Resource Letter for Judges & Attorneys

The Children’s Commission publishes a Resource Letter to inform legal practitioners of training and scholarship opportunities and to relay pertinent child welfare-related information about emerging, relevant, and changing policy, laws, practice, and training opportunities. The Resource Letter is shared via email distribution on a near-weekly basis and posted below.

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Most Recent Letters

2025

11/25/2025: Now Available: Building and Supporting Adoptive Families Webinar
11/20/25: 2025 Texas Child Welfare Bench Book Now Available
11/18/2025: Texas Foster Youth to Independence Program
11/4/2025: Reminder: Upcoming Webinar; TIDC Survey Extension

Jurist in Residence: Letter for Judges

2025

11/25/2025: Now Available: Building and Supporting Adoptive Families Webinar
11/20/25: 2025 Texas Child Welfare Bench Book Now Available
11/18/2025: Texas Foster Youth to Independence Program
11/12/2025: Reminder: Deadline for NCJFCJ Juvenile Justice Scholarship
11/4/2025: Reminder: Upcoming Webinar; TIDC Survey Extension
10/30/2025: Domestic Violence Awareness Month
10/24/2025: Jurist in Residence Letter: Judicial Scholarship Opportunity: 2026 NCJFCJ Juvenile Justice Conference
10/24/2025: Upcoming Webinar: Building and Supporting Adoptive Families
10/9/2025: ICYMI, Recent Webinar; New Podcast Episodes
10/7/2025: Upcoming TIDC Reporting Deadlines
10/1/2025: Reminder: Pre-petition Legal Representation Survey
9/24/2025: September is Kinship Care Month
9/8/2025: Upcoming Webinar: Ties that Bind- Supporting Kinship Care
9/2/2025: Pre-petition Legal Representation Survey
8/28/2025: Educational Resources for the 2025-2026 School Year
8/7/2025: Now Available: Texas 89th Regular Session Update
8/6/2025: We are Hiring: New Juvenile Justice Attorney Position
7/30/2025: Attorney Scholarships to TexasBarCLE's Civil Appellate Practice 101
7/29/2025, Jurist in Residence Letter: Registration Now Open for the 2025 CWJC
7/24/2025: Upcoming Webinar: Trial Skills for Child Welfare Cases: Jury Trial Basics
7/7/2025: Children's Commission Webcast: Texas 89th Regular Legislative Session Update
6/25/2025: Reminder: Scholarship Deadline to attend TexasBarCLE Child Abuse and Neglect Workshop
6/20/2025: June is Reunification Month
6/12/2025: Attorney Scholarships for TexasBarCLE's Child Abuse and Neglect Workshop
6/11/2025: Now Available: Representing Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Webinar Replay
5/28/2025: Introducing the Children's Commission Conversations Podcast
5/23/2025: National Foster Care Month
5/16/2025: Upcoming Webinar: Supporting Reunification in Child Welfare Cases
5/15/2025: We are Hiring: Attorney Position at the Children's Commission
5/9/2025: Upcoming Webinar: Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Child Welfare Cases
5/2/2025: Family Help Link
4/29/2025: Reminder: Fall 2025 Trial Skills Training Contested Hearing Practices Course Application Deadline
4/10/2025: Child Abuse Prevention Month
4/8/2025: Fall 2025 Trial Skills Training
4/4/2025: March and April Webinars
3/6/2025: ICYMI and Upcoming Webinar Reminder
2/27/2025: New Legal Training Opportunity
2/21/2025: Reminder, Upcoming Webinar: Court Interpreters; CBC 101
2/18/2025: Scholarships to 2025 TDCAA Conference
2/13/2025, Jurist in Residence Letter: Save the Date: 2025 CWJC; New Scholarship Offering
1/16/2025: Scholarships to TexasBarCLE Child Protection Law 101 and Advanced Course
1/15/2025: Upcoming Webinars: Court Interpreters; Non-party Mediations
1/9/2025: January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month

