Scholarships

Information about scholarships will be available on this webpage and also through announcements via the Children’s Commission’s Resource Letter for Judges and Attorneys. To receive notice about scholarships to future conferences and trainings, please subscribe below:

The Children's Commission regularly offers scholarships to judges and attorneys to attend state and national conferences. Scholarships typically reimburse attendees for conference registration fees, and occasionally, for travel-related expenses.

For all scholarships, the Children's Commission determines scholarship criteria and deploys an application process that includes pre- and post-conference evaluations to identify or confirm the knowledge gained from the training, new practices which awardees plan to implement, and/or a current practice which they plan to change. Surveys also inquire about additional topics of interest to help inform planning for future training.

Generally, to meet the criteria for attorney scholarships, the applicant must:

  • currently represent DFPS or currently receive appointments on a child welfare docket;
  • be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas;
  • be in good standing with their primary or appointing judge; and
  • commit to completing and timely submitting a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission, in addition to the pre-event survey portion contained in the Commission scholarship application of their choice.

To be eligible for a judicial scholarship, applicants must handle civil child welfare cases.

Preference may be given to judicial and attorney applicants who have not received scholarships from the Children’s Commission within the past two years. Other considerations include, but are not limited to, the percentage of a judge’s docket or an attorney’s law practice devoted to child welfare cases.

Attendance Policy:

Scholarship opportunities are funded by a federal grant, which is managed by the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commission. The Children's Commission is responsible for reporting attendance in support of the grant expenses. All scholarship awardees will be expected to participate in the training on the event dates and to provide detailed responses to a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission thereafter.

Please visit the sections below for more information on state and national conferences on child welfare related issues email CCScholarships@txcourts.gov.

Information on scholarships will be available on this webpage and also through announcements via the Children’s Commission’s Resource Letters for Judges and Attorneys. To receive notice about scholarships to future conferences and trainings, please sign up to receive Resource Letters from the Children’s Commission.

Judicial Scholarship Request

The Children’s Commission now offers assistance to judges who handle civil child welfare cases in Texas and need financial support in order to attend recognized trainings related to child welfare. The scholarship covers reimbursement for conference registration fees. This opportunity is designed for trainings which are not already addressed by current Commission scholarships (i.e., CPL or NCJFCJ conferences).

Trainings must demonstrably relate to improving the safety, permanency, or well-being for children and families involved with the child welfare system. The application must indicate which of the Children’s Commission’s Strategic Plan goal(s) the training aligns with (Collaboration, Systems Improvement, Legal Practice & Process, Training, and/or Data). Please note that the Children’s Commission is a state organization and thus cannot participate in or support any political or lobbying activities.

The judicial scholarship request funding is awarded for conferences within the current fiscal year (September 30, 2024 - October 1, 2025).  Applications must be submitted no later than two months before the registration deadline of the conference. The Children’s Commission staff will respond regarding the status of an application no later than two weeks after a complete application is submitted.

Applications will be reviewed and approved on an ongoing basis. Approval of applications for a judicial scholarship request is at the discretion of the Children’s Commission staff.

Funding is limited and each scholarship request is subject to availability. There is a limit of one such judicial scholarship per judge per year. Preference may be given to judges who have not received scholarships from the Children’s Commission within the past two years. Other considerations include, but are not limited to, the percentage of a judge’s docket devoted to civil child welfare cases.

Scholarship Recipients

Scholarship recipients:

  • must submit reimbursement requests for conference registration within 30 days of the date of the conference.
  • are responsible for conference registration and all necessary expenses up front in order to attend.
  • must monitor the conference host’s announcements regarding cancellation. In the event of cancellation, recipients are responsible for refund policy requirements and travel plans. Scholarship recipients must submit their reimbursement request for conference registration to the Children’s Commission staff within 30 days of the date of the conference.
  • must notify Children’s Commission staff if they become unable to attend the conference for which they received a scholarship due to an unforeseen circumstance. The Children’s Commission cannot offer reimbursement for those who incur costs and do not attend.  

