How to gain guardianship of a child in texas

Guardianship | Office of the Texas Governor

Find information on key laws and resources for Texans wanting to learn about guardianship. This page provides information on both resources and contacts that can help when looking for guardianship information in the state. Additionally, this page includes a summary of laws by topic that may impact guardianship agreements in Texas. This section is not intended to be used for legal advice.

On This Page:

Resources
State and Federal Laws
- What is Guardianship?
- Where to start for children becoming adults?
- HHS Guardianship Services Program
- Alternatives to Guardianship
- Applying for Guardianship

Resources

Contacts

To request information or assistance on the HHSC Guardianship Services program email [email protected]
For information on supports and services for alternatives to guardianship contact Disability Rights Texas:
- Statewide Intake: 800-252-9108
- Sign Language Video Phone: 1-866-362-2851
- Purple 2 Video Phone: 512-271-9391

Additional Resources

HHSC Guardianship Overview
Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities: Alternatives to Guardianship
Disability Rights Texas - Using Supports and Services as an Alternative to Guardianship
National Resource Center on Supported Decision Making
For families with children with disabilities, Navigate Life Texas
For information related to a student’s transition into adulthood, TEA Secondary Transition Guide
Watch the Supported Decision Making: An Alternative to Guardianship webinar

State and Federal Laws

What is Guardianship?

Guardianship is a legal tool, which allows a person to make decisions for another person. It removes the civil rights and privileges of a person by assigning control of a person’s life to someone else. The need for guardianship may come from a person’s age, disability or injury.
Although the state directs a court to "design a guardianship to encourage the development or maintenance of maximum self-reliance and independence of the incapacitated person," it is not uncommon for courts to create full guardianships, which deprive persons with disabilities of the right to make fundamental decisions about their lives.
Guardianship provides for the person's care and management of their money while preserving, to the largest extent possible, that person’s independence and right to make decisions affecting their life.
Texas courts have the authority to appoint a guardian with full or limited authority over an incapacitated person. However, a guardianship should be only as restrictive (See Tex. Est. Code § 1001.001(a)):
- as indicated by the person's actual mental or physical limitations; and
- as necessary to promote and protect their well-being.

"…the court shall design the guardianship to encourage the development or maintenance of maximum self-reliance and independence in the incapacitated person, including by presuming that the incapacitated person retains capacity to make personal decisions regarding the person’s residence." See Texas Estates Code § 1001.001(b)

Where to start for children becoming adults?

As students with disabilities move into high school, one of the topics that school districts will discuss with parents is guardianship. This discussion typically takes place in an Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meeting during transition planning. A school district must inform the parents and the student of the “transfer of parental rights” concerning the ARD process. This notice should occur twice:

At least one year before a student reaches age 18, the student’s individualized education program (IEP) must include a statement that rights granted a parent, other than the right to receive notice under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), will transfer to student upon reaching age 18 unless someone has been granted guardianship of the student (TAC § 89. 1049(a)), and
At the time the student reaches age 18, the school district must notify, in writing, the adult student and parent of the transfer of rights to the student (TAC § 89. 1049(c)). This notice is separate and distinct from the IEP statement noted above.

What does this mean?

At age 18, a student is considered an adult and all rights are transferred to that student.
When a student reaches the age of majority, they are regarded as being able to make their own choices. This would include making choices about their education.
An IEP is like a contract, it can be enforced in a court. Therefore, an 18-year old student would be responsible for signing and agreeing to the IEP.
Parents and students with disabilities must look at all options before deciding if the student is responsible enough for the task.
The transfer of rights occurs regardless of the student’s disability label and/or level of need.
Before making a decision, families should discuss what supports the student will need, both at present and in the future.

Effective September 1, 2018, transition planning for students must address:

the use and availability of appropriate opportunities to assist the student in developing decision-making skills, and
supports and services that foster the student's independence and self-determination, including a supported decision-making agreement.

HHS Guardianship Services Program

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) becomes involved in guardianship in one of two ways:

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) refers adults or youth aging out of conservatorships to HHSC when they think need a guardian, and
In certain limited circumstances the court directly request HHSC to be a guardian.

For adults to be referred to HHSC for guardianship they must either have a disability or be 65 or older and a victim of abuse, neglect (including self-neglect) or exploitation.

For youth aging out to be referred to HHSC for guardianship they must be in Child Protective Services (CPS) conservatorship and appear to meet the adult definition of incapacity.

