| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to prevention and early intervention programs and |
|
|
practices. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 264.201(d), Family Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(d) The services may include in-home programs, parenting |
|
|
skills training, youth coping skills, and individual and family |
|
|
counseling. If the department requires or a court orders parenting |
|
|
skills training services through a parenting education program or |
|
|
practice, the program or practice must be an evidence-based program |
|
|
or practice, promising [practice parenting education] program or |
|
|
practice, or evidence-informed program or practice described by |
|
|
Section 265.151 that is provided in the community in which the |
|
|
family resides, if available. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 265.004(a-1), Family Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(a-1) The department shall ensure that not less than 75 |
|
|
percent of the money appropriated for home visitation programs and |
|
|
parenting education programs under Subsection (a) funds |
|
|
evidence-based programs or practices described by Section |
|
|
265.151(b) and that the remainder of that money funds promising |
|
|
[practice] programs or practices described by Section 265.151(c) or |
|
|
evidence-informed programs or practices described by Section |
|
|
265.151(d). |
|
|
SECTION 3. The heading to Subchapter D, Chapter 265, Family |
|
|
Code, is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
SUBCHAPTER D. EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES [PARENTING |
|
|
EDUCATION] |
|
|
SECTION 4. The heading to Section 265.151, Family Code, is |
|
|
amended to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 265.151. REQUIREMENTS FOR [PARENTING EDUCATION] |
|
|
PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES ON EVIDENCE-BASED SPECTRUM. |
|
|
SECTION 5. Section 265.151, Family Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsection (d) to read |
|
|
as follows: |
|
|
(b) An evidence-based program or practice is a [parenting |
|
|
education] program or practice that: |
|
|
(1) is research-based and grounded in relevant, |
|
|
empirical knowledge and program-determined outcomes; |
|
|
(2) has comprehensive standards ensuring the highest |
|
|
quality service delivery with continuous improvement in the quality |
|
|
of service delivery; |
|
|
(3) has demonstrated significant positive [short-term |
|
|
and long-term] outcomes; |
|
|
(4) is listed as an evidence-based program or practice |
|
|
by a nationally recognized clearinghouse associated with a state or |
|
|
federal agency or an institution of higher education or, during the |
|
|
preceding 10 years, has been subject to at least two external |
|
|
evaluations that showed positive results and were published in |
|
|
peer-reviewed literature [has been evaluated by at least one |
|
|
rigorous, random, controlled research trial across heterogeneous |
|
|
populations or communities with research results that have been |
|
|
published in a peer-reviewed journal]; |
|
|
(5) substantially complies with a program or practice |
|
|
manual or design that specifies the purpose, outcomes, duration, |
|
|
and frequency of the program or practice services; [and] |
|
|
(6) employs well-trained and competent staff and |
|
|
provides continual relevant professional development opportunities |
|
|
to the staff; |
|
|
(7) is associated with a national organization, |
|
|
institution of higher education, or national or state public health |
|
|
institute; and |
|
|
(8) demonstrates substantial connections to other |
|
|
community-based services. |
|
|
(c) A promising [practice] program or practice is a |
|
|
[parenting education] program or practice that: |
|
|
(1) has an active impact evaluation of the program or |
|
|
practice or demonstrates a schedule for implementing an active |
|
|
impact evaluation of the program or practice; |
|
|
(2) is listed as a promising program or practice by a |
|
|
nationally recognized clearinghouse associated with a state or |
|
|
federal agency or an institution of higher education or, during the |
|
|
preceding 10 years, has been subject to an external evaluation that |
|
|
showed positive results and was published in peer-reviewed |
|
|
literature [has been evaluated by at least one outcome-based study |
|
|
demonstrating effectiveness or random, controlled trial in a |
|
|
homogeneous sample]; |
|
|
(3) substantially complies with a program or practice |
|
|
manual or design that specifies the purpose, outcomes, duration, |
|
|
and frequency of the program or practice services; |
|
|
(4) employs well-trained and competent staff and |
|
|
provides continual relevant professional development opportunities |
|
|
to the staff; [and] |
|
|
(5) is research-based and grounded in relevant, |
|
|
empirical knowledge and program- or practice-determined |
|
|
[program-determined] outcomes; and |
|
|
(6) demonstrates substantial connections to other |
|
|
community-based services. |
|
|
