On-Demand Training & MCLE: Webinars

The Children’s Commission promotes child welfare-related legal education by providing online CLE content generated by the Commission; by producing child welfare law-related CLE in partnership with various stakeholders, including TexasBarCLE; and by obtaining Texas Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE), Family Violence credit hours for judges as applicable, and Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) credit for continuing legal education both in Texas and occasionally from other jurisdictions.

These CLEs are offered “on demand” on the Commission website at no cost for judges and attorneys. Some jurisdictions may consider these offerings to meet the statutory three-hour education requirements in Texas Family Code Sections 107.004 and 107.0131 for attorneys to qualify for court appointments on child protection dockets or to qualify to remain on a court-appointed list. These offerings may also be considered to meet statutory required trauma-informed training hours. The determination of whether a CLE offering meets the statutory requirements for trauma-informed training or to receive appointments and/or to qualify to remain on a court-appointment list for child welfare cases is at the discretion of the attorney’s appointing judge.

Please navigate below for more information on current CLE offerings. For assistance with training related matters, including obtaining MCLE self-report information or Judicial Family Violence credit after viewing the webinar, please contact CCtraining@txcourts.gov.

Upcoming Webinars:

July Webinar: Representing DFPS in Child Welfare Cases

Friday, July 31, 2026

12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.

The Children’s Commission will host a webinar on Friday, July 31, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. entitled “Representing DFPS in Child Welfare Cases.” This is the third session in a three-part webinar series on legal representation for children, parents, and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).

Tiffany Reedy, Managing Counsel for the Child Protective Services and Disability & Elder Law Divisions of the Harris County Attorney’s Office in Houston, Texas, and Deborah Hinds, Child Protective Services Chief/Assistant County Attorney, Parker County, in Weatherford, Texas, will share practical guidance and best practices for representing DFPS throughout a child welfare case. The presentation will include a discussion on fulfilling legal requirements, maintaining effective client communication, and advocating on behalf of DFPS in court proceedings.

MCLE credit is pending. This presentation will be archived, and materials will be available on the Children’s Commission website following the live webinar.

 

Webinar Topics:

Child Welfare Related CLE through TexasBarCLE

From 2012 through 2019, the Children’s Commission partnered with TexasBarCLE to broadcast a day-long, 6 MCLE hours’ worth of training for attorneys who represented children, parents, and DFPS in child welfare proceedings. The Commission also worked with TexasBarCLE in 2022 to produce “Building Better Youth Outcomes: The Importance of Being Trauma Informed,” for 1 hour of MLE credit, including 1 hour of ethics. At this time, the Commission’s partnership with TexasBarCLE is focused on participating in the Child Protection Law Section’s Curriculum Committee and supporting that Section through a grant for scholarships to their annual Advanced Training and the annual Child Abuse and Neglect Workshop.

The TexasBarCLE’s Online Classroom of child welfare-related courses is available at a reduced rate to court-appointed attorneys representing children and/or parents. For attorneys representing the State of Texas, TexasBarCLE provides scholarships based on financial need. Judges and their full-time staff attorneys can view these offerings for free.

To view the list of MCLE courses offered through TexasBarCLE, please link below to search for Child Welfare Practice Area offerings: TexasBarCLE Online Classroom

TexasBar CLE Website

To register for any CLE course, one must be a registered user of the State Bar's website. The account is free and registrants do not have to be a member of the State Bar of Texas.

Offerings available in the Child Welfare Practice area of TexasBarCLE’s Online Classroom may be considered in some jurisdictions to meet the statutory three-hour continuing legal education requirements and/or trauma-informed training requirements set forth in Texas Family Code Sections 107.004 and 107.0131 for attorneys to qualify for court appointments on child protection dockets or to qualify to remain on a court-appointed list. The determination of whether a MCLE offering meets the requirements to receive appointments and/or to qualify to remain on a court-appointment list to represent children and/or parents in child welfare cases is at the discretion of the appointing judge.

Additionally, the TexasBarCLE Online Library offers reports and written materials.

Live broadcasts are archived in the TexasBarCLE’s Child Welfare Practice Area in their Online Classroom. Courses in the Online Classroom are added and rotated off periodically, as needed.