When to Call Child Protective Services in Texas (And What Happens Next)

• Physical abuse: unexplained bruises/burns/fractures, injuries in patterns, fear of going home
• Sexual abuse: any disclosure by a child (always report — believe first, investigate later), age-inappropriate sexual knowledge
• Neglect: chronic hunger, no medical/dental care, unsafe home (exposed wiring, feces, no utilities), young children left alone
• Substance danger: drug manufacturing/dealing in the home, caregiver too impaired to supervise, babies born drug-positive
• Emotional abuse: extreme berating, isolation, or threats causing observable harm to the child's functioning

Texas Family Code §261.101 makes every adult a mandatory reporter — you don't need proof, only reasonable cause to believe. Knowingly failing to report is a Class A misdemeanor (felony if the child is in a facility). Good-faith reporters are immune from civil and criminal liability, and your identity is confidential.

Statewide intake screens the report and assigns a priority: Priority 1 (immediate danger — contact within 24 hours) or Priority 2 (within 72 hours). An investigator interviews the child (often at school, without parental notice, which is legal), the parents, and collateral witnesses, then "rules" the case: unable to determine, ruled out, or reason to believe. Most cases close with no removal; some get Family-Based Safety Services; removal requires court approval except in emergencies.

If CPS contacts you as a parent: be polite, but know your rights — you may decline home entry without a court order, you should not sign safety plans or parental child safety placements without legal advice, and anything you say can appear in an affidavit. False or custody-motivated reports happen; a lawyer can push back hard. We represent both reporting relatives seeking to protect children and parents defending against CPS in Ector and Midland counties: (432) 366-6000.