Texas Commission on Children and Youth

The 73rd Texas State Legislature enacted the Texas Commission on Children and Youth in 1993. The Commission’s goal is to improve and coordinate public programs for children and adolescents, focusing especially on the areas of education, health care, juvenile justice, and family services.

In 1994, the Commission held hearings in twelve communities throughout Texas: Houston, Huntsville, Laredo, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Lubbock, Dallas, El Paso, Waco, Edinburg, Bryan/College Station, and Austin. These hearings invited parents, teachers, religious leaders, childcare workers, counselors, social workers, district attorneys, researchers, children, adolescents, and others to address the Commission in order to allow it to gain a better understanding of the issues facing child and youth services.

The Commission concluded that a change in the structure of services at the state level would be insufficient to address the problems facing children and youths. By focusing on local efforts, the Commission developed a plan to remove obstacles between federal, state, and local regulations, as well as ways to refocus aid efforts on the family as a whole instead of on individuals who meet basic requirements for funding.

Source:

Texas State Commission on Children and Youth. Safeguarding Our Future: Children and Families First. Austin: Texas Commission on Children and Youth, 1994

The 73rd Texas State Legislature enacted the Texas Commission on Children and Youth in 1993.

The Commission's goal is to improve and coordinate public programs for children and adolescents, focusing especially on the areas of education, health care, juvenile justice, and family services.

In 1994, the Commission held hearings in twelve communities throughout Texas: Houston, Huntsville, Laredo, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Lubbock, Dallas, El Paso, Waco, Edinburg, Bryan/College Station, and Austin.

These hearings invited parents, teachers, religious leaders, childcare workers, counselors, social workers, district attorneys, researchers, children, adolescents, and others to address the Commission in order to allow it to gain a better understanding of the issues facing child and youth services.

The Commission concluded that a change in the structure of services at the state level would be insufficient to address the problems facing children and youths.

By focusing on local efforts, the Commission developed a plan to remove obstacles between federal, state, and local regulations, as well as ways to refocus aid efforts on the family as a whole instead of on individuals who meet basic requirements for funding.