In 1997, the Texas legislature radically reformed its child protective system by mandating that temporary foster care is limited to one year. The purpose of this paper is to analyze this reform. This paper examines the federal and state legislative background in child protection law and the social science research that supports resolving children's cases quickly. This paper also describes the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services' implementation of this new policy and the possible legal challenges that it may encounter in the future. This paper concludes that this reform has effectively required the state to move more quickly in child protection cases. Based on children's heightened sensitivity to the passage of time and the expense of temporary care to the state, this reform will benefit Texas children and the public at large.
