TEXAS LAWYERS FOR CHILDREN

Texas Lawyers for Children ("TLC"), the Child Protection Connection for Texas, protects abused and neglected children from being harmed in foster care by advocating for these children and by providing training and resources to support the legal community in their efforts to put children on a path to heal their trauma and keep them safe. By assisting over 3,800 Texas judges and attorneys, who make life-changing decisions for over 100,000 abused and neglected children, TLC makes far-reaching, statewide positive change for kids. 

A federal judge has determined that kids in the Texas foster care system often leave "more damaged" than when they entered. Former foster youth and attorneys who serve children currently in foster care agree that these children need well-trained advocates to keep them safe, not just physically safe, but also safe from being:

--abused or neglected while in foster care

--misdiagnosed with a mental illness they don't have

--prescribed harmful psychotropic medications they don't need and that make them feel worse

--kicked from foster home to foster home

--kept in a lockdown psychiatric facility because there isn't a foster home available. 

Without effective advocacy, life outcomes for foster children can be abysmal, as many leave the system only to be trafficked, homeless, arrested, or dead. 

While there are a lot of non-profit organizations that make a big difference in many lives, TLC is unique because we can make a big difference in tens of thousands of lives - the lives of the most vulnerable Texas children. TLC targets where we can have the greatest impact - the legal system, where the most important decisions about an abused child's life are made. If we impact one judge, that judge will likely have 1,000 children on his or her docket. If we provide one training where 500 judges and attorneys learn about a new way to prevent harm and provide healing for a child, we can impact the lives of 80,000 children in foster care, as data from our recent trainings has shown. TLC also advocates for change to make the foster care system better for all abused and neglected children. If we use our network to support one helpful law or fight against one harmful one, we protect every child in foster care. And you can too -- join us to do the MOST good!