Past Scholarship Opportunities

The Texas District and County Attorneys Association (TDCAA) will host the 2025 Crimes Against Children Conference on April 8-11, 2025, in Sugar Land, Texas. The Conference will feature a 12-hour CPS track over two days on April 9-10, 2025. More information about the conference is available on the TDCAA website.

The Children’s Commission is offering up to 20 registration scholarships for attorneys who currently represent the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) in child welfare cases to attend the full conference. Please read below for scholarship criteria, attendance policy, and a link to apply.

Dates and Locations: 

Crimes Against Children Conference (in-person) 
April 8-11, 2025 
Marriott Town Square
16090 City Walk
Sugar Land, Texas 77479

Scholarship Details and Criteria: 

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of waived registration fees to attend the full conference. The Children’s Commission will work with TDCAA to register scholarship recipients directly.

Applicants who meet all of the criteria detailed below will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis for a scholarship. To meet the criteria for this scholarship, the applicant must: 

  • currently represent DFPS in child welfare cases, 
  • be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas, 
  • commit to completing a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission. 

Preference may be given to attorneys who have not received scholarships from the Children’s Commission in the past year.

Attendance / Cancellation Policy: 

This event is hosted by TDCAA. This scholarship opportunity is funded by a federal grant, which is managed by the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commission.

Scholarship recipients are required to notify the Children’s Commission before March 21, 2025, if they cannot attend the conference or no longer require the registration scholarship. Cancellation  after this date may disqualify applicants from receiving a scholarship from the Commission for the next two years. Please also note that awardees who accept the scholarship and do not attend may deprive someone else of the opportunity to attend the training.

Application Link: 

Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Friday, March 7, 2025. This application is now closed.

Notification and Logistics: 

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of waived registration fees. If you are awarded a scholarship, the Children’s Commission will notify you after the application period has ended and we have verified your standing with the Bar. We hope to notify all applicants of their scholarship status no later than the week of March 10.

The Children’s Commission will work with TDCAA to register all recipients directly. Awardees do not need to register themselves for the Crimes Against Children Conference.

All scholarship recipients are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc. 

TexasBarCLE and the Child Protection Law Section of the State Bar of Texas will host the 7th Annual Advanced Child Protection Law Course (Advanced Course) in Georgetown on March 6-7, 2025. TexasBarCLE will also offer a 3-hour Child Protection Law 101 Course (101 Course) as a pre-conference training, on the morning of March 6th. Both the 101 Course and the Advanced Course will also be offered via webcast replay. For more information on both courses, please see the current course brochure.

The Children’s Commission is offering separate registration scholarships for attorneys to attend the live events or webcast replays. Please read below for scholarship criteria, attendance policy, and a link to apply.

Dates and Locations:

Advanced Child Protection Law Course:

  • LIVE Advanced Course (in-person)
    March 6-7, 2025
    Sheraton Austin Georgetown Hotel and Conference Center
    1101 Woodlawn Avenue
    Georgetown, TX 78628

  • Webcast Replay (virtual)
    April 10-11, 2025

Child Protection Law 101 Course (pre-conference):

  • LIVE 101 Course (in-person)
    March 6, 2025
    Sheraton Austin Georgetown Hotel and Conference Center
    1101 Woodlawn Avenue
    Georgetown, TX 78628

  • Webcast Replay (virtual)
    April 10, 2025

Scholarship Details and Criteria:

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of waived registration fees to attend the live course(s) in Georgetown or the virtual webcast replay(s). The Children’s Commission will work with the State Bar of Texas to register scholarship awardees directly for the 101 Course and the Advanced Course.

Applicants who meet all of the criteria detailed below will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis for either scholarship. To meet the criteria, the applicant must:

  • be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas, and
  • commit to completing a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission.
  • Additionally, for the 101 Course, attorney applicants must be new to the practice of child welfare law, with no more than 5 years of experience.

Preference will be given to applicants who currently represent DFPS or take court appointments on the child welfare docket. Additionally, preference may be given to attorneys who have not received scholarships from the Children’s Commission within the last year. If any scholarships remain after scholarships to all qualified applicants actively representing parties on a child welfare docket have been awarded, remaining scholarships may be awarded to attorney applicants with other substantial involvement in the practice area of child welfare law.

