Scholarships

The NCJFCJ 88th Annual Conference will be held on July 20-23, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. This conference generally features plenary sessions on family law, juvenile justice, child welfare, and family violence. More information about the conference is available on the NCJFCJ website.

The Children’s Commission is offering up to 15 scholarships to qualifying Texas judges to attend the in-person 88th Annual Conference or the 2025 National Conference on Juvenile Justice Conference. Please note, this is a reimbursement scholarship and confirmed awardees will be required to cover their expenses up front in order to attend. Please read below for scholarship criteria, logistics, and a link to apply.

Scholarship Criteria:

To be eligible for a scholarship from the Children’s Commission, applicants must handle civil child welfare cases. Preference is given to judges who have larger percentages of their docket dedicated to child welfare cases. Additionally, all applicants must agree to complete a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission. Early applications are strongly encouraged due to the limited number of scholarships. 

This scholarship takes the form of reimbursed registration fees and allowable conference-related expenses, such as travel, lodging, and meals, up to $2,000 total. Any additional expenses must be covered by the scholarship recipient.

Scholarship Notification and Travel Logistics:

If you are awarded a scholarship, the Children’s Commission will notify you by January 7, 2025. Awardees will need to register themselves for the conference and make their own travel arrangements, including hotel reservations. Confirmed scholarship awardees may submit for reimbursement of eligible expenses upon return. For information regarding eligible travel expenses, please review the Commission’s travel reimbursement guidelines.

Please also note the following important dates:

• The early bird registration rate ends on June 6, 2025, and
• NCJFCJ’s final date to cancel registration is June 30, 2025 with a $100 fee.

Scholarship awardees will be responsible for monitoring the NCJFCJ’s cancellation policies and cancelling their own registration and travel plans in a timely manner, should they become unable to attend. The Children’s Commission cannot offer reimbursement for those who incur costs and do not attend. More information on NCJFCJ’s cancellation policies is available under their registration webpage.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc.

For questions regarding this scholarship, please contact the Children's Commission at CCscholarships@txcourts.gov.

Application Link and Deadline to Apply:

Applications will be accepted until midnight on Friday, January 3, 2025.

To apply for a scholarship, click the button below.

The NCJFCJ will host the 2025 National Conference on Juvenile Justice on March 16-19, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. The conference features plenary and breakout sessions on juvenile justice, trafficking, child welfare, highlighting court best practices, innovative solutions, and self-care. More information is available on the NCJFCJ website.

The Children’s Commission is offering up to 15 scholarships to qualifying Texas judges to attend the in-person 2025 National Conference on Juvenile Justice or the 88^th Annual Conference. Please note, this is a reimbursement scholarship and confirmed awardees will be required to cover their expenses up front in order to attend. Please read below for scholarship criteria, logistics, and a link to apply.

Scholarship Criteria:

To be eligible for a scholarship from the Children’s Commission, applicants must handle civil child welfare cases. Preference is given to judges who have larger percentages of their docket dedicated to child welfare cases. Additionally, all applicants must agree to complete a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission. Early applications are strongly encouraged due to the limited number of scholarships. 

This scholarship takes the form of reimbursed registration fees and allowable conference-related expenses, such as travel, lodging, and meals, up to $2,000 total. Any additional expenses must be covered by the scholarship recipient.

Scholarship Notification and Travel Logistics:

If you are awarded a scholarship, the Children’s Commission will notify you by January 7, 2025. Awardees will need to register themselves for the conference and make their own travel arrangements, including hotel reservations. Confirmed scholarship awardees may submit for reimbursement of eligible expenses upon return. For information regarding eligible travel expenses, please review the Commission’s travel reimbursement guidelines.

Please also note the following important dates:

• The early bird registration rate ends on February 7, 2025, and
• NCJFCJ’s final date to cancel registration is March 3, 2025 with a $100 fee.

Scholarship awardees will be responsible for monitoring the NCJFCJ’s cancellation policies and cancelling their own registration and travel plans in a timely manner, should they become unable to attend. The Children’s Commission cannot offer reimbursement for those who incur costs and do not attend. More information on NCJFCJ’s cancellation policies is available under their registration webpage.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc.

For questions regarding this scholarship, please contact the Children's Commission at CCscholarships@txcourts.gov.