More information can be found at HHSC Guardianship Overview

Alternatives to Guardianship

For some individuals with disabilities, guardianship may be the only option. In addition to guardianship, there are the following options:

Power of Attorney

Management of Community Property
Money Management
Social Security Representative Payment program
Trusts: A legal method used to manage and distribute property without a guardianship.
Consent to Authorize Advocacy
Directive to Supported Decision Making

During the 84th Texas Legislative Session in 2015, legislators passed new laws that made Texas the first state to have laws recognizing supported decision-making agreements as an alternative to guardianship. Supported decision-making allows individuals to make their own decisions and stay in charge of their lives, while receiving the help and assistance they need to do so. These laws include:

The Bill of Rights for a person under guardianship or proposed guardianship. For a person under guardianship these include the right to live, work and play in the most integrated setting, visit with people of their choice, and appear before the court to express their preferences or concerns (See Texas Estates Code Title 3 Subtitle T Chapter 1357 Subchapter A and Texas Estates Code Chapter 1151 Subchapter H).
The establishment of less restrictive alternatives to guardianship, such as a power of attorney or representative payee, directing the court to determine whether alternatives can meet the needs of the person rather than guardianship.)
The establishment of Limits to guardianship with services and supports, requiring the court to determine if formal and informal supports are available for individuals to meet their needs.
The requirement that individuals under guardianship should, if possible, be able to make decisions about where they reside.

Applying for Guardianship

When an application for guardianship is filed, a court investigator must determine whether a less restrictive alternative to guardianship is appropriate (Texas Estates Code § 1054. 151).
All parties – the applicant, attorney ad litem, guardian ad litem, physicians, and the court - have an obligation to consider less restrictive alternatives and supports and services.

Supports and services include available formal and informal resources and assistance that enable an individual to:

Meet the individual’s needs for food, clothing or shelter;
Care for the individual’s physical or mental health;
Manage the individual’s financial affairs; or
Make personal decisions regarding residence, voting, operating a motor vehicle, and marriage.

See Texas Estates Code § 1002.031.

Medical Exam

The letter or certificate from a physician supporting an application for guardianship must state (Texas Estates Code § 1101.103(b)(6)):

Whether the proposed ward would benefit from supports and services that would allow the individual to live in the least restrictive environment; see Texas Estates Code § 1101. 103(b)(6) and
Whether guardianship is necessary and, if so, what powers or duties of the guardian should be limited if the proposed ward receives supports and services, see Texas Estates Code § 1101.103 (b)(6-a).

Initial Guardianships

Before appointing a guardian the following evidence is required (Texas Estates Code § 1101.101(a)(1)(D) & (E) and (c)):

the probate court must find by clear and convincing evidence that alternatives to guardianship and supports and services have been considered and determined not to be feasible.
if the court grants a limited guardianship, the court must specifically state whether the proposed ward lacks sufficient capacity with supports and services to make personal decisions regarding residence, voting, operating a motor vehicle, and marriage.

Restoration of Capacity

A guardianship shall be closed when the court finds that the individual has sufficient capacity with supports and services to care for themselves and to manage their property (See Texas Estates Code § 1202. 001(b)(2)).
The individual or any interested person may petition the court for the full or partial restoration of rights, including the right to decide their residence if they has sufficient capacity with or without supports and services. (See Texas Estates Code § 1202.051(3)).
The court shall consider whether the guardianship is needed and specific power or duties of the guardian should be limited if the ward receives supports and services. (See Texas Estates Code § 1202.151(a)).
The court order must state any supports and services needed for the restoration or modification of the guardianship (See Texas Estates Code § 1202.154(a)(4)).
Before limiting the powers or duties granted to the guardian, the court must find that the nature and degree of incapacity, with or without supports and services, warrants modification and that some of the individual’s rights need to be restored, with or without supports and services (See Texas Estates Code § 1202. 153).

Persons under guardianship can petition the court to retain counsel of their choosing to assist with restoration or transitioning to a supported decision-making agreement, see Texas Estates Code § 1151.351(b) (17).

