Dallas, TX
After 2 infants died, court intervention sought over Dallas area foster care contractor
In the two years since a nonprofit organization took over care of foster children in several North Texas counties, two infants have died and countless other children have been put in danger by the agency’s poor management, according to court documents.
On Wednesday, a Dallas County District Court judge agreed to appoint a third party to oversee the agency’s management for at least three months after repeated attempts by state officials to bring it in line failed.
The request for oversight was made by the state Department of Family and Protective Services in a court petition filed earlier this week. Lawyers for Empower – the nonprofit DFPS contracted to handle foster care in nine North Texas counties, including Dallas and Collin counties – agreed to the appointment during Wednesday’s brief court hearing.
Two lawyers representing Empower during Wednesday’s hearing declined to comment as they left the courtroom.
Judge Monica Purdy appointed George Cannata, a child welfare expert with nearly 30 years of experience, to serve as receiver and oversee Empower’s handling of cases. Among Cannata’s duties are to take whatever action is necessary to ensure the safety and welfare of the children in Empower’s care, and to manage, hire and fire staff as needed.
“Any intervention that will better ensure the safety of Dallas County children is a positive development,” said Kathleen LaValle, CEO of Dallas’ CASA, which consists of a trained group of volunteers appointed by judges to advocate for children in foster care.
“Dallas CASA will continue to stand in the gaps whenever possible to protect children and support families,” LaValle said. “But solving the serious workforce issues Empower has struggled with since the first day it assumed responsibility for case management is not easy. In the meantime, while Empwer’s workforce hopefully becomes more stable and experienced, intensified review of its case managers’ performance by the receiver and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services may help identify critical issues before a child is hurt.”
Empower was awarded the contract to manage foster care in Dallas, Collin, Grayson, Kaufman, Hunt, Rockwell, Ellis, Navarro and Fannin counties in February 2023 and took control in March 2024. The state retained oversight under the contract, but turned over most responsibilities for the children over to Empower, including finding homes for them and supervising their cases.
In the past two years, the organization has had 17 quality improvement plans put in place for a variety of perceived missteps, including late reporting, unsafe transport of children and contract breaches, according to the petition for oversight filed by the attorney general’s office. Over the last year, two corrective action plans were created for caseload failures, late court reports, undocumented visits, and two judicial contempt findings totaling $1,000, the document said.
“DFPS has determined that Empower presents an imminent danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the children under the conservatorship.” the court filing said. “Empower has struggled to maintain proper caseloads for its case workers, endured turnover of case workers, has not been able to provide appropriate services to children in the conservatorship of DFPS, and failed to follow DFPS policy.”
The two infant deaths noted in the document occurred in November 2024 and March 2026.
The first case began in October 2023 after a 2-month-old boy was removed from his parents’ care after he was found to have multiple fractures in different stages of healing. When the child’s mother became pregnant again, Empower failed to create a plan for the new baby’s arrival, according to DFPS. The child was born Nov. 1, 2024 and died from non-accidental trauma Nov. 24, 2024.
The second death involved a baby that was 2 months old when Empower got involved. The infant and its 2-year-old sibling were removed from their parents’ home in May 2025 and placed in foster care after the baby suffered non-accidental injuries.
In December, Empower allowed the children to return home, despite having only seen the parents twice during the several months the children were in foster care. The agency failed to ensure the parents got the services they needed, didn’t properly assess the safety of the children’s return, and only saw the siblings once a month during announced visits once they were back home, the document said. Less than three months after the return, the infant suffered more intentional injuries and died a few weeks later.
The judge’s order stated that Empower continues to fail to perform satisfactorily despite the quality improvement plans, corrective actions and other remedial measures put in place by the state, and poses imminent danger to the children under its care. The order is set to expire in 90 days unless DFPS requests an extension.
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The Dallas Cowboys have made a ton of notable moves this offseason, mostly in an attempt to overhaul the defense. That was one of the top priorities following another disappointing season, but now other areas of the roster are coming to the forefront.