Application Link and Deadline to Apply:

Applications will be accepted until midnight on Friday, January 3, 2025.

To apply for a scholarship, click the button below.

The State Bar of Texas, in collaboration with the Appellate Section of the State Bar, will host a Civil Appellate Practice 101 course in Austin on September 4, 2024, and via Webcast Replay on October 9, 2024. For more information, please see page 2 of the current course brochure.

The Children’s Commission is offering a limited number of registration reimbursement scholarships for attorneys to attend either the live one-day training or webcast replay. Please read below for scholarship criteria, attendance policy, and a link to apply.

Dates and Locations: 

• Live One-Day Training 
  September 4, 2024 
  Austin Marriott Downtown  
  304 E. Cesar Chavez St. 
  Austin, TX 78701
  
  
• Webcast Replay (virtual) 
  October 9, 2024 

Scholarship Details and Criteria: 

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of reimbursed registration fees to attend the live in-person training or virtual webcast replay. Applicants who meet all of the criteria detailed below will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis for the reimbursement scholarship. To meet the criteria, the applicant must: 

• currently represent the Department of Family and Protective Services or take court appointments on a child welfare docket, 
• express an interest in handling child welfare appeals,
• be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas and with their primary or appointing judge, and
• agree to completing a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission, if awarded a scholarship. 

In addition, preference may be given to attorneys who have not received scholarships from the Children’s Commission in the past 2 years.

Attendance Policy: 

This event is hosted by the State Bar of Texas. This scholarship opportunity is funded by a federal grant, which is managed by the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commission. The Children's Commission is responsible for reporting attendance in support of the grant expenses.

Applicants will be asked to verify their commitment to participate in the training in a timely manner to the Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Commission. If awarded a scholarship, awardees will be asked to verify their attendance. 

Scholarship recipients are required to participate and submit a completed post-event survey within 30 days of the event. 

All awardees are required to notify the Children’s Commission in writing and in advance if they can no longer participate or if they no longer need the registration scholarship. Please note that awardees who accept the scholarship and do not attend may deprive someone else of the opportunity to attend the training and may also disqualify the awardee from receiving a Commission scholarship in the future.

Application Link: 

Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. To apply, click the button below.

This application is closed. 

Notification and Logistics: 

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of reimbursed registration fees. If you are awarded a scholarship, the Children’s Commission will notify you after the scholarship application period has ended and we have verified your standing with the Bar. We hope to notify all applicants of their scholarship status no later than the week of August 19.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc. 

TexasBarCLE will host the 2024 Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) one-day Workshop during the Annual State Bar of Texas Advanced Family Law Course in San Antonio, TX. This one-day training covers current topics of interest to Texas attorneys who practice child welfare law. More information is available on the TexasBarCLE website.

The Children’s Commission will provide up to 100 registration scholarships to attorneys to attend the 2024 Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) Workshop on one of the dates and locations listed below. Please read below for details about scholarships to attend the CAN Workshop, criteria for applicants, logistics, and a link to apply.

Dates and Locations:

The one-day live CAN Workshop will be held on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, as an in-person event in San Antonio, Texas, and as in-person video replays held on September 13, 2024, in Dallas, Texas and on October 25, 2024, in South Padre Island, Texas.  Individuals who prefer to access the course remotely may attend one of two video replays on September 26, and October 10, 2024. More information about the course is available on the current CAN Workshop Brochure.

Live CAN One-Day Workshop
August 7, 2024
Marriott Rivercenter 
101 Bowie Street 
San Antonio, TX 78205 

Webcast Replay (virtual option) 
September 13, 2024
October 10, 2024

Video Replays:

September 13, 2024 
Courtyard Dallas Carrollton Conference Center
1201 Raiford Rd.
Carrollton, TX 75007

October 25, 2024
Hilton Garden Inn
7010 Padre Blvd.
South Padre Island, TX

Scholarship Details and Criteria:

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of waived registration fees ($125) to attend one of the CAN Workshop dates listed above. The scholarship covers registration for the CAN Workshop only and not the full Advanced Family Law Course. The Children’s Commission is not able to reimburse attorneys who pay the State Bar of Texas directly for registration to attend the one-day CAN Workshop.