(d) An evidence-informed program or practice is a program or |
|
|
practice that: |
|
|
(1) combines well-researched interventions with |
|
|
clinical experience and ethics, and client preferences and culture, |
|
|
to guide and inform the delivery of treatments and services; |
|
|
(2) has an active impact evaluation of the program or |
|
|
practice or demonstrates a schedule for implementing an active |
|
|
impact evaluation of the program or practice; |
|
|
(3) substantially complies with a program or practice |
|
|
manual or design that specifies the purpose, outcome, duration, and |
|
|
frequency of the program or practice services; and |
|
|
(4) employs well-trained and competent staff and |
|
|
provides continual relevant professional development opportunities |
|
|
to the staff. |
|
|
SECTION 6. Section 265.152, Family Code, is amended to read |
|
|
as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 265.152. OUTCOMES OF EVIDENCE-BASED PREVENTION AND |
|
|
EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES [PARENTING EDUCATION]. |
|
|
The department shall ensure that a prevention and early |
|
|
intervention [parenting education] program or practice provided |
|
|
under this subchapter [chapter] achieves favorable behavioral |
|
|
outcomes in at least two of the following areas: |
|
|
(1) improved cognitive development of children; |
|
|
(2) increased [school] readiness for and |
|
|
participation and performance in school [of children]; |
|
|
(3) reduced child abuse, neglect, and injury; |
|
|
(4) improved child safety; |
|
|
(5) improved social-emotional development of children |
|
|
and youth; |
|
|
(6) increased protective factors [improved parenting |
|
|
skills], including nurturing, [and] bonding, and other parenting |
|
|
skills; |
|
|
(7) improved family economic self-sufficiency; |
|
|
(8) reduced parental or youth involvement with the |
|
|
criminal justice system; [and] |
|
|
(9) increased paternal involvement and support; |
|
|
(10) improved maternal and child health; and |
|
|
(11) increased protective factors for children and |
|
|
youth. |
|
|
SECTION 7. Section 265.153, Family Code, is amended to read |
|
|
as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 265.153. EVALUATION OF PREVENTION AND EARLY |
|
|
INTERVENTION PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES [EVIDENCE-BASED PARENTING |
|
|
EDUCATION]. (a) The department shall adopt outcome indicators to |
|
|
measure the effectiveness of prevention and early intervention |
|
|
[parenting education] programs and practices provided under this |
|
|
subchapter [chapter] in achieving desired outcomes. |
|
|
(b) The department may work directly with the model |
|
|
developer of a prevention and early intervention [parenting |
|
|
education] program or practice to identify appropriate outcome |
|
|
indicators for the program or practice and to ensure that the |
|
|
program or practice substantially complies with the model. |
|
|
(c) The department shall develop internal processes to |
|
|
share information with prevention and early intervention service |
|
|
providers [parenting education programs] to assist the department |
|
|
in analyzing the performance of the programs or practices. |
|
|
(d) The department shall use information obtained under |
|
|
this section to: |
|
|
(1) monitor prevention and early intervention |
|
|
[parenting education] programs and practices; |
|
|
(2) continually improve the quality of the programs |
|
|
and practices; and |
|
|
(3) evaluate the effectiveness of the programs and |
|
|
practices. |
|
|
SECTION 8. Section 265.154, Family Code, is amended to read |
|
|
as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 265.154. REPORTS TO LEGISLATURE. (a) Not later than |
|
|
December 1 of each even-numbered year, the department shall prepare |
|
|
and submit a report on state-funded prevention and early |
|
|
intervention [parenting education] programs and practices to the |
|
|
standing committees of the senate and house of representatives with |
|
|
jurisdiction over child protective services. |
|
|
(b) A report submitted under this section must include: |
|
|
(1) a description of the prevention and early |
|
|
intervention [parenting education] programs and practices |
|
|
implemented and of the models associated with the programs and |
|
|
practices; |
|
|
(2) information on the families served by the programs |
|
|
and practices, including the number of families served and their |
|
|
demographic information; |
|
|
(3) the goals and achieved outcomes of the implemented |
|
|
programs and practices; |
|
|
(4) information on the cost for each family served, |
|
|
including any available third-party return-on-investment analysis; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(5) information explaining the percentage of money |
|
|
spent on evidence-based programs and practices, on promising |
|
|
[practice] programs and practices, and on evidence-informed |
|
|
programs and practices. |
|
|
SECTION 9. Section 265.151(a), Family Code, is repealed. |
|
|
SECTION 10. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |