Texas Young Lawyer's Association (TYLA) is an important player in the "Child Protective" "Services" (CPS) milieu in one of the most troubled states for CPS corruption and malfeasance.  Here is how the TYLA describes "What we do" on their own website:

"TYLA is commonly referred to as the 'public service arm' of the State Bar of Texas.  TYLA's primary purposes are to facilitate the administration of justice, foster respect for the law, and advance the role of the legal profession in serving the public.

TYLA's programs often offer information to members of the general public about a legal topic; other projects are designed to assist Texas lawyers in developing and maintaining their legal practices.  Still others are directed toward underserved members of our community, including the homeless, the elderly, and members of our military."

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They have published a document which they claim is available to help families involved with CPS.  It can be found here:

http://www.tyla.org/tyla/assets/File/CPSTimelineDFPSHandbookFINAL.pdf

This document may provide some helpful information, especially regarding matters such as definitions for the mundane forest of acronyms that department wonks at CPS use to confuse parents.  However, the majority of the document reads like a carefully-crafted propaganda piece designed to make the public think that the "kind and friendly folks" at CPS are there to help and to serve the public.

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Consider this excerpt from the very first paragraph:

"(CPS is...) State Agency set up by law to make sure children are safe and to help families create a safe environment for their  children.  When investigating a report of abuse or neglect, CPS seeks active involvement from the children’s parents and other family members to help solve issues that lead to abuse or neglect."

Let's ask the hundreds of Texas families-- who have been falsely abused, and/or had their children seized for little or NO reason ever proven-- if they think the above fairly represents what Texas-CPS is all about.  That second sentence, in particular, is laughable.  The only thing I've read is that Texas-CPS does everything possible to avoid parental input, that they try to separate the kids for leading interviews, that they hide or coverup exculpatory information and testimony, and that their true M.O. is to "shoot first and ask questions afterwards."

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Then, consider also this TYLA excerpt from page 11:

"When Can Your Child be Removed from Your Home?

CPS normally concludes a removal is necessary when:
•  there is a present danger of serious harm to children in the home;
•  the caregiver’s protective capacities are insufficient to keep all of the children
safe from the harm; and
•  there are no reasonable efforts that CPS can make to prevent removal that
would be consistent with the safety of the children"

It is a widely-acknowledged fact, nationally, that 86% of children who are seized by CPS would have been better off in the home where they were supposedly "abused" than in the clutches of CPS or their myriad of holding facilities.  In other words, CPS bureaRATS and employees are only right 14% of the time in removing children, and TYLA says nothing at all about how parents can avoid being among the 86% whose children are harmed by CPS under the guise of "protecting" them.

Additionally, I have not read anything to indicate that CPS ever makes a "reasonable effort(s)" to "prevent removal."  The legal profession, via TYLA in Texas is therefor misguiding parents, and should be called to account.  

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TYLA does give a brief summary of "rights" that parents and caregivers SUPPOSEDLY have when confronted with an agressive CPS intervention.

Quoting from page 13:

"Things to keep in mind:
– You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford to pay for an attorney,
and CPS is seeking to terminate your parental rights, you may ask the judge to
appoint an attorney for you. 
– You have the right to admit or deny the allegations made about you and
your family. 
– You have the right to be notified of all court hearings. 
– You have the right to attend all court hearings and meetings. 
– You have the right to an interpreter in court if you do not understand 
English or are hearing impaired. 
– You have the right to talk to your CPS caseworker and your attorney."

I have spent weeks here cataloguing all the way CPS routinely violates each and every one of the above, and the abuse of these "rights" is not illusory or anecdotal.  It is pervasive and common.   What is even worse is all the EXCEPTIONS to normal rights of accused that CPS uses (often "off the books") that are NOT pointed out by TYLA, or even ever mentioned in any of their other literature.   A truly helpful legal group would point THESE out and advise parents on how to counter all the CPS "dirty tricks."

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The only real value to parents found in this document is the rough guideline of how CPS is SUPPOSED to operate, with rough time guidelines (often severely violated,) and an idea of the enormous obstacles to justice that most families will face when confronted with the CPS interventions.  But you need to really read "between the lines" to figure that stuff out.  Twenty pages and not one mention of the various legal resources that parents who have been wrongly accused have within Texas.  I call that complicity.

My recommendation for any Texas families is to read the document.  Take it all in with a huge grain of salt.  Make a list of questions you plan to use when interviewing a potential legal representative, if you get caught in that boat, and then pick the lawyer (who has at least a modicum of proven success in this area) who fills in most of the ENORMOUS BLANKS about the real Texas-CPS and their modus operandi.  If they don't do that, keep looking.  Even if you have to travel to another community to find truly helpful representation, it will definitely prove to have been worth the extra time and expense in the long run.

There are good lawyers out there.  I have covered some of the resources for families in other articles in this blog.  Google: "CPS Texas legal help" and BE YOUR OWN BEST ADVOCATE.

God bless.