CPS 2.8: Texas Child Welfare Exits by Type, Placements, and Duration FY2016-2025

Texas DFPS data counts children exiting state custody, their average time in care, and number of placements from fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The dataset, sourced from data.texas.gov, includes breakdowns by county, region, and specific exit type such as adoption or aging out. Columns suggest metrics for analyzing child welfare system performance and outcomes over a nine-year period.

Use Cases

• Analyzing trends in exit types (Type of Exit) and duration (Average Months in Custody) over Fiscal Year.
• Comparing regional performance by aggregating metrics like Exits During Fiscal Year and Average Placements while in DFPS Legal Responsibility per Exit by Region.
• Modeling the relationship between the number of placements (Average Placements while in DFPS Legal Responsibility per Exit) and time in care (Average Months in Custody) for different counties (County).

Strengths

• Covers a nine-year time range from fiscal year 2016 to 2025.
• Includes granular geographic breakdowns by County and Region.
• Provides three key performance metrics: exit counts, average placements, and average custody duration.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), published on data.texas.gov.

Collection Method

Administrative records from the state child welfare system, likely compiled for reporting.

Time Range

Fiscal years 2016 through 2025.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-02-10 23:18:10; freshness should be verified.

Geography

State of Texas, with data available at the county and region level.