Texas’ ongoing investigations of parents who help their children obtain gender-affirming care has put the state’s child welfare agency at risk of collapse, staffers from the agency warn in a court filing. In an Aug. 25 brief filed with an Austin appeals court, 16 current and former Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) employees argue that a February order by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott demanding that the agency investigate families with transgender kids for potential child abuse charges is contributing to a dangerous and unprecedented staff exodus. Those departures are hindering DFPS’s ability to perform even basic functions and have contributed to a “constant state of crisis,” according to the brief, first reported on by the Austin-American Statesman.