Judicial Conferences

The Children’s Commission provides high-quality trainings and conferences that promote best practices to improve outcomes outcomes for children and families and establish and maintain a well-informed judiciary. Please see below for recent and upcoming judicial conferences hosted by the Children’s Commission. For questions regarding these judicial conferences, please email CCTraining@txcourts.gov.

The 18th Annual Child Welfare Judges Conference was 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 provide 13-15 hours of Continuing Judicial Education, a minimum of 4 hours of Family Violence Credits, and ethics hours. Speakers included members of the judiciary, OCA leadership, DFPS leadership, SSCC leadership, and persons with lived experience in the child welfare system.

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.