2024

12/30/2024: Child Welfare Training and Resources
12/13/2024, Jurist in Residence Letter: Judicial Scholarships to 2025 NCJFCJ Conferences
12/10/2024: Now Available: Preserving the Record for Appeal Webinar
12/5/2024: 2024 Texas Child Welfare Law Bench Book Now Available
11/18/2024: November is National Adoption Month
10/31/2024: Domestic Violence Awareness and Related Webinar Now Available
10/10/2024: Upcoming Webinar: Trial Skills for Child Welfare Cases: Preserving the Record for Appeal
10/3/2024: TIDC Family Protection Representation Appointments Reporting Deadline is October 15, 2024
9/20/2024: We are hiring: Attorney Position Open at the Children's Commission
9/19/2024: Upcoming DV Webinar; New TIDC Website and Reporting Requirements
9/11/2024: ICMYI, Upcoming and Recent Webinars
9/5/2024, Jurist in Residence Letter: Special Immigrant Juvenile Classification and Adoption of Foreign-Born Children: An Overview for State Court Judges
8/29/2024: Educational Resources for the 2024-2025 School Year
8/27/2024: Now Available: 2024 Tool Kit for Attorneys Representing the DFPS in Child Welfare Cases
8/14/2024: Webinar: Supporting School Aged Children in Care
8/1/2024: Scholarship Announcement: Civil Appellate Practice 101 Course
7/26/2024, Jurist in Residence Letter: Registration Now Open: 2024 Child Welfare Judges Conference
7/18/2024: Webinars: Mediation in Child Welfare; Handling Your First Child Welfare Appeal
7/12/2024: Youth SIM Mapping; Call for Family Representation Mentorship Program Applications
6/18/2024: Upcoming Webinar: Understanding the Federal Intersection with Key Texas Child Welfare Laws; Family Protection Representation Mentorship Announcement from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission
6/12/2024, Jurist in Residence Letter: Identifying Child Sexual Exploitation: A Judicial Discussion
6/10/2024: June is Reunification Month
6/7/2024: Scholarship Opportunities for Child Welfare Judges and Attorneys to Summer Conferences
5/23/2024: Parent, Youth, and Young Adult Surveys from the Statewide Behavioral Health Coordinating Council
5/16/2024: Upcoming Webinar: Taking Your First Child Welfare Appeal
5/9/2024: May is National Foster Care Month
5/3/2024: Now Available: Representing Older Youth in Care Replay and Materials
4/23/2024: Upcoming Webinar: Mandamus in Child Welfare Cases
4/18/2024: Now Available: 2024 Tool Kit for Attorneys Representing Parents and Children in Child Welfare Cases
4/16/2024: Upcoming Webinar: Taking Your First Child Welfare Appeal
4/12/2024: New Online Report on Trauma-Informed Courts Project
4/11/2024: April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
4/10/2024: Trial Skills Contested Hearing Practices Deadline; Upcoming Webinar - Representing Older Youth in Care
4/3/2024: Attorney Scholarships to TexasBarCLE's Handling Youth First (or Next) Civil Appeal Webcast Replay
3/28/2024: Upcoming Children's Commission Webinar: Representing Older Youth in Care
3/26/2024: Trial Skills Training Opportunity: Fall 2024 Contested Hearing Practices Pilot
3/12/2024, Jurist in Residence Letter: Save the Date: 2024 Child Welfare Judges Conference
2/29/2024: Upcoming Webinar and ICYMI
2/14/2024: February is Youth Leadership Month
2/9/2024: Attorney Scholarship to TexasBarCLE's 101 and Advanced Child Protection Law Course
2/9/2024: New Video Series for Child Welfare Attorney Outreach
2/1/2024: Rescheduled: Navigating the Transition from Trial to Appellate Counsel
1/10/2024: Reminder, Upcoming Webinar: Navigating the Transition from Trial to Appellate Counsel
1/9/2024: Reminder: Scholarship Deadline to Attend the ABA Conferences
1/5/2024: January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month

Resource Letter for Judges & Attorneys

2025

2024

2023