For help with finding resources for food, housing, mental health, legal aide, veterans, employment, disability, and more, visit the 211Texas website.

The Texas Office of the Attorney General and its shared parenting program operate a telephone hotline to provide easy, statewide access to basic legal information, education, and resources for parents and other interested parties who do not have access to an attorney. Attorneys at the hotline can address the following issues:

• Access, visitation, and custody;

• Conservatorship and parental rights;

• Paternity establishment as part of establishing a parenting (possession) order; and

• The link between your parenting order and the child and medical support process.

Call the Access and Visitation hotline 866-292-4636, Monday through Friday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Central. The Hotline does not accept messages.

If you are in the process of getting a child support order, the hotline attorneys can explain what you can expect to happen next.

If you already have a child support order, and you’d like to change it or enforce it, The Office of the Attorney General can help you.

For more information on the district court process in Texas go to www.texascourthelp.org.

The State of Texas Office of the Attorney General’s Child Support Division now has an area that allows users to create their personalized online profile and password to securely access their case information.

Bell County District Courts have original jurisdiction in felony criminal cases, divorce cases, cases involving title to land, election contest cases, civil matters in which the amount of money or damages involved is $200 or more, and any matters in which jurisdiction is not placed in another trial court.

You can also report child maltreatment 24/7 at the ChildHelp hotline by calling 800-4-A-CHILD or 800-422-4453.

Do you suspect someone of child abuse or neglect? Call the Texas Child Protective Services Hotline 800-252-5400 or report online. Both are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Collin County District Courts have original jurisdiction in felony criminal cases, divorce cases, cases involving title to land, election contest cases, civil matters in which the amount of money or damages involved is $200 or more, and any matters in which jurisdiction is not placed in another trial court.

Are you specifically looking for help with CPS issues? The CPS Family Helpline for Strong Families and Safe Children can assist you with questions such as, “What is involved in a CPS investigation? Will I need a lawyer?”

You can speak with an experienced child welfare attorney about Child Protective Services (CPS) issues in Texas. They provide callers with reliable legal information and education in an over the phone, anonymous setting. Anyone may call the Family Helpline, not just the parents of children involved with Child Protective Services. We frequently speak with extended relatives, family friends, and other concerned community members. There are no eligibility requirements. They accept all callers with questions about Texas Child Protective Services.

Monday - Friday | 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

844-888-6565

Families In Crisis, Inc. (FIC), houses, supports, and empowers people experiencing family violence, sexual violence, and homelessness. FIC envisions families and individuals that experience comfort and safety through the shelter and services of FIC, leading to restoration, wholeness, and self-sufficiency.

Texas Family Code Laws are a body of statutory laws that contain all the formal rules that govern family law in Texas. As one might imagine, family law is quite broad, and as such, the Family Code covers quite a large range of topics, including marriage, divorce, custody, adoption, and family relations.

The Family Place empowers you to escape from family violence and become a survivor. Whether the abuse you suffer is physical, emotional, verbal or financial, they provide a safe place to heal and the counseling and resources you need to start down the path to independence. All services are free and offered in English and in Spanish. Some of their services include:

• 24 hour crisis hotline,

• Emergency shelter,

• Crisis and community-based counseling for adults and children

• Medical and dental care

• Early childhood education, K-2 school and after-school and summer programs for children

• Job, technical and life skills training for adults

• Animal shelter for dogs and cats

• Transitional housing

• Incest recovery

• Battering intervention and recovery (fee for class)

• Work training

• Legal services
  

Their crisis hotline is 214-941-1991.

The Foster Care Ombudsman can answer questions or help resolve a complaint about foster care cases. Anything you share with the ombudsman is confidential.

Call: 844-286-0769, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday. If you have a hearing or speech disability, call the toll-free Relay Texas service at 711 or 800-735-2989.

Online: Submit your question or complaint online.

Mail: Texas Health and Human Services Commission Foster Care Ombudsman, P.O. Box 13247, Austin, TX 78711-3247

Fax: 888-780-8099

Denton County Friends Of the Family is the sole provider in Denton County of shelter and free outreach services to those who have been affected by relationship violence and/or sexual assault. DCFOF receives funding from federal, state, and local government agencies, the United Way of Denton County, corporations, foundations, groups and individuals. The agency looks forward to carefully designed expansion of existing programs and new initiatives to increase awareness of DCFOF services and to help end the generational cycle of violence.

