As directed by the 87th Legislature, the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) recently released a report on the number of children removed from their homes and the number of children investigated, by race and ethnicity. DFPS conducted the analysis using data from Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Hidalgo, Travis and El Paso Counties.
The statewide results appear identical to the previous fiscal year. At the state level, there was a higher proportion of African American children at all the different stages of DFPS involvement than the proportion of African American children in the statewide population. African American children were 1.7 times more likely to be reported, 1.9 times more likely to be investigated, and 1.5 times more likely to be removed than Anglo children.
For the purposes of this report, children whose race or ethnicity is unknown is categorized as “other” races/ethnicities. Children of “other” races/ethnicities were 2.2 times more likely to be reported to Statewide Intake but had a similar likelihood of being investigated or removed as Anglo children. Hispanic children had similar outcomes to Anglo children for each decision point.
The Rider 33 Report can be found on the DFPS website to view county-specific trends in child removals and investigations.