Definition: Number of children confirmed as victims of child abuse or neglect per completed investigations.

DFPS protects the privacy of both victims and perpetrators. There is no personal information contained in the statistics reported online, and all data has been summarized to the state, region and county levels. Sometimes, however, the data published must be limited to ensure that everyone's privacy is protected - usually in sparsely populated counties where the number of people involved is small.

When a child is identified as a confirmed victim, it does not mean that the child will receive ongoing services from DFPS. The decision about whether to provide the family ongoing services or to remove the child into DFPS custody is based on an assessment of whether there is an ongoing risk to the child.

What factors in the greater Hays County community are contributing to an increase in child abuse and neglect?

• Low economic opportunities and affordable housing, which contributes to high stress levels
• Lowered social capital, caused by the disintegration of traditional family, community, which leads to increased isolation
• Parents and caregivers who have not effectively addressed their own abuse or trauma, which can perpetuate toxic stress
• Lack of streamlined and coordinated approach, including a referral system that will connect at-risk families to services

What factors in the greater Hays County community are helping to prevent child abuse and neglect?

• Early detection of risk factors
• Targeted child abuse and neglect prevention programs (focusing on families that are have high-risk factors)

Partner/Role

• Child Protective Services
• Head Start/Early Ed and Parent Ed
• Hays CISD, San Marcos CISD, and other private K-8 education partners; Education
• Child Care centers/Education
• Faith-based organizations/informal support networks and cultural norming
• Parent-Teacher Organizations/Parent-Teacher Associations/parent organizations

The solutions below were determined by partners based on the factors identified during the Story Behind the Curve discussions:

Evidence-Based Practices (grounded in research)

• Department of Family & Protective Services - Prevention and Early Intervention funded, intensive Home Visiting Programs

Promising Practices (solutions that doesn't yet have research but is showing proven results)

• Relationship-based case management, directly linked to child abuse & neglect prevention, that includes parent/caregiver and child interaction to nurture positive social skills
• Reduce family stress levels by providing additional city-subsidized housing

No Cost/Low Cost Solutions

• Community learning exchanges - meeting at which professionals and families could share best practices in a supportive, safe environment
• Universal breakfast/lunch (passed by San Marcos ISD)

Off the Wall

• Green Dot program (empirically proven program proven to reduce violence at all levels, very $$)
• Identify adults that have been abusers and use them as type of spokesperson to help others

Prioritized Strategy: To promote positive interactions with young children, expand the evidence-based approach of engaging parents and caregivers in their home environments with PEI funding.

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Prioritized Strategy: To reduce the food insecurity families experience when living in households that are struggling to make ends meet, provide universal breakfast and lunch.

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Prioritized Strategy: To prevent escalation, conduct relationship-based, individualized case management directly linked to instances where children are identified as being at-risk for child abuse and neglect. To strengthen how parents and caregivers interact with young children, provide coaching on effective listening, meaningful dialogue, and how to nurture social skill.

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Prioritized Strategy: To promote bystander intervention for child abuse and neglect, increase bystander awareness and empowerment by implementing the Green Dot program in early education settings.

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