Cooperative Agreement 90CA1908

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services $599,998 through Cooperative Agreement 90CA1908 on September 30, 2026, under the Child Abuse and Neglect Discretionary Activities program (CFDA 93.670).

The award funds a comprehensive review and enhancement of DFPS's Predictive Risk Modeling (PRM) Family Investigation Risk Assessment Instrument, a scoring tool caseworkers use at the end of child abuse and neglect investigations to estimate family likelihood of future maltreatment and inform referrals to ongoing services. The tool has been in continuous use for more than a decade. The project will compare the tool's risk scores against families' actual later outcomes using statewide investigation records spanning many years; combine structured case records with caseworkers' written case notes using modern text-analysis methods to incorporate information the original tool could not access; identify where the tool's recommendations could better align with services DFPS can realistically provide; develop prioritized, region-specific recommendations for strengthening accuracy; and produce a roadmap for training staff and deploying an enhanced tool once the state's new case management system advances further. Caseworkers, supervisors, and people with lived experience in the child welfare system will help shape and review findings throughout.

DFPS will partner with the University of Texas at Arlington's Child Welfare Research Center on the analysis and recommendations.

Performance occurs in Texas with a period of performance from September 30, 2026 through September 29, 2029.