Bexar County has a wealth of community resources," Martinez said. "As a community, we need to be checking on our family, our children, our neighbors. Martinez said people shouldn't solely rely on the state to address these trends though. The Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services reports that new removals of children are at an all-time low. "We're not having as many kids coming into the system to receive services from the department," said Allison Martinez, VP of Programs for CASA. "CPS nearly has to witness the situations in front of them in order to remove children from their parents," Sakai said.Ĭhild Advocates San Antonio, or CASA, has also noticed the trend. He said some of the new laws over the last few years could be leaving more kids in unsafe situations. "It's made it harder for CPS to remove children."īefore he was Bexar County Judge, Sakai spent more than two decades hearing cases in children's court. I have seen, over the past two or three legislative sessions, laws that have really restricted Child Protective Services," said Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai. The goal was to keep more families intact–but some advocates fear that's having an impact on safety. Then, a 7-month-old boy died after he was left in a tub unattended by his parents with the water running.Īdvocates say recent changes in state law may actually be making it harder to protect the children who need it most.Ī Texas law passed in 2021 requires more proof for Child Protective Services to remove kids from their homes. Sources say investigators with Child Protective Services have had involvement with the family since 2020 but no legal action was taken. Amanda Mann, 31, and Dustin Michael Lawrence, 30, are accused of abandoning their burned baby at the hospital and injecting the baby with methamphetamine for the pain.
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