Guardianship | Office of the Texas Governor

On This Page:

Resources
State and Federal Laws
- What is Guardianship?
- Where to start for children becoming adults?
- HHS Guardianship Services Program
- Alternatives to Guardianship
- Applying for Guardianship

Resources

Contacts

To request information or assistance on the HHSC Guardianship Services program email guardianship@hhsc. state.tx.us
For information on supports and services for alternatives to guardianship contact Disability Rights Texas:
- Statewide Intake: 800-252-9108
- Sign Language Video Phone: 1-866-362-2851
- Purple 2 Video Phone: 512-271-9391

Additional Resources

HHSC Guardianship Overview
Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities: Alternatives to Guardianship
Disability Rights Texas - Using Supports and Services as an Alternative to Guardianship
National Resource Center on Supported Decision Making
For families with children with disabilities, Navigate Life Texas
For information related to a student’s transition into adulthood, TEA Secondary Transition Guide
Watch the Supported Decision Making: An Alternative to Guardianship webinar

State and Federal Laws

What is Guardianship?

Guardianship is a legal tool, which allows a person to make decisions for another person. It removes the civil rights and privileges of a person by assigning control of a person’s life to someone else. The need for guardianship may come from a person’s age, disability or injury.
Although the state directs a court to "design a guardianship to encourage the development or maintenance of maximum self-reliance and independence of the incapacitated person," it is not uncommon for courts to create full guardianships, which deprive persons with disabilities of the right to make fundamental decisions about their lives.
Guardianship provides for the person's care and management of their money while preserving, to the largest extent possible, that person’s independence and right to make decisions affecting their life.
Texas courts have the authority to appoint a guardian with full or limited authority over an incapacitated person. However, a guardianship should be only as restrictive (See Tex. Est. Code § 1001.001(a)):
- as indicated by the person's actual mental or physical limitations; and
- as necessary to promote and protect their well-being.

Where to start for children becoming adults?

At least one year before a student reaches age 18, the student’s individualized education program (IEP) must include a statement that rights granted a parent, other than the right to receive notice under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), will transfer to student upon reaching age 18 unless someone has been granted guardianship of the student (TAC § 89. 1049(a)), and
At the time the student reaches age 18, the school district must notify, in writing, the adult student and parent of the transfer of rights to the student (TAC § 89. 1049(c)). This notice is separate and distinct from the IEP statement noted above.

What does this mean?

At age 18, a student is considered an adult and all rights are transferred to that student.
When a student reaches the age of majority, they are regarded as being able to make their own choices. This would include making choices about their education.
An IEP is like a contract, it can be enforced in a court. Therefore, an 18-year old student would be responsible for signing and agreeing to the IEP.
Parents and students with disabilities must look at all options before deciding if the student is responsible enough for the task.
The transfer of rights occurs regardless of the student’s disability label and/or level of need.
Before making a decision, families should discuss what supports the student will need, both at present and in the future.

Effective September 1, 2018, transition planning for students must address:

the use and availability of appropriate opportunities to assist the student in developing decision-making skills, and
supports and services that foster the student's independence and self-determination, including a supported decision-making agreement.

HHS Guardianship Services Program

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) becomes involved in guardianship in one of two ways:

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) refers adults or youth aging out of conservatorships to HHSC when they think need a guardian, and
In certain limited circumstances the court directly request HHSC to be a guardian.

For adults to be referred to HHSC for guardianship they must either have a disability or be 65 or older and a victim of abuse, neglect (including self-neglect) or exploitation.

For youth aging out to be referred to HHSC for guardianship they must be in Child Protective Services (CPS) conservatorship and appear to meet the adult definition of incapacity.

More information can be found at HHSC Guardianship Overview

Alternatives to Guardianship

For some individuals with disabilities, guardianship may be the only option. In addition to guardianship, there are the following options:

Power of Attorney

Management of Community Property
Money Management
Social Security Representative Payment program
Trusts: A legal method used to manage and distribute property without a guardianship.
Consent to Authorize Advocacy
Directive to Supported Decision Making

The Bill of Rights for a person under guardianship or proposed guardianship. For a person under guardianship these include the right to live, work and play in the most integrated setting, visit with people of their choice, and appear before the court to express their preferences or concerns (See Texas Estates Code Title 3 Subtitle T Chapter 1357 Subchapter A and Texas Estates Code Chapter 1151 Subchapter H).
The establishment of less restrictive alternatives to guardianship, such as a power of attorney or representative payee, directing the court to determine whether alternatives can meet the needs of the person rather than guardianship.)
The establishment of Limits to guardianship with services and supports, requiring the court to determine if formal and informal supports are available for individuals to meet their needs.
The requirement that individuals under guardianship should, if possible, be able to make decisions about where they reside.