Preference may be given to attorneys who have not received scholarships from the Children’s Commission within the past 2 years, and applicants who meet all the criteria detailed below will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis for a scholarship. To meet the criteria for this scholarship, the applicant must:

• currently represent DFPS or currently receive court appointments on a child welfare docket,
• be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas,
• receive support from their primary or appointing judge (to be requested by the Children’s Commission), and
• commit to completing a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission.

Judges with applicants from their jurisdiction will be notified by the Children’s Commission and asked to confirm that the applicant currently represents DFPS or currently receives appointments on their child welfare docket.

Attendance Policy:

This event is hosted by the State Bar of Texas. This scholarship opportunity is funded by a federal grant, which is managed by the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commission. The Children's Commission is responsible for reporting attendance in support of the grant expenses. All scholarship recipients will be expected of the following:

• Participate in the training on the event date they selected in their application.
• Complete a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission thereafter.
• Scholarship recipients attending virtual webcast replay courses will be asked to verify completion of the training within 30 days of the event.
• Awardees are required to notify the Children’s Commission in writing and in advance if they can no longer participate in their selected training or if they no longer need the registration scholarship. Please note that failure to attend the training may disqualify the awardee from receiving a Commission scholarship in the future.

Application Link and Deadline to Apply:

Applications will be accepted until midnight on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. This application period is now closed.

Scholarship Notification and Logistics:

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of waived registration fees. The Children’s Commission will notify scholarship recipients after the application period has ended and upon verification of eligibility. We hope to notify all applicants of their scholarship status no later than June 28, 2024.

The Children’s Commission will work with the State Bar to register all awardees directly. Awardees do not need to register themselves for the CAN Workshop date selected in their application. The registration scholarship will cover registration for the CAN Workshop only and not the full Advanced Family Law Course. Please note that the Children’s Commission is not able to reimburse attorneys who pay the State Bar of Texas directly for registration to attend the CAN Workshop.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc.

The NACC’s 47th National Child Welfare Law Conference is scheduled for August 12-14, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition, a second virtual conference will take place on September 11-13, 2024.  More information about conference registration and both agendas are available on the NACC website.

The Children’s Commission is offering up to 8 reimbursement scholarships to qualifying judges and attorneys to attend the in-person conference in Salt Lake City on August 12-14, 2024. The scholarship will take the form of reimbursement of up to $1,200 for the conference registration fee and eligible conference-related travel expenses to attend the NACC Conference. Registration to the in-person conference in Salt Lake City automatically includes registration to the virtual conference in September. Scholarships for attendance solely to the virtual conference in September are not available. Please read below for scholarship criteria, logistics, the attendance and cancellation policies, and a link to apply. 

Dates and Locations:

This scholarship covers the in-person conference registration, which also includes registration to the second, virtual conference in September.

NACC 46^th National Child Welfare Law Conference
In-Person Conference
August 12-14, 2024
Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City
170 West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Virtual Conference (included with in-person registration)
September 11-13, 2024

See the NACC website for more information about dates, location, and hotel information.

Scholarship Details and Criteria:

This scholarship is intended for judges and attorneys who want to attend the in-person conference in Salt Lake City and require financial assistance in order to attend. The scholarship will cover registration costs and conference-related travel expenses to Salt Lake City for a total of up to $1,200. The funds will be used toward the dual conference registration ($475), with remaining funds available for reimbursement of eligible conference-related travel expenses following the event (up to $725), for a total of up to $1,200. The Children’s Commission will pay conference registration fees directly to NACC for each recipient, and NACC will register all Commission scholarship awardees.

Attorney applicants who meet all the criteria detailed below will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis for a scholarship. Scholarships are limited and early applications are strongly encouraged. 

To meet the criteria for this scholarship, the applicant must: 

• currently represent DFPS or currently receive appointments on a child welfare docket, 
• be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas, 
• receive support from their primary or appointing judge (to be requested by the Children’s Commission), and 
• commit to timely completion of a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission. 

Please note, preference may be given to applicants who have not received a scholarship from the Children’s Commission within the past 2 years.

Judges with applicants from their jurisdiction will be notified by the Children’s Commission and asked to confirm that the applicant currently represents DFPS or currently receives appointments on their child welfare docket, and asked to respond regarding the applicant’s suitability for the NACC scholarship (the applicant does not need to initiate the communication with their judge).