For the purposes of this scholarship, other substantial involvement in the practice of child welfare law includes, but is not limited to, attorneys serving as general counsel or providing other legal services for a SSCC; attorneys serving as appellate, policy, or training attorneys for DFPS or CASA; attorneys at organizations which provide services to individuals involved with the child welfare system and/or to young adults who experienced the child welfare system; attorneys who provide legal education and resources to attorneys practicing child welfare law; and attorneys who mediate child welfare cases.

Judges with applicants from their jurisdiction will be notified by the Children’s Commission and asked to confirm that the applicant currently represents DFPS or takes appointments on their child welfare docket.

Attendance Policy:

These events are hosted by the State Bar of Texas. This scholarship opportunity is funded by a federal grant, which is managed by the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commission. The Children's Commission is responsible for reporting attendance in support of the grant expenses.

Applicants to virtual trainings will be asked to verify their commitment to participate in the training in a timely manner to the Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Commission. If awarded a scholarship, awardees will be asked to verify their attendance to virtual events.

Scholarship recipients to virtual trainings are required to participate and submit a completed post-event survey within 30 days of the event, regardless of any extended access to the training.

All awardees are required to notify the Children’s Commission in writing and in advance if they can no longer participate or if they no longer need the registration scholarship. Please note that awardees who accept the scholarship and do not attend may deprive someone else of the opportunity to attend the training and may also disqualify the awardee from receiving a Commission scholarship in the future.

Application Link:

Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 30, 2025. 

This application is now closed.

Notification and Logistics:

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of waived registration fees. If you are awarded a scholarship, the Children’s Commission will notify you after the scholarship application period has ended and we have verified your standing with the Bar and your eligibility with your primary judge. We hope to notify all applicants of their scholarship status no later than the week of February 6.

Please note, the hotel room block ends on February 12: Sheraton Austin Georgetown Hotel and Conference Center.

The Children’s Commission will work with the State Bar to register all awardees directly. Awardees do not need to register themselves for the 101 Course or the Advanced Course. Please note that the Children’s Commission is not able to reimburse attorneys who pay the State Bar of Texas for the courses.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc.

The NCJFCJ 88th Annual Conference will be held on July 20-23, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. This conference generally features plenary sessions on family law, juvenile justice, child welfare, and family violence. More information about the conference is available on the NCJFCJ website.

The Children’s Commission is offering up to 15 scholarships to qualifying Texas judges to attend the in-person 88th Annual Conference or the 2025 National Conference on Juvenile Justice Conference. Please note, this is a reimbursement scholarship and confirmed awardees will be required to cover their expenses up front in order to attend. Please read below for scholarship criteria, logistics, and a link to apply.

Scholarship Criteria:

To be eligible for a scholarship from the Children’s Commission, applicants must handle civil child welfare cases. Preference is given to judges who have larger percentages of their docket dedicated to child welfare cases. Additionally, all applicants must agree to complete a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission. Early applications are strongly encouraged due to the limited number of scholarships. 

This scholarship takes the form of reimbursed registration fees and allowable conference-related expenses, such as travel, lodging, and meals, up to $2,000 total. Any additional expenses must be covered by the scholarship recipient.

Scholarship Notification and Travel Logistics:

If you are awarded a scholarship, the Children’s Commission will notify you by January 7, 2025. Awardees will need to register themselves for the conference and make their own travel arrangements, including hotel reservations. Confirmed scholarship awardees may submit for reimbursement of eligible expenses upon return. For information regarding eligible travel expenses, please review the Commission’s travel reimbursement guidelines.

Please also note the following important dates:

  • The early bird registration rate ends on June 6, 2025, and
  • NCJFCJ’s final date to cancel registration is June 30, 2025 with a $100 fee.

Scholarship awardees will be responsible for monitoring the NCJFCJ’s cancellation policies and cancelling their own registration and travel plans in a timely manner, should they become unable to attend. The Children’s Commission cannot offer reimbursement for those who incur costs and do not attend. More information on NCJFCJ’s cancellation policies is available under their registration webpage.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc.

For questions regarding this scholarship, please contact the Children's Commission at CCscholarships@txcourts.gov.

Application Link and Deadline to Apply:

Applications will be accepted until midnight on Friday, January 3, 2025.