Applying for Guardianship

When an application for guardianship is filed, a court investigator must determine whether a less restrictive alternative to guardianship is appropriate (Texas Estates Code § 1054. 151).
All parties – the applicant, attorney ad litem, guardian ad litem, physicians, and the court - have an obligation to consider less restrictive alternatives and supports and services.

Supports and services include available formal and informal resources and assistance that enable an individual to:

Meet the individual’s needs for food, clothing or shelter;
Care for the individual’s physical or mental health;
Manage the individual’s financial affairs; or
Make personal decisions regarding residence, voting, operating a motor vehicle, and marriage.

See Texas Estates Code § 1002.031.

Medical Exam

The letter or certificate from a physician supporting an application for guardianship must state (Texas Estates Code § 1101.103(b)(6)):

Whether the proposed ward would benefit from supports and services that would allow the individual to live in the least restrictive environment; see Texas Estates Code § 1101. 103(b)(6) and
Whether guardianship is necessary and, if so, what powers or duties of the guardian should be limited if the proposed ward receives supports and services, see Texas Estates Code § 1101.103 (b)(6-a).

Initial Guardianships

Before appointing a guardian the following evidence is required (Texas Estates Code § 1101.101(a)(1)(D) & (E) and (c)):

the probate court must find by clear and convincing evidence that alternatives to guardianship and supports and services have been considered and determined not to be feasible.
if the court grants a limited guardianship, the court must specifically state whether the proposed ward lacks sufficient capacity with supports and services to make personal decisions regarding residence, voting, operating a motor vehicle, and marriage.

Restoration of Capacity

A guardianship shall be closed when the court finds that the individual has sufficient capacity with supports and services to care for themselves and to manage their property (See Texas Estates Code § 1202. 001(b)(2)).
The individual or any interested person may petition the court for the full or partial restoration of rights, including the right to decide their residence if they has sufficient capacity with or without supports and services. (See Texas Estates Code § 1202.051(3)).
The court shall consider whether the guardianship is needed and specific power or duties of the guardian should be limited if the ward receives supports and services. (See Texas Estates Code § 1202.151(a)).
The court order must state any supports and services needed for the restoration or modification of the guardianship (See Texas Estates Code § 1202.154(a)(4)).
Before limiting the powers or duties granted to the guardian, the court must find that the nature and degree of incapacity, with or without supports and services, warrants modification and that some of the individual’s rights need to be restored, with or without supports and services (See Texas Estates Code § 1202. 153).

Persons under guardianship can petition the court to retain counsel of their choosing to assist with restoration or transitioning to a supported decision-making agreement, see Texas Estates Code § 1151.351(b) (17).

Psychologist: violence against children from the Russian Federation in Texas went unpunished

Orphans from Russia, who were abused by adoptive parents from Texas for about ten years, still need help. Alexey, Anastasia and Svetlana Klimov, originally from Krasnokamsk, were adopted in 2003 by the Deckert spouses. In March 2013, an investigation was launched against the adoptive parents on charges of child abuse. In May, the court granted the Deckert couple's application for waiver of parental rights. The sisters were placed in the family of Michael and Linda Theis, who wanted to adopt them. However, Anastasia was later transferred to a specialized children's institution, as she needed help after the psychological trauma she received in the family of her former adoptive parents. Alexei was on the run until he came of age, but now he also lives with the Tays family. Child psychologist Diana Black, who deals with the case of the Klimov orphans, spoke in an interview with RIA Novosti about how the local authorities tried to hush up the case by indicting herself, and also about how a charity project is being implemented aimed at returning children to normal life. According to Black, American social services need systemic changes. Interviewed by Lyudmila Chernova and Pyotr Martynychev.

- The Deckerts claimed they had nothing to do with the beatings. What cases of child abuse have been confirmed?

- The woman was a sadist. She was constantly. Made them swallow dishwashing detergent. If they cried, they were beaten even harder. All children have scars. They were never taken to the doctor. When Alexei was injured at the age of ten, she said that the horse hit him in the teeth, but there was no medical examination.

The children were not allowed to sit at the table, they were told that they were unworthy of it. So they had to stand. Sometimes Alexei was fed normal food, but sometimes leftovers from the table or rotten food. Or not fed at all. They locked up the kids. Alexei was locked up for several days, not allowed to go to the toilet, and was given a bucket. Children were not allowed to go to school. Because when they went there, the teachers would call Child Protective Services. But still nothing was done. And in order to stop the complaints, they stopped letting the children go to school. The windows were covered with boards so that no one could see what was happening in the house.

