Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2610 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	88R6084 MM-D
2	2	By: Plesa H.B. No. 2610
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to trauma-informed care for children in the
8	8	conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services
9	9	and trauma-informed care training for certain department
10	10	employees.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 264.015, Family Code, is amended by
13	13	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1), (a-2), (a-3),
14	14	(a-4), (a-5), and (d) to read as follows:
15	15	(a) The department shall require [include training in
16	16	trauma-informed programs and services in any training the
17	17	department provides to] foster parents, adoptive parents, kinship
18	18	caregivers, department caseworkers, [and] department supervisors,
19	19	and personnel at agencies that provide services to children in the
20	20	department's conservatorship to receive training regarding the
21	21	impact of trauma on children and the use of a trauma-informed
22	22	approach for interacting with a child or making decisions that
23	23	affect a child. The training may include faith-based programs that
24	24	meet the criteria described by this subsection and must:
25	25	(1) be comprehensive and use relevant
26	26	research-supported or evidence-based content;
27	27	(2) train individuals to:
28	28	(A) understand the components of trauma; and
29	29	(B) apply the principles of a trauma-informed
30	30	approach to the individual's interactions with or decision-making
31	31	regarding a child;
32	32	(3) address:
33	33	(A) the symptoms of trauma, including trauma
34	34	triggers;
35	35	(B) the effect of trauma on a child's brain
36	36	development, overall ability to function, and behavior;
37	37	(C) the ability of trauma-informed strategies to
38	38	support the success of children who have experienced trauma;
39	39	(D) attachment and how a lack of attachment may
40	40	affect a child; and
41	41	(E) the risks and benefits associated with the
42	42	use of psychotropic medication;
43	43	(4) include current research that addresses methods
44	44	for assisting a child to heal from childhood trauma, including
45	45	current trauma-informed treatments and services; and
46	46	(5) include methods for the practical application of
47	47	the training to the specific role the individual being trained has
48	48	in the child's life.
49	49	(a-1) The department shall seek and use [pay for the
50	50	training provided under this subsection with] gifts, donations, and
51	51	grants and any available state or federal money, including money
52	52	available through the Fostering Connections to Success and
53	53	Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Pub. L. No. 110-351) and the
54	54	Family First Prevention Services Act (Title VII, Div. E, Pub. L.
55	55	No. 115-123), to pay for the training required by Subsection (a).
56	56	(a-2) The department shall develop a plan to implement the
57	57	training required by Subsection (a) that includes specific,
58	58	measurable goals. The department shall annually report to the
59	59	legislature regarding the department's [evaluate the effectiveness
60	60	of the training provided under this subsection to ensure] progress
61	61	toward a trauma-informed system of care.
62	62	(a-3) The training requirements of this section do not
63	63	require the use of any specific training model or program. The
64	64	department may exempt from the training required by Subsection (a)
65	65	an individual who submits proof to the department that the
66	66	individual has received training that meets the requirements of
67	67	Subsection (a).
68	68	(a-4) In areas of the state where a single source continuum
69	69	contractor provides foster care or case management services, the
70	70	department shall ensure that the single source continuum contractor
71	71	carries out the training required by Subsection (a).
72	72	(a-5) The department shall provide to department employees
73	73	required to complete the training under Subsection (a) access to
74	74	ongoing training to ensure continuous progress toward a
75	75	trauma-informed system of care.
76	76	(d) In this section, "trauma" and "trauma-informed" have
77	77	the meanings described by 40 T.A.C. Section 702.701.
78	78	SECTION 2. Section 264.015(b), Family Code, is repealed.
79	79	SECTION 3. The Department of Family and Protective Services
80	80	shall:
81	81	(1) ensure that each person required to complete the
82	82	training under Section 264.015, Family Code, as amended by this
83	83	Act, completes the training not later than September 1, 2025; and
84	84	(2) develop the plan required under Section
85	85	264.015(a-2), Family Code, as added by this Act, not later than
86	86	December 1, 2023.
87	87	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.