88R6084 MM-D
By: Plesa H.B. No. 2610
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to trauma-informed care for children in the
conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services
and trauma-informed care training for certain department
employees.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 264.015, Family Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1), (a-2), (a-3),
(a-4), (a-5), and (d) to read as follows:
(a) The department shall require [include training in
trauma-informed programs and services in any training the
department provides to] foster parents, adoptive parents, kinship
caregivers, department caseworkers, [and] department supervisors,
and personnel at agencies that provide services to children in the
department's conservatorship to receive training regarding the
impact of trauma on children and the use of a trauma-informed
approach for interacting with a child or making decisions that
affect a child. The training may include faith-based programs that
meet the criteria described by this subsection and must:
(1) be comprehensive and use relevant
research-supported or evidence-based content;
(2) train individuals to:
(A) understand the components of trauma; and
(B) apply the principles of a trauma-informed
approach to the individual's interactions with or decision-making
regarding a child;
(3) address:
(A) the symptoms of trauma, including trauma
triggers;
(B) the effect of trauma on a child's brain
development, overall ability to function, and behavior;
(C) the ability of trauma-informed strategies to
support the success of children who have experienced trauma;
(D) attachment and how a lack of attachment may
affect a child; and
(E) the risks and benefits associated with the
use of psychotropic medication;
(4) include current research that addresses methods
for assisting a child to heal from childhood trauma, including
current trauma-informed treatments and services; and
(5) include methods for the practical application of
the training to the specific role the individual being trained has
in the child's life.
(a-1) The department shall seek and use [pay for the
training provided under this subsection with] gifts, donations, and
grants and any available state or federal money, including money
available through the Fostering Connections to Success and
Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Pub. L. No. 110-351) and the
Family First Prevention Services Act (Title VII, Div. E, Pub. L.
No. 115-123), to pay for the training required by Subsection (a).
(a-2) The department shall develop a plan to implement the
training required by Subsection (a) that includes specific,
measurable goals. The department shall annually report to the
legislature regarding the department's [evaluate the effectiveness
of the training provided under this subsection to ensure] progress
toward a trauma-informed system of care.
(a-3) The training requirements of this section do not
require the use of any specific training model or program. The
department may exempt from the training required by Subsection (a)
an individual who submits proof to the department that the
individual has received training that meets the requirements of
Subsection (a).
(a-4) In areas of the state where a single source continuum
contractor provides foster care or case management services, the
department shall ensure that the single source continuum contractor
carries out the training required by Subsection (a).
(a-5) The department shall provide to department employees
required to complete the training under Subsection (a) access to
ongoing training to ensure continuous progress toward a
trauma-informed system of care.
(d) In this section, "trauma" and "trauma-informed" have
the meanings described by 40 T.A.C. Section 702.701.
SECTION 2. Section 264.015(b), Family Code, is repealed.
SECTION 3. The Department of Family and Protective Services
shall:
(1) ensure that each person required to complete the
training under Section 264.015, Family Code, as amended by this
Act, completes the training not later than September 1, 2025; and
(2) develop the plan required under Section
264.015(a-2), Family Code, as added by this Act, not later than
December 1, 2023.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.