Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services

05/20/2026

Huge congratulations to our very own Angela (Fountain) Davis for being named the CPS Worker of the Year by CASA of South Mississippi! 🌟

Angela’s dedication to protecting Mississippi's children while ensuring parents have the vital resources they need to succeed is a testament to her character and professionalism. As our partners at CASA noted, her work ethic is bar none, and her seamless collaboration with their team makes a lasting impact every single day.

Thank you, Angela, for your tireless commitment to the safety and well-being of the children and families we serve. We are incredibly proud to have you on the MDCPS team!

05/07/2026

Building Bridges 2026 is heading to Gulfport this June 11–12, and we’re excited to see this training opportunity expanded to the community. Foster parents attending can earn approved training hours while exploring sessions like the Caregiver Track and Trust-Based Workplaces. See the original post below for full details and registration.

We are excited to share that the Building Bridges 2026 TBRI Training Conference is coming to Gulfport! This year’s event features an expanded invitation for the entire community, offering a great opportunity for parents and child-serving professionals to learn Trust-Based Relational Intervention principles together.

June 11–12, 2026 | Thursday & Friday
9:00 AM – 4:30 PM | 15053 John Clark Rd, Gulfport

Foster parents who attend are eligible for approved training hours through sessions like the Caregiver Track and TBRI® Camp Training. Registration is $35 per day to cover meals. Visit https://reg.extension.msstate.edu/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0081-0004-93e8870d23d1446e8e59a5c7986ef845 to learn more and register for this excellent training and support opportunity.

05/01/2026

May is National Foster Care Month, a time to celebrate the people who show up for Mississippi’s children every single day.

Our mission is to ensure every child has a safe, loving place to call home. We are deeply grateful for the compassion and dedication of our foster parents—their commitment provides the stability and hope our children need to thrive.

We are looking forward to celebrating foster families at upcoming Foster Parent Appreciation events scheduled for May and June. For more information on these events, or to learn how you can become a foster parent, please reach out to us at [email protected] and follow our MDCPS Foster Parent Recruitment and Support pages on Facebook and Instagram.

04/23/2026

A huge thank you to MDCPS ADC- Wellbeing & Permanency Melody Vaughn and her wonderful sisters from the Jackson Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for an incredibly generous donation! Last Friday, with MDCPS Senior Clinical Officer Kimberly Wheaton in attendance, the group presented 60 beautifully packed toiletry bags to help ease the transition for children entering foster care. We are so grateful for this bright showing of community support and the compassion it takes to ensure Mississippi's children have exactly what they need.

04/16/2026

Last month’s 2026 NASW Conference in Jackson offered focused technical training that defines our agency’s standards. Commissioner Andrea Sanders and Attorney Chad King provided a comprehensive overview of Mandatory Reporting. Our Mississippi Academic Pathways (MAP) Program leaders also met in person to discuss internships, training, upcoming conferences, and general updates. These sessions are examples of our ongoing commitment to pre-service training and continuing education, keeping our staff sharp.

Now during Child Abuse Prevention Month, we highlight that professional readiness protects Mississippi’s children. We prioritize academic and specialized training, ensuring our social workers have the expertise to keep children safe.

04/13/2026

Celebrating continued progress for Mississippi’s children and families. 💙

At Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services, our mission remains clear—to protect children and strengthen families—and partnerships like these help move that work forward every day.

We are grateful for the leadership and support of Governor Tate Reeves and the Administration for Children and Families - ACF in strengthening our child welfare system and investing in solutions that prioritize safety, stability, and strong families.

ACF announces the first cohort of states to join “A Home for Every Child!”

15 jurisdictions — Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Rhode Island, and D.C. — have pledged to increase their ratio of foster homes to child in care.

Learn more: https://acf.gov/media/press/2026/15-jurisdictions-commit-acf-effort-close-foster-home-gap-home-every-child

04/09/2026

Exciting things happening in Lee County and North Mississippi!

We are grateful to the Lee County, MS Board of Supervisors for their partnership in expanding MDCPS office space—an investment that strengthens our ability to serve children and families across the region. This collaborative effort, supported by state and federal funding, ensures our team has the space and resources needed to better support the families we serve locally.

As Assistant Deputy Commissioners Veronica Agnew and Kelly Fleming shared, our goal remains the same: to support families with the services and resources they need to stabilize and keep children safely in their homes.

We look forward to opening our doors and continuing this important work together. 💙

Serving Families in Lee County and North Mississippi

Lee County Supervisors toured the newly-expanded offices for the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services. Lee County is providing 10,400 additional square feet of space in a cooperative effort that includes both state and federal funding. Supervisors President Barry Parker said. "It is an arrangement that works well for all of us." CPS Assistant Deputy Commissioners Varonica Agnew and Kelly Fleming noted that "Our goal is always to support families with the services and resources they need to stabilize and keep children safely in their homes." Currently 210 families are served in Lee County with 3,900 statewide. Shown are (left to right) Jamie Ewing, M&N Construction, District 2 Supervisor Mike Smith, District 1 Supervisor George Rutledge, District 5 Supervisor Barry Parker, District 3 Supervisor Wesley Webb, building owner Ed Page, Assistant Deputy Commissioners Veronica Agnew and Kelly Fleming of CPS. The new offices will be occupied Monday, April 6. Open house will be announced soon.

04/07/2026

There is still time to join us! 💙

We are continuing our celebration of Child Abuse Prevention Month with two more family engagement events this April.

Come out to enjoy fun activities, bond with your kiddos, and connect with local resources that help our families stay strong and resilient.

Upcoming Events:
Meridian: April 11 | 10am–2pm | MS Children’s Museum – Meridian
Gulfport: April 25 | 10am–2pm | MS Aquarium

Together, we can build brighter futures, one family at a time.

Register here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019d0705a9c77575bafc0ce176677415?fbclid=IwY2xjawRCQLxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE5VVVtU1dPbUFaOGtGdHhTc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHsxglNKpNg3AlobZc3BHt0blo3AnXedFNLNNd7sMocZpKVx0nXIfsCsKFS6R_aem_BCFDexhNbBnBFmxuhgGdnQ

04/06/2026

Mississippi is strengthening how we prepare professionals to recognize and respond to child abuse through the Child Advocacy Training Institute—a space designed to equip those on the front lines before they ever face these critical moments in real life.

This work highlights the importance of preparing those who protect and support children every day.

We are grateful to our partners at the Children's Advocacy Centers of Mississippi and Attorney General Lynn Fitch for their continued leadership and collaboration in building a stronger, more prepared system for children across our state.

Read more:

A home inside the facility is set up to help them look for clues of child endangerment.

04/01/2026

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month!

Today, the MDCPS team wore blue and gathered for a pinwheel ceremony in front of State Office. The blue pinwheel serves as the national symbol for prevention, representing the safe, stable, and nurturing environments that every child deserves.

At MDCPS, our mission goes beyond intervention; we are dedicated to strengthening Mississippi families and providing them with the support they need to thrive. When we invest in families, we protect our children.

Thank you to our dedicated staff for their unwavering commitment to the safety and future of Mississippi’s children.