Alexey ran away from home. Once I stood for three days on someone's veranda. And the children did not say that he was there, and fed him. He spent the night in the forest and then was afraid to get out of there and get into my car. Four times I brought him to the orphanage, but each time he was taken away and returned back.

— How did your fight for the Klimov orphans start? What did you have to go through?

- After Alexey left home in 2008, the child protection service, with which I then had a contract, sent me to this house. And when I arrived, I asked myself: "Why are these children here?" Later, I found out that there were reports of violations for many years. I went to the city where they lived before, before moving. When I came to school, they told me they didn't know what happened to the children. According to them, they called the child protection service all the time. They told how one day Anastasia came to school covered in bruises and she was taken to the principal's office. Her entire back was blue, and on her face something resembling a handprint. The teachers and the director were crying, they started calling the child protection service and asking for help. I'm not saying that no one did anything. School staff, neighbors were worried, called, thinking that the child protection service would take care of the children. But that did not happen. They just moved and the messages stopped. Here is another reason why the authorities do not work. Violations are reported, but violators move to another county or state. Someone should know where they are, but it's so easy to get away with responsibility.

I had a home for mistreated children. When I started trying to save these three children, I immediately called for them to be taken away from the foster family, but this was not done. At that time, there had been reports of abuse for six years. I called people, wrote letters for another ten months. Children ran away from home, neighbors brought them to me. I took them to the head of the child protection department. And I was arrested, and the children were returned to a bad family. Then the orphanage was taken away from me. I was a defendant for five years. They completely ruined my life.

- Were you able to bring this problem to the attention of the social services authorities in Texas? Did they help?

- I constantly tried to get help for the children, and in the end I got an appointment with the most senior official. When I got there, the police were already waiting for me. I was detained, and the children were sent back. I couldn't help them as promised. I lost my job and couldn't find a new one with pending charges. I moved to another city, lived there for a couple of years. The thought that I could and should do something did not leave me. One night I read on the Internet about Pavel Astakhov. I decided to email him, but I didn't think anything would come of it. Because I wrote letters all the time, called, but nothing helped. I wrote briefly in English that these children need help and forgot about the letter. A day later, Sergey Chumarev, Senior Legal Adviser of the Russian Embassy, called me and asked me to send him the documents. When the diplomats arrived in Texas, they were told a lot of lies - that they did not know me, that I was accused of violating traffic rules. But there were many contradictions in all this. The diplomats said it would be easier to intervene if one of the children wrote a letter. Anastasia wrote five or six pages, which began with the appeal "Dear Russians, please help me. " And when I handed over the letter, the adoptive parents got scared and realized that they would have problems.

When representatives of the Russian embassy and the Russian consulate arrived in Texas and asked about the children, the charges against me were dropped and the same week the adoptive parents renounced parental rights. So everything was fixed only after the intervention of Russian diplomats. If not for them, the girls would still be in this house.

— Do you keep in touch with the Russian embassy?

- When we need something, if we need to contact someone in Russia, they do even more than their job responsibilities require. If the children need something, we call and they do everything necessary. I don't ask if it's not necessary. But they are always happy to help.

- How are the children in the new foster family?

- Alexey and his younger sister Svetlana live in a provincial town, one and a half to two hours drive from Houston, in the Thais family. Their adoptive father is a Baptist minister and their adoptive mother is a nurse. They obtained temporary custody of Svetlana through Child Protective Services. When the previous adoptive parents gave up parental rights, the girls ended up under the care of the state authorities, but Alexey was not, since he was already 18. He ran away when he was 16 years old and went to Ohio, where he lived for two years. On the day of his coming of age, he called the Russian consulate in Houston. They came and took him away. He wanted to live with his sisters, but one of them no longer lives there.

The Thais are wonderful people, very religious, the complete opposite of the family where the children used to live.

The children have been diagnosed with PTSD and are having nightmares. The children did not know how to go to a store or cafe. I was the first person to bring them to the restaurant.

The youngest girl is being treated, maybe everything will be fine. Aleksey tries to help her, even though he suffered the most physically. If they had helped the children ten years ago, if they had sent them to a good family... Nobody helped them. Now we help.

