Judicial Conferences

The 18th Annual Child Welfare Judges Conference was held on October 27-29, 2025. This 3-day statewide 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 district, county court-at-law, and associate judges; Child Protection Court judges; and appellate judges.

The curriculum typically provides 13-15 hours of Continuing Judicial Education, a minimum of 4 hours of Family Violence Credits, and ethics hours. Speakers include members of the judiciary, OCA leadership, DFPS leadership, SSCC leadership, and persons with lived experience in the child welfare system.

Tentative conference dates for 2026 are October 26-28, 2026, and the venue will be in Central Texas.

2025 Child Welfare Judges Conference

The Children’s Commission, in partnership with the Texas Center for the Judiciary (TCJ) hosted the 18th annual Child Welfare Judges Conference (CWJC) on October 27-29, 2025.

The full conference curriculum provided 16.25 Continuing Judicial Education hours, 1.75 ethics hours, and 8 Family Violence credit hours. Presentations included a Keynote Address from Brian Meyer, PhD, LLC, entitled “Increasing Civility in Your Courtroom: How to Make Your Courtroom Safer.” The opening day of the conference featured a Best Practices Series which covered all of the hearings in a child welfare case, from Court Ordered Services through Permanency Hearing After Final Order and Extended Jurisdiction. Additional presentations which followed were titled: 89th Legislative Session Update; OCA Update; Contempt Authority; Promoting Positive Permanency through Kinship Caregivers; Current and Practical Issues at the Intersection of Child Welfare and Education; Addressing Placement Capacity Issues; Addressing Service Array Issues; DFPS Implementation of 89th Legislative Session Changes; Applying Lessons from the Family Treatment Court Model to Address Recovery in Child Welfare Cases; Supporting Parents through Family Violence, Housing, and Employment Challenges; and Recognizing Judicial Leadership and Innovation.

Speakers included members of the judiciary, DFPS leadership, OCA leadership, SSCC leadership, and kinship caregivers and parents 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 covering154 Texas counties and 60% of all cases filed in the state.  

The 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 and 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 Continuing Educational Credit 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 on July 15-17, 2026 in Round Rock, Texas. For more information, to register, or for questions please email CCTraining@txcourrs.gov.