Judicial applicants must primarily hear civil child welfare cases. Please note, preference may be given to practicing attorneys who apply for the scholarship. Judicial applicants from all geographical regions in Texas are encouraged to apply. Preference may also be given to attorneys and judges who have not received a scholarship from the Children’s Commission within the past 2 years.

Additionally, all applicants must agree to complete a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission. Applicants who meet all the criteria will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis for a scholarship, until all 8 spots are filled.  Early applications are strongly encouraged due to the limited number of scholarships.

Attendance Policy:

This event is hosted by the NACC. This scholarship opportunity is funded by a federal grant, which is managed by the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commission. The Children's Commission is responsible for reporting attendance in support of the grant expenses. All scholarship awardees will be expected to participate in the training in Salt Lake City on the event dates and to provide detailed responses to a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission thereafter.

Cancellation Policy:

This scholarship is intended for judges and attorneys who are interested in attending the in-person conference in Salt Lake City. If you are awarded a scholarship and then can no longer attend the conference in person, or no longer need the scholarship in order to attend, you must notify the Children’s Commission by July 11, 2024, so that we may cancel your registration without incurring any financial penalty.

Awardees who cancel their registration after July 11, 2024, causing the Children’s Commission to incur costs associated with their anticipated attendance, may become ineligible to receive any scholarship from the Children’s Commission for the next two years. Furthermore, the awardee’s managing attorney or judge will be notified of the late cancellation for any cancellation after July 11, 2024. 

Awardees with emergency situations requiring cancellation after July 11, 2024, must email Chelsea Martinez at CCscholarships@txcourts.gov mailto:as soon as possible so that the Commission can try and fill the slot from the waitlist.

Application Link and Deadline to Apply:

Applications will be accepted until midnight on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. This application period is now closed.

Scholarship Notification and Logistics:

If you are awarded a scholarship, the Children’s Commission will notify you after the scholarship application period has ended and we have verified your standing with the Bar and your eligibility with your primary or appointing judge. We hope to notify all applicants of their scholarship status no later than June 28, 2024.

If you are awarded a scholarship, the Children’s Commission will work with NACC to register you directly. Awardees do not need to register themselves for the conference. The reimbursement scholarship of $1,200 will be used to cover registration fees ($475), with remaining funds available for reimbursement of eligible conference-related travel expenses after the in-person event has concluded (up to $725).

A reimbursement form will be provided to awardees and must be submitted to the Children’s Commission within 45 days of travel. For information regarding eligible travel expenses for reimbursement, please review the Commission’s travel reimbursement guidelines. 

As stated above, we will register all scholarship awardees directly with NACC (no need to register yourself). However, all scholarship awardees are responsible for securing their own travel plans and hotel reservations, and awardees must cover these travel costs before the conference. Confirmed scholarship awardees may submit for reimbursement upon return. Awardees are also responsible for cancelling their own travel plans, should they become unable to attend. The Children’s Commission is not able to offer reimbursement for those who incur costs and do not attend.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc. 

TexasBarCLE will host the Handling Your First (or Next) Civil Appeal Webcast Replay on May 22, 2024. For more information on this course, please see the current brochure.

The Children’s Commission is offering a limited number of reimbursement scholarships for qualifying attorneys to attend the webcast replay. Please read below for scholarship criteria, attendance policy, and a link to apply.

Webcast Replay Date and Location:  

May 22, 2024; virtual

Scholarship Details and Criteria:  

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of reimbursed registration fees to attend the virtual webcast replay.

Applicants who meet all of the criteria detailed below will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis for either scholarship. To meet the criteria, the applicant must: 

• currently represent DFPS or take court appointments on a child welfare docket, 
• be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas, and
• commit to completing a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission. 

Preference may be given to attorneys who have not received scholarships from the Children’s Commission in the past year.

Attendance Policy:  

This event is hosted by the State Bar of Texas. This scholarship opportunity is funded by a federal grant, which is managed by the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commission. The Children's Commission is responsible for reporting attendance in support of the grant expenses.

Applicants will be asked to verify their commitment to participate in the training in a timely manner to the Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Commission. If awarded a scholarship, awardees will be asked to verify their attendance. 

Scholarship recipients are required to participate and submit a completed post-event survey within 30 days of the event, regardless of any extended access to the training. 

All awardees are required to notify the Children’s Commission in writing and in advance if they can no longer participate or if they no longer need the registration scholarship. Please note that awardees who accept the scholarship and do not attend may deprive someone else of the opportunity to attend the training and may also disqualify the awardee from receiving a Commission scholarship in the future. 