And Anastasia is not doing as well as Svetlana. She was given a lot of drugs, caused a lot of psychological harm. The treatment will take time. Alexei is different. There is something in his character, from a very early age he was a fighter. Sometimes in a difficult situation, in order to survive, you have to give in, which happened to the girls. But Alexei ran away at the first opportunity. He was ready to stay in the forest, hide. They caused various sufferings, sisters and brother. I don't want to talk about it, but it was terrible. Alexey told me that at the age of 12 he thought about suicide. From the age of 12 to 13, he was brought up in another family, but then he was returned back. He escaped two years later. He always wanted to live in peace and fought for it. He hid until he came of age. He lived in Ohio, in the house of relatives of the family who lived next door to his adoptive parents. Just the neighbors took him away. But these people were very poor. They couldn't even afford to feed him or buy anything. Alexey burned wood and sold his works in Ohio. When he left Texas, I bought him some clothes. And when he returned two years later, he was in it. And he was not cut, he came with long dirty hair. But be that as it may, he was safe there. Nobody treated him badly. But he didn't go to school, he didn't have any opportunities.

— This year you started collecting donations to help orphans Klimov. How is the fundraising going, what are they spent on?

- The fundraising campaign was started because the children need things. First of all, Alexei needed treatment at the dentist, as he was injured. His previous foster mother knocked out some of his teeth. After removing the braces, he will need implants. Thus, only the services of a dentist cost about 7 thousand dollars. He has no medical insurance. He has not yet received American citizenship, cannot get a job, has not graduated from school. What I do is just give him some money every time, but he doesn't like to spend it. He also needs a driver's license. In Texas, it is impossible without a car, unless, of course, you are in Houston.

The youngest girl, Svetlana, is in the care of social services, they treat her. Anastasia is still in their care due to her age, but they do nothing for her. Alexei has no income. Foster parents provided him with housing, they feed him, but no more. But every day you have to spend money on something. I would like him to have a monthly allowance until he finishes school. He was three years behind in school. He has already caught up with one, but he still has two years to study before graduation, then he will be 21. Alexei wants to enter the university, and I want to help him.

— How does your charitable foundation work? Are there any plans to help other children who also find themselves in a difficult life situation?

My organization is called Roosevelt House. That was the name of my orphanage. This is a non-commercial work, no one receives a profit from us. Although such activities require a lot of money and time.

Donations go to help children. They send money, including from Russia. We decided to spend $500 on a website to raise more funds.

Details for donations are available on our website. There will soon be an option to transfer funds online.

We want to help all foster children from Russia who find themselves in a difficult situation. Because there is no relevant department. They don't even have a place to call. You can call the police, but what can they do. If you call social services, most likely you will not achieve anything. And they need to have such contacts.

— Do you think the local authorities are to blame for failing to stop child abuse for years?

— Yes. Social services and law enforcement, I believe, are just as guilty as adoptive parents. They protected them. It is a shame for them that they did not take care of the children. I don't understand it and I never will. If there is something in this story that we do not know. Because it's not normal not to even feed the children. It is a pity that I did not write a letter to Moscow much earlier. I was not thinking about it.

The local authorities, all these years, tried to hide the fact that they did not help the children, they wanted me to stop filing complaints.

- Did you manage to hold someone accountable, at least for negligence?

- The only ones who were arrested were me and Alexei. I saw how they put handcuffs on him when he was 12. Aleksey was crying, saying: "I'm afraid they have weapons." He was detained three or four times. I got angry, wrote letters to the sheriff, tried to convey to them that they were hurting the child. But they only tried to punish me for trying to intervene.

Someone must be held accountable. Law enforcement agencies must be held accountable. Child Protective Services must be held accountable. They were never accused of anything.

In the county where the Deckerts lived, the sheriff is suspected of covering up the murder, child pornography was found in one of the deputies. These people cannot be counted on. When the Russian diplomats arrived, the sheriff said that he did not know me, although our children played together.

- Could such incidents have influenced Russia's decision to ban American adoptions of Russian children?

— Of course. Because we have about 20 children from Russia who died from mistreatment, and there are many reports of abuse. This is just the tip of the iceberg. About 60 thousand children were adopted from Russia. Most of them are in excellent conditions, but there is still a small proportion of problem families, albeit a very small one. And we want this not to happen. All adopted children must be protected.

If such terrible things had not happened, why would Russia decide that there would be no more adoptions. I don’t know if Russia will ever allow adoptions again, but if so, then there should be guarantees of a normal life for every child. And there should be responsibility for adoptive parents.

