MISSION

To equip the parents of children who have been removed from their homes by Children's Protective Services (CPS) with the necessary tools to become successful families by providing guidance with dignity, support services, education, and resource coordination in Texas and beyond, to promote family reunification, and to provide preventative help to families at risk for abuse and neglect.

VISION

It is in the best interest of a child for his or her parents to get better.

PHILOSOPHY

Reunifying families and preventing future abuse and neglect.

PARENTS!!!  If you are under investigation by CPS OR

if your child has ALREADY been removed from your home by CPS,

then immediately download this guide:

"A Family's Guide to the Child Welfare System"

Executive Director, Johana Scot, featured in new book about everyday citizens making a difference.

BEING THE DIFFERENCE: True Stories of Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things to Change the World

Click here for link to book at Amazon.com

WE SEEK TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM THROUGH AWARENESS, ANOTHER SIDE NOT OFTEN HEARD-THE FORGOTTEN STAKEHOLDER-THE PARENTS

2010 Child Welfare Census

ADULTS COUNT TOO

Adults are just as effected by the child welfare system as children.  In fact, whenever a child is brought into the system, there are at least 2 adults (biological parents) effected, not to mention the entire extended family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.  Even friends and neighbors are impacted by the child welfare system when they know someone that is involved with CPS.  So Parent Guidance Center decided to do our own "child welfare census" to see just how many adults are being effected currently or have been effected in the past by CPS involvement.  We have often said:

"IF WE HAD A DOLLAR FOR EVERY PERSON WE HAVE RUN ACROSS THAT HAS BEEN IMPACTED BY CPS,

WE COULD RAISE ENOUGH MONEY TO HELP THEM ALL!"

Now it's your turn to help Parent Guidance Center help families and protect parental rights.  If you have been personally impacted by Child Protective Services - no matter what state you live in or lived in at time of the CPS involvement OR if you have personally known anyone over the years who was effected by CPS - that counts too - then take action now:

SEND ONE DOLLAR

That's it - ONE DOLLAR - and list the state where involvement occurred.

We are going to count every dollar as ONE PERSON effected by CPS and start keeping statistics for every dollar counted from each state.  Every dollar will represent ONE PERSON impacted by CPS.  Then we will start tabulating this on our website and watch the numbers grow.

Why count adults?  Isn't the goal to help children?

YES, of course the goal is always to help children, but it is Parent Guidance Center's motto to

"Help a parent and you've already helped child."

There are numerous surveys and statistics around the nation being kept on children in the CPS system (including the national Kids Count survey by Annie E. Casey Foundation), but never before have we seen a count of how many adults have been effected by the child welfare system.  Kids grow up to be adults and become parents and then often get involved with the child welfare system again.  We want to stop the cycle by helping people now.

That takes money.

The 2 co-founders of Parent Guidance Center have selflessly and relentlessly defended parental rights at the local, state, and national levels FOR FREE for the past 6 years.  They have sacrificed for parents and families - their time, their own money, and their reputations - all for YOU - parents and future parents.

It is time to stand up and be counted and help the cause.

Send

ONE DOLLAR

And list the STATE where CPS involvement took place.

That's it.

If you would like to give your email address for future correspondence, that is fine too, but we do not require ANY personal information at all.  Your ONE DOLLAR will count as a statistic for your state.  You can send a dollar via mail:

9600 Escarpment Blvd, Suite 745-255,

Austin, TX  78749

OR

by clicking the donate button.  If you wish to donate MORE than ONE DOLLAR, we would of course appreciate that very much!  It will still count as ONE PERSON in our "2010 Child Welfare Census."

Thank you for your help and support and let's make our DOLLARS COUNT!

Parental Rights are Under Attack

Help us help families by protecting parental rights, watching for and influencing new laws and policies that may adversely effect families in the future, and by donating to our organization so that we may keep up this good fight.

We had a very successful fight for families during 2009 (81st Texas Legislature) but we need your help to continue our valuable work.  Whether you knew it or not, PGC was defending your parental rights at the Texas state capitol as well as at the national level this past year.  We fought bad legislation, sought to change legislation to lean in favor of families, and supported good legislation that helped parents and children.  But this task comes at a price.  It takes hard-working, tenacious parent advocates to point to the large, white elephant in the room.  It takes brave advocates to often be the only ones in meetings speaking the truth and pointing out negative consequences of policies and actions in an industry focused on tearing families apart.

Through our work, we have learned that it takes a very respectful, delicate balance to keep parental rights in tact while also protecing children.  The two are not mutually exclusive.  We believe that children can remain protected from abuse and neglect without destroying parental rights.
Please help us with our goals to protect children and families and help parents do the best job they can do.

And thank you to all who have supported us since our beginning in 2004.  It's been a wild, but successful ride and we hope to keep up this important work in the future with your continued help and support.

THANK YOU

(For a tax-deductible contribution to our work, please click on the "Donate" button)