A Home Within provides open-ended, individual psychotherapy, free of charge, to current and former foster youth. With a mission to create and support lasting, caring relationships for children and youth in foster care, A Home Within identifies, recruits, trains, and supports a network of licensed therapists who each provide free, weekly, one-to-one therapy to a single foster youth "for as long as it takes." For foster youth who often watch people move in and out of their lives, our model creates an anchor of support.

Hope’s Door, located in Plano, was established in 1985 as the result of a local needs assessment study commissioned by the Junior League of Plano. At that time, Collin County was the only densely populated area without a full-service shelter for victims of domestic violence. New Beginning Center, located in Garland, was established in 1983 by the members of the Garland Service League and initially provided women’s counseling services. The New Beginning Center emergency shelter opened in 1998 which also added a fully staffed 24-hour crisis hotline.

Over time, both agencies were able to offer more extensive counseling services for adults, children, and adolescents, legal services, transitional housing, an education center, and a Battering Intervention and Prevention Program (BIPP). In 2016, the organizations merged to form Hope’s Door New Beginning Center and continue to provide services in Dallas, Garland, Plano, and the surrounding cities in North Texas.

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (LANWT) is a non-profit organization that provides free representation on civil cases to low-income people throughout North and West Texas. LANWT’s staff attorneys provide free civil legal services to income-eligible residents in 114 Texas counties from branch offices located in Abilene, Amarillo, Brownwood, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, Lubbock, McKinney, Midland, Odessa, Plainview, San Angelo, Waxahachie, Weatherford and Wichita Falls.

Need legal help on a case? Their website has information on lawyers who can help with foster care and adoption cases.

Legal Zoom is an online legal company that helps its customers create legal documents without having to hire a lawyer.

Texas' MealFinder Map for K-12 students is now live. You can find more than 1,000 sites where free meals - both breakfast and lunch.

National Adoption Day is celebrated on the third Saturday every November, prior to Thanksgiving. Events are held all over the country to celebrate this holiday. Communities and courts join efforts to find the right families for children in the foster care system. Attorneys, Photographers, and Videographers will often donate their time in celebration of this holiday.

Nolo is an online legal company with thousands of do-it-yourself products, including legal forms, online documents, books, e-books, and software.

Do you have an issue with Child Protective Services? Call the Office of Consumer Relations - Texas Department of Family and Protective Services at 1-800-720-7777 during regular business hours or email OCR@dfps.state.tx.us.

Are you a foster-connected youth worried about transitioning out of foster care? Find information about the Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program here.

Talking Parents is the only co-parenting app that allows parents to have secure video calls without ever disclosing their phone numbers to one another. Co-parents on our Free Plan can receive phone calls. Co-parents on our Standard Plan can receive phone and video calls.

Their Premium Plan allows co-parents to make and receive phone and video calls. It also gives co-parents unlimited access to audio and video recordings and transcripts of every call. The Premium Plan includes 120 free calling minutes each month. If you ever run out of minutes, you can purchase additional calling minutes at any time.

They provide services to people with a mental health issue. For mental health or substance use emergencies where your safety or the safety of others is at immediate risk, dial 9-1-1.

The first step when seeking help for non-emergency mental health or substance use challenges is to find services in your area. You may call the referral line in your area for confidential help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you feel you are experiencing a mental health or substance use emergency but your safety or the safety of others is not at immediate risk, please contact:

• Help line: 866-378-8440

• The 988 Suicide and Crisis -

• Lifeline: Dial 9-8-8

• Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 9-8-8, option 1

• 24/7 Crisis Text Line: Text TX to 741741

• Texas 2-1-1: Dial 2-1-1, option 8

• COVID-19 Mental Health Support Line at 833-986-1919

• Visit Mentalhealthtx.org

Founded by Muslim women, Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation empowers, promotes, and supports all women and their families - a mission that ultimately creates stronger communities. Since 2005, Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation has been an ambassador of the peaceful, caring Muslim community. Their programs are designed to promote peace in the home and the community through a comprehensive strategy of prevention and intervention. They have been recognized across the region and nation for their innovation, sensitivity, and inclusivity.

If you are or were in Texas foster care, the Texas Youth Connection can help you find the resources to transition into successful adulthood. No one should age out alone. If you are about to transition out of care, please look at Preparation For Adult Living (PAL) on this page as well.

The Texas Youth Helpline is a free and confidential resource for youth open 24/7 to help listen to your problem, help you consider your choices, and develop a sensible solution. Call or text them at 800-989-6884. They also have an online chat.

We The People helps consumers represent themselves (pro se) in uncontested legal matters by preparing/typing the necessary legal documents at their directions and to court standards. They offer high-quality, accurate, and affordable legal document preparation. By doing it themselves, consumers usually save 50-70% of the typical fees and costs.