88R11304 MLH-D
By: Campos H.B. No. 2704
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to service plans in a suit affecting the parent-child
relationship.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 263.101, Family Code, is amended to read
as follows:
Sec. 263.101. DEPARTMENT TO FILE SERVICE PLAN. Except as
provided by Section 262.2015, not later than the 30th [45th] day
after the date the court renders a temporary order appointing the
department as temporary managing conservator of a child under
Chapter 262, the department shall file a service plan.
SECTION 2. Section 263.102, Family Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (a) and (f) and adding Subsection (a-1) to
read as follows:
(a) The service plan must:
(1) be specific;
(2) be in writing in a language that the parents
understand, or made otherwise available;
(3) be prepared by the department in conference with
the child's parents and any legal counsel retained by the child's
parents;
(4) state appropriate deadlines;
(5) specify the primary permanency goal and at least
one alternative permanency goal;
(6) state steps that are necessary to:
(A) return the child to the child's home if the
placement is in foster care;
(B) enable the child to remain in the child's
home with the assistance of a service plan if the placement is in
the home under the department's supervision; or
(C) otherwise provide a permanent safe placement
for the child;
(7) state the actions and responsibilities that are
necessary for the child's parents to take to achieve the plan goal
during the period of the service plan and the assistance to be
provided to the parents by the department or other agency toward
meeting that goal;
(8) state any specific skills or knowledge that the
child's parents must acquire or learn, as well as any behavioral
changes the parents must exhibit, to achieve the plan goal;
(9) state the actions and responsibilities that are
necessary for the child's parents to take to ensure that the child
attends school and maintains or improves the child's academic
compliance;
(10) state the name of the person with the department
whom the child's parents may contact for information relating to
the child if other than the person preparing the plan; and
(11) prescribe any other term or condition that the
department determines to be necessary to the service plan's
success.
(a-1) Any actions, responsibilities, skills, or knowledge
under Subsection (a)(7) or (8) must directly relate to the reason
the child was removed from the child's home.
(f) The department shall consult with relevant
professionals to determine the skills or knowledge that the parents
of a child under two years of age should learn or acquire to provide
a safe placement for the child. The skills or knowledge must
directly relate to the reason the child was removed from the child's
home. The department shall incorporate those skills and abilities
into the department's service plans, as appropriate.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.