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Senate Bill 1889 |
Senate Author: Zaffirini et al. |
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Effective: 9-1-15 |
House Sponsor: Burkett et al. |
Senate Bill 1889 amends the Family Code to specify that, for purposes of investigations of reports of abuse or neglect of a child, neglect of a child does not include the refusal by a person responsible for a child's care, custody, or welfare to permit the child to remain in or return to the child's home resulting in the placement of the child in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) if the child has a severe emotional disturbance, the person's refusal is based solely on the inability to obtain needed mental health services for the child, and the person has exhausted all reasonable means available to obtain the mental health services. The bill requires DFPS to discuss the option of joint managing conservatorship of such a child with the child's parents or legal guardian before filing a suit requesting conservatorship and requires DFPS to report specified data regarding such children and their families to the legislature.