- How effective do you think the system itself is? Do Child Protective Services in the US Need to Change?

- We have different child protection services in each state. She's bad in Texas. Sometimes they take children away for the slightest reason. And in other cases... More than 200 children die every year in Texas from abuse, and more than half of these cases are known to child protective services. Crimes against children are not considered as crimes. They treat it like this: "Well, these are your children, they belong to you." So in this case they were wrong, they made mistakes, and now they don't want to admit it. They stand up and deny that they are wrong. And these are people who have not even met children, have never been in this house. I had to go to them and beg to help the children.

Money will not solve a systemic problem. These people are incompetent. The people who are sent home to investigate do not have the appropriate specialty. Although anyone who would come to this house would see that the children are dirty, thin, do not go to school, there are blackboards on the windows, shabby mattresses on the floor. They said it was poverty. Not! My parents had beds, clothes, and food.

Foster families are mostly wonderful, there are few bad ones, but when it comes to children, there should be no abuse at all. And the child protection service is not perfect.

There are people who work and lobby. There are people in Austin. And we are working with Justice for Children. They do their thing. Definitely the system needs to be improved. Crimes against children should be treated as crimes. They have the right to be safe. The United States is almost the only country that has not ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for some reason.

- What measures can be taken to ensure the safety of adopted children and the opportunity for a decent development?

— We don't need to rely on the federal government to keep children safe. Adoption requirements must be made to adoptive parents. They need people who will work with them, including someone who will go from house to house and check if everything is fine. And the authorities are different from state to state, from county to county, from city to city. And although most children end up in wonderful families, there are still adoptive parents with bad intentions. As in this case.

The identity of the adoptive parent must be verified by an authorized agency. Some have good intentions but just don't understand what they are getting into. Potential adoptive parents must also show that they can not only provide for the child financially, but also ensure its cultural and spiritual development. It is important for children from Russia to keep in touch with the cultural heritage of their country.

IN TEXAS - Our Texas - Russian Newspaper in Houston, Dallas, San-Antonio, Austin, Texas

“Blood from the machine”…. No, this is not a Halloween gimmick - it's an innovative technology that debuted at Plano Medical Center. The BloodTrack Emerge machine in the ER is stocked with blood bags. Now doctors and nurses, instead of running to the blood bank and completing the necessary formalities there, while an injured patient bleeds, can instantly receive a bag of blood directly from the car. To do this, you just need to scan a special chest identification card.
"When we're trying to save critically injured patients, every second counts," says surgeon Mark Tucker. “Every second in an emergency is a minute, sometimes 10 minutes.”

Every month, 30-40 patients at this center require blood transfusions during the golden hour, the critical hour after injury.

The machine is the first of its kind used in Texas and costs about $80,000. Fully equipped, it can serve up to eight patients – saving 8 lives.

Joshua High School student Aaron Singleton died after a football match.

Having received a hard blow with the ball during the game, the teenager fell and was taken to the hospital after convulsions. During the night, the doctors announced to Singleton's mother that Aaron was brain dead. The heartbroken family decided to take his body off life support and donate his organs to people in need of transplants.

Joshua Independent School District brought in counseling psychologists to provide emotional support to students and staff.

“Our thoughts are with Aaron's family and friends during this difficult time,” the school says. We all mourn with them. He was a great guy - played football, baseball, sang in a choir and a musical group.

Officials from the Department of Family and Protective Services are demanding a pay increase of up to $1,000 per month for welfare workers across the state. This will require an additional $62 million to the allocated budget.

Members of the Senate Finance Committee recently criticized Department officials for leaving many child abuse emergency calls unanswered. According to new DFPS commissioner Henry "Hank" Whitman, the crisis in working with children from disadvantaged backgrounds has been caused by low salaries of specialists, which has led to a shortage of staff and staff turnover. And this does not allow members of the management to do their job. A new DFPS emergency funding plan will be considered by the Texas Senate in January 2017.

Unique sound recorders that look like flash cards have become very popular in Texas. The devices are sold at stores like Houston's Spy Emporium and others, and cost $40 and up. It can be placed anywhere, and automatically turns on at the first sound of a voice. Due to the fact that sales of this device have recently increased, lawyers have raised the question of the legality of its use.

This happened after a woman used a device to record hundreds of conversations between her ex-husband and their daughter. To do this, she hid the "flash drive" in the girl's favorite soft toy. “People go to extremes when they risk losing custody of their children,” says family lawyer Lauren Waddell.

