"The plan that has been filed is not specific to Ms. Jessop," DeLong said while questioning a CPS worker on the witness stand.

"It is specific to Ms. Jessop," Joni Manske replied.

"It's specific to Ms. Jessop just like it is for 400 other children?"

"Yes, ma'am."

DeLong criticized the requirements for reunification that include parenting, psychological and vocational classes with no deadlines. Those requirements are in addition to Jessop's weekly visits with her children, who are scattered in facilities across Texas that require a day's travel either way.

"What are you going to do to help her?" DeLong asked.

"I don't know the answer to that," Manske replied.

Jessop's husband, William Sunderland Jessop, sat nearby. His attorney accused CPS of preparing a plan involving him and his 11 children without ever talking to him. Manske said the plans can be amended.

In another courtroom, an attorney pleaded with Judge Walther to tell CPS to be more responsive.

"I'd like a little respect here," said Billy Britt Jarvis. He said he's made repeated phone calls to the agency on behalf of his client, a little boy, and has had very little response.

According to the family plans, not visiting their children could also hurt the parents' chances for reunification. For some, that task may be daunting because of the placements around the state.

For example, James and Sarah Jessop — a couple who have a number of children in state custody — said their children are scattered in foster-care facilities in Texas from Amarillo to Liverpool, and simply arranging visitation has proven nightmarish.

On the witness stand, a CPS worker acknowledged the difficulty in keeping siblings together despite earlier claims by the agency that it would try not to split up brothers and sisters. The worker admitted the agency had inadvertently separated a set of twins "that we didn't realize."

Their attorney, Jeri Lyn Ward, also raised objections in court over the wording in their plan dealing with home schooling. CPS has noted an assessment should be done for each child to determine the children's educational needs because of their home schooling.

That contradicts a 2005 memo signed by Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Carey Cockerell that stressed home schooling alone is not an element of concern that would prompt a CPS investigation, Ward argued.

The criticisms of the family service plans were repeated in several courtrooms on Monday. Still, most parents did sign them. A few refused. Attorneys for the parents have filed objections with the courts, which will have be negotiated with CPS as the cases move forward.