Joyce James, LMSW-AP
Assistant Commissioner
Child Protective Services
PO Box 149030
Austin, TX 78714-9030 |
Texas
For more than 27 years, Joyce James has provided dedicated services
to children and families suffering the effects of child abuse and neglect.
Currently, she leads the Texas child welfare system in the capacity of
Assistant Commissioner for Child Protective Services. With Ms. James
as Assistant Commissioner, Texas has renewed its commitment to
families and children, as evident in the tremendous increase in adoptions,
the strengthening of kinship caregiver support, and the inclusion
of the youth and parent voice. Her leadership inspires and provides the
backbone for the CPS mission statement—“Children First: Protected
and Connected.”
Ms. James also has served on multiple oversight committees and
boards of directors of organizations in the fields of child welfare, adoption,
and advocacy. She is the founder of Project HOPE, Helping Our
People Excel—a community initiative bringing multiple human service
agencies together to focus on the over-representation of African
American children in foster care and juvenile probation within Jefferson
County. Now replicated in five additional sites, Ms. James works to
promote this effective and collaborative model statewide.
To build on a shared vision and commitment to examine disproportionality
and cultural insensitivity in the Texas child welfare system,
Ms. James advocated for the creation of a close working relationship
between Casey Family Programs and Child Protective Services. She
has addressed the Texas legislature regarding her concern about the
disproportionality of African American children in the Child Protective
Services system, advocating for the agency to take a close look at policies,
practices, and procedures that may contribute to disparity. Her advocacy
contributed to mandated provisions in Senate Bill 6 by the 79th
Texas legislature requiring system improvements specific to addressing
disproportionality. Ms. James provides the strong and innovative leadership
necessary to confront institutional racism and improve outcomes
for all children. She has been honored nationally for her leadership in
the area of disproportionality with the Villeria Bullard Black Administrator
of the Year Award in 2006 and the Director's Award of the Family
Preservation Institute of New Mexico State University, Las Cruces.
A lifelong advocate on behalf of children and families, Joyce James
embodies the vision and values of Child Protective Services.
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