Under Texas law, you have the right to record a conversation while you are in it yourself. Stores that sell the recorder claim that they are not lawyers, but sellers, and always advise customers to consult a lawyer before using the product.

This time the oil spill occurred in the Port Isabel area near the border with Mexico. About 20 thousand gallons of oil spilled into the bay due to the impact of the Capt. Jim Green" about the marina. Experts are trying to find out the cause of such a collision and promise to provide water purification.

Six suspects have been arrested and charged with stealing tens of thousands of dollars from bank accounts and filing false tax returns. They are all aged 26 to 44 and live in Houston: James Michael Curtis Johnson, Donald Ray Perry, Enitra Shante Pickett, D'angela Devonne Domino, Joshua Jacquez Britton and Joseph Edward Johnson.

According to computer fraud investigators, the suspects stole money from innocent people's bank accounts and transferred it to fake accounts they created. A separate investigation will be conducted on tax fraud.

Of particular outrage was the fact that one of the suspects, D'angela Domio, despite being charged, returned to work as a postal worker for the US Postal Service the very next day. Since 2014, she has been delivering mail, which means that she has access to letters from residents and their personal information. The girl has already happily photographed herself in the form of a postman and posted a “selfie” on her Facebook page.

They say everything is big in Texas. Alas, this fact can not always please. According to a new study by WalletHub, Texas ranks 9thranks among the states in which the population suffers from obesity. Last year, the state was in 11th place. More than a third of Texans have a body mass index (BMI) over 30, meaning they are obese. Another third are overweight, with a BMI of 24-29. The norm is a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9.

The obesity rate is projected to reach 57% by 2030. Mississippi is at the top of the sad fat list. such a joyful "Hallowedding" event took place in a "traditional" setting - in a haunted house called the Houston Terror Dome, where a lot of bloody guests in creepy costumes gathered.0005

The wedding date of October 31 was chosen by the bride and groom because it is right between their birthdays. “She has two children from her first marriage, I have two children. We're like the real Addams Family! Stephen Carroll says “The idea of having such a celebration seemed cool to me.”

After the exchange of marriage vows, the newlyweds held a celebration. They say that Halloween has always been their favorite holiday, and now it has become part of their family history.

If you're worried about your future and sure that the end of the world is not far off, then it's time to find a safe haven in north Texas. Construction on the $300 million, 700-acre Trident Lakes residential area will begin next year and move in as early as 2018. The area of houses in this microdistrict will vary from 900 to 3600 sq. feet, but they will all have basements. These cellars will become a hypothetical shelter in case of war or natural disasters.

Developers are trying to move away from the theme of the hideout as some kind of dull and dark basement, insisting that the area will first of all resemble a chic country club or private resort, and only then a safe haven. In addition to 400 houses that can accommodate about 1,600 residents, a riding center, a polo field, shops, restaurants, and a shooting range will be built on the territory of the microdistrict. The buildings will be constructed from durable materials to protect them as much as possible from environmental influences. At the same time, it is planned to install independent sources of energy, water and food, for example, communal greenhouses, an air purification system and even a repository for DNA cells. All this is provided so that the residents of this community can enjoy life here and feel safe in the event of a disaster.

Cameron Ross used sixty cans of spray paint to create a lettering large enough to be seen from an airplane. Cameron worked alongside his father to make the giant "Mackenzie! I love you! Will you marry me?" Pieces of cloth were placed right on the field.

Then Cameron invited the girl to take a ride on the plane, and then she saw this inscription from above. Once on the ground, he had already officially proposed to her. According to his father, he himself volunteered to help, because he really wanted his son to marry this "kind and pretty girl." “I can’t even wish for another daughter-in-law!” - he said.

When enterprising Texas resident Leslie Hippensteel discovered a video of her husband having sex with his mistress, she decided to act like Donald Trump's ex-wife Ivana bequeathed: "Never mind, take everything from him!" She began to blackmail her husband, declaring plans to send the video to his superiors at Houston Christian High School, where he worked. The ex-husband is not Trump, he gave her $ 7800 - everything he had.

It seems that the scandal was hushed up, but soon the video appeared on one of the porn sites. Leslie's ex-husband did not expect to become a "porn star" and indignantly sued his ex-wife. It turned out that the video was sent secretly by her boyfriend Saul Eisenberg. Now the couple will appear in court in mid-November for "illegal disclosure of personal video footage.