Chapter 18. Review of Placement of Children Under the Care of the Department of Human Services

Provides commentary on Chapter 18 of the Texas Family Code. Chapter 18 was enacted to prevent children from remaining indefinitely in foster care once placed there under the auspices of the courts. When first enacted in 1979, chapter 18 was a groundbreaking Statute. It has remained little changed and little interpreted since that time. Its basic requirements were mirrored and amplified in the federal Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980. That Act ties case review requirements to receipt of federal funds for foster placements. As a result, all states' foster care systems now have reviews similar to those required by chapter 18.