Twenty Drownings: Water Safety Is Child Safety
Drowning was the second most common cause of confirmed abuse and neglect deaths in Texas in FY 2025. It is also one of the most preventable.
Tone: Explainer.PreventionTexas
The number
20
drowning deaths confirmed as neglect or abuse in Texas, FY 2025
Source: DFPS FY 2025 Child Maltreatment Fatalities and Near Fatalities Annual Report (Figure 3)
In FY 2025, DFPS confirmed abuse or neglect in 20 child drowning deaths. Drowning was the second most common cause among confirmed maltreatment deaths, after physical abuse.
That count includes only deaths where investigators found neglect, usually a lapse in supervision. DFPS separately tracks all child drownings it learns of: 88 Texas children drowned in calendar year 2025.
The confirmed number has come down over a decade, from 48 in FY 2019 to 20 in FY 2025. It is still twenty families.
Confirmed abuse/neglect deaths with drowning as the cause, Texas
- FY 201641
- FY 201737
- FY 201836
- FY 201948
- FY 202039
- FY 202129
- FY 202227
- FY 202323
- FY 202417
- FY 202520
Layers of protection
Drowning is fast and silent. It rarely looks like the splashing and shouting people expect. Prevention works best in layers, so that when one fails another catches the child:
- A designated water watcher. One adult, eyes on the water, no phone, handing off to another adult by name.
- Barriers. Fences around pools with self-closing, self-latching gates; locked doors to the backyard; covers on hot tubs.
- Bathtubs and buckets. Most infant drownings happen at home. Never leave a baby or toddler alone in the bath, even for a moment.
- Swim skills and life jackets for children and teens around lakes, rivers and the coast.
- CPR. Bystander CPR in the first minutes changes outcomes.
Why this belongs on a foster care site
Prevention is the part of child welfare everyone can do. Foster and kinship families are trained in water safety, and so can be any parent, grandparent or neighbor who shares a pool. Share this with someone who has one.
Official sources
- DFPS FY 2025 Child Maltreatment Fatalities and Near Fatalities Annual Report (Figure 3)
- DFPS Child Drownings 2025Calendar 2025, updated Dec 31, 2025.
Published September 8, 2026. Drafted with AI assistance from the official reports above; every figure links to its source. Spot an error? Tell us.
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20: drowning deaths confirmed as neglect or abuse in Texas, FY 2025. Drowning was the second most common cause of confirmed abuse and neglect deaths in Texas in FY 2025. It is also one of the most preventable. Link in bio · Source: DFPS FY 2025 Child Maltreatment Fatalities and Near Fatalities Annual Report (Figure 3) #FosterCare #WaterSafety
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