Application Link:  

Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. To apply, click the button below. 

Notification and Logistics:  

This scholarship will be awarded in the form of reimbursed registration fees. If you are awarded a scholarship, the Children’s Commission will notify you after the scholarship application period has ended and we have verified your standing with the Bar. We hope to notify all applicants of their scholarship status no later than the week of April 22.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc. 

The ABA’s Center on Children and the Law will host two national conferences in 2024: the Access to Justice for Children and Families Conference and the National Parent Representation Conference. These conferences bring together experienced child and parent attorneys, youth formerly in foster care, parents, judges, child welfare agency representatives, and other key stakeholders to receive not only substantive training, but also tips for returning to their home states to work on ways to improve the quality of legal representation for children and parents.

Please read below for details about scholarships to attend one of these national conferences, criteria for applicants, and a link to apply.

This scholarship is now closed. 

Dates and Locations:

The ABA Center on Children and the Law has announced it will host both national conferences in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia. The Access to Justice for Children and Families Conference is scheduled for April 9-10, 2024, and the National Parent Representation Conference is scheduled for April 11-12, 2024. For more information, please visit the ABA National Conferences web page.

The location for both conferences is:
Ritz Carlton Tysons Corner
1700 Tysons Boulevard
McLean, VA 22102
Hotel Information

Scholarship Details and Criteria:

The Children’s Commission will provide up to ten reimbursement scholarships to attend one of the two national conferences above. The scholarship will be in the form of reimbursement of up to $1,500 for the conference registration fee and eligible conference-related travel expenses to attend one of the conferences. Applicants who meet all of the criteria detailed below will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis for a scholarship. Scholarships are limited and early applications are strongly encouraged.

To meet the criteria for this scholarship, the applicant must:

• currently represent DFPS or take appointments on a child welfare docket,
• be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas,
• be supported by their appointing or presiding judge, and
• commit to timely completion of a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission.

Judges with applicants from their jurisdiction will be notified by the Children’s Commission and asked to confirm that the applicant currently represents DFPS or takes appointments on their CPS docket.

Attendance Policy:

This scholarship is funded by a federal grant, which is managed by the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commission. The Children's Commission is responsible for reporting attendance in support of the grant expenses. All scholarship awardees will be expected to participate in the training and to provide detailed responses to a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission thereafter.

The number of scholarships for this event is limited. Awardees who can no longer participate or no longer need the scholarship in order to attend should notify the Children’s Commission in writing and with as much advance notice as possible so that the scholarship may be offered to another applicant. Please note that awardees who accept the scholarship and subsequently do not attend the training deprive another qualified attorney of the opportunity which may also disqualify the awardee from receiving a Commission scholarship in the future.

Application Link and Deadline to Apply:

Applications will be accepted until midnight on Friday, January 12, 2024. This scholarship is now closed. 

Scholarship Notification and Logistics:

The Children’s Commission will notify awardees after the scholarship application period has ended and after we have verified your standing with the Bar and your eligibility with your primary judge. We hope to notify all applicants of their scholarship status by January 19, 2024.

Each scholarship awardee will receive up to $1,500 in reimbursement after the event to cover registration and eligible conference-related travel expenses. A reimbursement form will be provided to awardees and must be submitted to the Children’s Commission within 45 days of travel. For information regarding eligible travel expenses for reimbursement, please review the Commission’s travel reimbursement guidelines.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for securing their own registration, hotel, and travel plans, and awardees must cover these costs before the training. Confirmed scholarship awardees may submit for reimbursement upon return. Please note that the early bird registration rate for both ABA conferences ends on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.

Awardees are also responsible for cancelling their own registration and travel plans in a timely manner, should they become unable to attend. The Children’s Commission is not able to offer reimbursement for those who incur costs and do not attend. Please note that per the ABA, the final date to cancel registration is April 5, 2024. If cancelled by 04/5/2024, ABA will charge a $50 cancellation fee and refund the remainder.

All scholarship awardees are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer.

The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc. The Children’s Commission is not responsible for applying for or reporting out of state CLE credit to the State Bar of Texas on behalf of individual attendees.

Helpful Links:

ABA National Conferences web page
Hotel Information