BILL ANALYSIS HUMAN SERVICES H.B. 1914 By: Wise 5-6-97 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND Educating children, families, and professionals about abduction, sexual exploitation, and child abuse is one of the best ways to reduce crime against children. While many states mandate training and instructional courses for social services professionals or criminal justice system investigators, few mandate sufficient training and education in the critical areas of child victimization, abduction, and sexual exploitation. A basic understanding of the unique particulars of cases involving child abuse, child sexual assault, incest, and abduction is critical to the successful processing of these difficult cases through the social services, criminal justice, and legal systems. Sophisticated and effective techniques for identifying and understanding the special needs of the child victim, for interviewing the child victim or witness, and for joint investigation of these difficult cases are vitally important. PURPOSE The purpose of this bill is to add language to the Human Resources Code to provide for early parenting skills programs. These programs, funded through grants from the Children's Trust Fund of Texas Council (CTFTC), should address child abuse and neglect prevention for expectant parents and families participating in the activities of the CTFTC. Additionally, the bill directs the CTFTC to commission a report to study the extent to which training on child abuse and neglect is provided across Texas. The report shall examine the availability of training to professionals and the general public, as well as the extent to which child abuse and neglect, sexual victimization of children, missing children, parenting skills, and child witnesses are addressed. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1.This section amends Chapter 74, Human Resources Code, by adding Section 74.004 as follows: (a)Directs the Children's Trust Fund of Texas Council (CTFTC) to provide grants for voluntary, community-based, early parenting skills programs in at least three different geographic areas of Texas subject to fund availability. (b)In order to be eligible for a grant, the program must serve expectant parents and families with one of more children three years of age or younger. (c)Early parenting skills programs may educate the parents and families about the physical, mental, and emotional development of children and about how to promote children's learning and development. The programs may also sponsor shared learning experiences for parents and children, purchase educational materials for loan to expectant mothers and children, provide group emotional support, and emphasize participation by fathers. The programs may use a sliding fee scale. (d)Directs the CTFTC to review the programs periodically to ensure that program instruction and materials are not racially, culturally, or sexually biased. (e)Directs the programs to cooperate with schools and other social services programs to avoid duplication of services. SECTION 2.Directs the CTFTC to do the following: (a)Prepare a report to study the extent to which training on child abuse and neglect is provided across Texas. (b)The report must include information on the availability of pre-service, in-service, and joint training for police officers, prosecutors, other law enforcement personnel, judges, social service workers, day care providers, educators, and health care providers, as well as training for the general public. Training topics should include abuse and neglect, the sexual victimization of children, missing children, parenting skills, and child witnesses. (c)Directs the council to submit the report by December 1, 1998, to the governor, lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives, as well as to any other member of the legislature upon request. SECTION 3.Effective Date: September 1, 1997. SECTION 4.Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF THE ORIGINAL TO THE SUBSTITUTE (1)In SECTION 1, Chapter 74, Human Resources Code, the substitute deletes Subsection (c)(3), which allowed the early parenting skills programs to screen children for physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral problems that may cause learning problems. (2)In the above section subsequent subsections are renumbered accordingly.