This application is now closed.

The NCJFCJ will host the 2025 National Conference on Juvenile Justice on March 16-19, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. The conference features plenary and breakout sessions on juvenile justice, trafficking, child welfare, highlighting court best practices, innovative solutions, and self-care. More information is available on the NCJFCJ website.

The Children’s Commission is offering up to 15 scholarships to qualifying Texas judges to attend the in-person 2025 National Conference on Juvenile Justice or the 88th Annual Conference. Please note, this is a reimbursement scholarship and confirmed awardees will be required to cover their expenses up front in order to attend. Please read below for scholarship criteria, logistics, and a link to apply.

Scholarship Criteria:

To be eligible for a scholarship from the Children’s Commission, applicants must handle civil child welfare cases. Preference is given to judges who have larger percentages of their docket dedicated to child welfare cases. Additionally, all applicants must agree to complete a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission. Early applications are strongly encouraged due to the limited number of scholarships. 

This scholarship takes the form of reimbursed registration fees and allowable conference-related expenses, such as travel, lodging, and meals, up to $2,000 total. Any additional expenses must be covered by the scholarship recipient.

Scholarship Notification and Travel Logistics:

If you are awarded a scholarship, the Children’s Commission will notify you by January 7, 2025. Awardees will need to register themselves for the conference and make their own travel arrangements, including hotel reservations. Confirmed scholarship awardees may submit for reimbursement of eligible expenses upon return. For information regarding eligible travel expenses, please review the Commission’s travel reimbursement guidelines.

Please also note the following important dates:

  • The early bird registration rate ends on February 7, 2025, and
  • NCJFCJ’s final date to cancel registration is March 3, 2025 with a $100 fee.

Scholarship awardees will be responsible for monitoring the NCJFCJ’s cancellation policies and cancelling their own registration and travel plans in a timely manner, should they become unable to attend. The Children’s Commission cannot offer reimbursement for those who incur costs and do not attend. More information on NCJFCJ’s cancellation policies is available under their registration webpage.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc.

For questions regarding this scholarship, please contact the Children's Commission at CCscholarships@txcourts.gov.

Application Link and Deadline to Apply:

Applications will be accepted until midnight on Friday, January 3, 2025.

This application is now closed.

The State Bar of Texas, in collaboration with the Appellate Section of the State Bar, will host a Civil Appellate Practice 101 course in Austin on September 4, 2024, and via Webcast Replay on October 9, 2024. For more information, please see page 2 of the current course brochure.

The Children’s Commission is offering a limited number of registration reimbursement scholarships for attorneys to attend either the live one-day training or webcast replay. Please read below for scholarship criteria, attendance policy, and a link to apply.

Dates and Locations: 

  • Live One-Day Training 
    September 4, 2024 
    Austin Marriott Downtown  
    304 E. Cesar Chavez St. 
    Austin, TX 78701

  • Webcast Replay (virtual) 
    October 9, 2024 

Scholarship Details and Criteria: 

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of reimbursed registration fees to attend the live in-person training or virtual webcast replay. Applicants who meet all of the criteria detailed below will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis for the reimbursement scholarship. To meet the criteria, the applicant must: 

  • currently represent the Department of Family and Protective Services or take court appointments on a child welfare docket, 
  • express an interest in handling child welfare appeals,
  • be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas and with their primary or appointing judge, and
  • agree to completing a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission, if awarded a scholarship. 

In addition, preference may be given to attorneys who have not received scholarships from the Children’s Commission in the past 2 years.

Attendance Policy: 

This event is hosted by the State Bar of Texas. This scholarship opportunity is funded by a federal grant, which is managed by the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commission. The Children's Commission is responsible for reporting attendance in support of the grant expenses.

Applicants will be asked to verify their commitment to participate in the training in a timely manner to the Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Commission. If awarded a scholarship, awardees will be asked to verify their attendance. 

Scholarship recipients are required to participate and submit a completed post-event survey within 30 days of the event. 

All awardees are required to notify the Children’s Commission in writing and in advance if they can no longer participate or if they no longer need the registration scholarship. Please note that awardees who accept the scholarship and do not attend may deprive someone else of the opportunity to attend the training and may also disqualify the awardee from receiving a Commission scholarship in the future.

