help children and families achieve safety, permanency, and well-being in a timely manner. The Children’s Commission provides funding for the Child Protection Court Management System (CPCMS), as well as training and other support for CPC judges and court coordinators to conduct hearings and manage cases. There are currently 30 CPCs and these courts hear child welfare cases in 148 Texas counties.

The biennial Child Protection Court Convening is held in partnership with the Office of Court Administration. The 2025 Child Protection Court Convening was held virtually on July 18, 2025. This year’s conference included five plenary presentations for the judges and court coordinators, as well as two breakout sessions for each audience, one of which was a moderated discussion of current issues. Panel presentations included legislative updates, data and reporting requirements, best practices for courtroom management, and issues specific to rural jurisdictions. The curriculum provided Continuing Judicial Education, TBLS, and ethics hours as well as CLE hours for court coordinators. Speakers included members of the judiciary, TIDC staff, and OCA staff.

The next Child Protection Court Convening will be in person during July 2026. Dates and venue are in the process of being determined. Please return to this page for updates.