On special teams, Cowboys fan have been eagerly waiting to get answer about the future of star kicker Brandon Aubrey, who entered this offseason seeking a new contract.
The Cowboys placed a restricted tender on Aubrey worth one year for about $5.7 million. This doesn’t guarantee he will remain with Dallas for next season, but the clock is now ticking on what his fate will be for the 2026 season.
As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday, Aubrey now has until Friday if he wants to sign an offer sheet with another team, but no such offer has been made yet. If that remains the case by the deadline, Aubrey will be a Cowboy next year before getting the chance to renegotiate a new contract next offseason.
Cowboys Have Made Their Intentions Clear With Brandon Aubrey
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it clear last month that the front office values Aubrey and wants to offer him a new deal in the future. But for now, it’s likely he will play the 2022 season on the tender.
“We first of all think he’s outstanding, love his story, love the fact that the story is with the Cowboys,” Jones said, via ESPN’s Todd Archer. “We feel good that what we are talking about is an appreciation of what he can do for us. And so that’s a way of not trying to negotiate with anything that I might say here, but we’ve got a good offer on the table for him.”
Aubrey has been one of the league’s most dangerous weapons over the past few seasons and is certainly deserving of being the highest-paid kicker in NFL history, whether that’s in Dallas or elsewhere.
Last season, he went 36 of 42 on field goals with a long of 64 yards. All six of his misses came from 50+ yards out. He made 47 of 48 extra points.
It will be tough for Aubrey to replicate his 2023 season when he made all 10 of his 50+ yard field goals while going 36 of 38 on the year, but it’s hard argue that he’s not the best kicker in the NFL.
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To say the 2025-26 season was a disaster for the Dallas Mavericks would be a massive understatement. They thought they could make a deep postseason run with the star rookie Cooper Flagg flanked by Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, but that never ended up happening.
Flagg was spectacular, putting up historic numbers. Anthony Davis played only 20 games before he was salary-dumped to the Washington Wizards, and Kyrie Irving never played this season as he recovered from a torn ACL. All of that led to the Mavs finishing with an abysmal 26-56 record.
As they enter the offseason, here are the three biggest questions we’re asking.
Who Do the Mavericks Hire As General Manager/President of Basketball Operations?
The Dallas Mavericks fired Nico Harrison in November, which was about 9 months too late, but they need to find his replacement. Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley have performed admirably in their co-interim GM setup, being able to pull off the Anthony Davis trade, while adding in Jaden Hardy and D’Angelo Russell, which opened a lot of future financial flexibility.
However, the Mavericks want to go big game hunting. Tim Connelly and Koby Altman have been mentioned as possibilities, as Dumont wants the best executive personnel possible.
Whoever is hired will have to execute in this upcoming draft, but they’ll have some options about what to do with their space below the first tax apron. Do they use it to bring in additional picks? Can they use Khris Middleton’s Bird Rights to secure a high-value free agent? They’ll have a few different options at their disposal.
Who Do the Mavericks Take in the NBA Draft Lottery?
The 2026 NBA Draft is the last year the Mavericks have control over their first-round pick until 2031. 2027’s is top-2 protected, it goes to the Charlotte Hornets, 2028 and 2030 are pick swaps owned by the San Antonio Spurs and OKC Thunder, and 2029’s is currently owned by the Houston Rockets.
That makes it imperative to nail the 2026 NBA Draft. They’ll have a lottery pick, though the exact pick won’t be known until the lottery is held in May. They also have the 30th overall pick and a mid-second round pick. Capitalizing on that lottery pick is a must, though. That’s their best and possibly only chance to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star.
What Does Kyrie Irving Look Like When He Comes Back?
Kyrie Irving possibly could’ve returned during the season, but they decided to let him recover all year, mostly because of the state the team was in. How they think he will look next season will impact their entire offseason and draft process.
If they think he can bounce back to form, then they need to add the right complement to him in the backcourt. If they think he’ll come back a step slowed, they may need to consider a trade.
Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2025-26 season
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