Application Link: 

Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. To apply, click the button below.

This application is closed. 

Notification and Logistics: 

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of reimbursed registration fees. If you are awarded a scholarship, the Children’s Commission will notify you after the scholarship application period has ended and we have verified your standing with the Bar. We hope to notify all applicants of their scholarship status no later than the week of August 19.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc. 

TexasBarCLE will host the 2024 Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) one-day Workshop during the Annual State Bar of Texas Advanced Family Law Course in San Antonio, TX. This one-day training covers current topics of interest to Texas attorneys who practice child welfare law. More information is available on the TexasBarCLE website.

The Children’s Commission will provide up to 100 registration scholarships to attorneys to attend the 2024 Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) Workshop on one of the dates and locations listed below. Please read below for details about scholarships to attend the CAN Workshop, criteria for applicants, logistics, and a link to apply.

Dates and Locations:

The one-day live CAN Workshop will be held on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, as an in-person event in San Antonio, Texas, and as in-person video replays held on September 13, 2024, in Dallas, Texas and on October 25, 2024, in South Padre Island, Texas.  Individuals who prefer to access the course remotely may attend one of two video replays on September 26, and October 10, 2024. More information about the course is available on the current CAN Workshop Brochure.

Live CAN One-Day Workshop
August 7, 2024
Marriott Rivercenter 
101 Bowie Street 
San Antonio, TX 78205 

Webcast Replay (virtual option) 
September 13, 2024
October 10, 2024

Video Replays:

September 13, 2024 
Courtyard Dallas Carrollton Conference Center
1201 Raiford Rd.
Carrollton, TX 75007

October 25, 2024
Hilton Garden Inn
7010 Padre Blvd.
South Padre Island, TX

Scholarship Details and Criteria:

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of waived registration fees ($125) to attend one of the CAN Workshop dates listed above. The scholarship covers registration for the CAN Workshop only and not the full Advanced Family Law Course. The Children’s Commission is not able to reimburse attorneys who pay the State Bar of Texas directly for registration to attend the one-day CAN Workshop.

Preference may be given to attorneys who have not received scholarships from the Children’s Commission within the past 2 years, and applicants who meet all the criteria detailed below will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis for a scholarship. To meet the criteria for this scholarship, the applicant must:

  • currently represent DFPS or currently receive court appointments on a child welfare docket,
  • be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas,
  • receive support from their primary or appointing judge (to be requested by the Children’s Commission), and
  • commit to completing a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission.

Judges with applicants from their jurisdiction will be notified by the Children’s Commission and asked to confirm that the applicant currently represents DFPS or currently receives appointments on their child welfare docket.

Attendance Policy:

This event is hosted by the State Bar of Texas. This scholarship opportunity is funded by a federal grant, which is managed by the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commission. The Children's Commission is responsible for reporting attendance in support of the grant expenses. All scholarship recipients will be expected of the following:

  • Participate in the training on the event date they selected in their application.
  • Complete a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission thereafter.
  • Scholarship recipients attending virtual webcast replay courses will be asked to verify completion of the training within 30 days of the event.
  • Awardees are required to notify the Children’s Commission in writing and in advance if they can no longer participate in their selected training or if they no longer need the registration scholarship. Please note that failure to attend the training may disqualify the awardee from receiving a Commission scholarship in the future.

Application Link and Deadline to Apply:

Applications will be accepted until midnight on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.

This application is now closed.

Scholarship Notification and Logistics:

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of waived registration fees. The Children’s Commission will notify scholarship recipients after the application period has ended and upon verification of eligibility. We hope to notify all applicants of their scholarship status no later than June 28, 2024.

The Children’s Commission will work with the State Bar to register all awardees directly. Awardees do not need to register themselves for the CAN Workshop date selected in their application. The registration scholarship will cover registration for the CAN Workshop only and not the full Advanced Family Law Course. Please note that the Children’s Commission is not able to reimburse attorneys who pay the State Bar of Texas directly for registration to attend the CAN Workshop.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc.

State Board Certification Reimbursement

For more information, please visit the Commission's Texas Board of Specialization webpage.