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INTRODUCED
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HOUSE COMMITTEE
SUBSTITUTE
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SECTION 1. Article 49.10,
Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended by adding Subsection (i-1) to read
as follows:
(i-1) Notwithstanding any
provision to the contrary, if the deceased was a child younger than six
years of age whose death is determined under Section 264.514, Family Code, to
be unexpected or the result of abuse or neglect, a justice of the peace
must order a complete autopsy of the deceased.
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No
equivalent provision.
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SECTION 2. Section 9(a),
Article 49.25, Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
(a) If the cause of death
shall be determined beyond a reasonable doubt as a result of the
investigation, the medical examiner shall file a report thereof setting
forth specifically the cause of death with the district attorney or
criminal district attorney, or in a county in which there is no district
attorney or criminal district attorney with the county attorney, of the
county in which the death occurred. If in the opinion of the medical
examiner an autopsy is necessary, or if such is requested by the district
attorney or criminal district attorney, or county attorney where there is
no district attorney or criminal district attorney, the autopsy shall be
immediately performed by the medical examiner or a duly authorized deputy.
In those cases where a complete autopsy is deemed unnecessary by the
medical examiner to ascertain the cause of death, the medical examiner may
perform a limited autopsy involving the taking of blood samples or any
other samples of body fluids, tissues or organs, in order to ascertain the
cause of death or whether a crime has been committed. If the deceased
was a child younger than six years of age and the death is determined under
Section 264.514, Family Code, to be unexpected or the result of abuse or
neglect, the medical examiner shall perform a complete autopsy. In the
case of a body of a human being whose identity is unknown, the medical
examiner may authorize such investigative and laboratory tests and
processes as are required to determine its identity as well as the cause of
death. In performing an autopsy the medical examiner or authorized deputy
may use the facilities of any city or county hospital within the county or
such other facilities as are made available. Upon completion of the
autopsy, the medical examiner shall file a report setting forth the
findings in detail with the office of the district attorney or criminal
district attorney of the county, or if there is no district attorney or
criminal district attorney, with the county attorney of the county.
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No
equivalent provision.
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SECTION 3. Subchapter C,
Chapter 261, Family Code, is amended by adding Section 261.2031 to read as
follows:
Sec. 261.2031. DESIGNATED
CHILD FATALITY INVESTIGATION CASEWORKERS. The department shall designate
caseworkers or create a specialized unit
of department employees to conduct investigations involving child
fatalities. Caseworkers or employees
designated for child fatality investigations shall be assigned based on
experience and length of time working for the department.
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SECTION 1. Subchapter C,
Chapter 261, Family Code, is amended by adding Section 261.2031 to read as
follows:
Sec. 261.2031. DESIGNATED
CHILD FATALITY INVESTIGATION CASEWORKERS. The department shall designate current tenured caseworkers to conduct
investigations involving child fatalities.
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No
equivalent provision.
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SECTION 2. Section
261.204(a), Family Code, is amended to read as follows:
(a) Not later than
February 1 of each year, the [The] department shall publish an [annual]
aggregated report using information compiled from each child fatality
investigation for which the department made a finding regarding abuse or
neglect, including cases in which the department determined the fatality
was not the result of abuse or neglect. The report must protect the identity
of individuals involved and contain the following information:
(1) the age and sex of the
child and the county in which the fatality occurred;
(2) whether the state was
the managing conservator of the child or whether the child resided with the
child's parent, managing conservator, guardian, or other person entitled to
the possession of the child at the time of the fatality;
(3) the relationship to the
child of the individual alleged to have abused or neglected the child, if
any;
(4) the number of any
department abuse or neglect investigations involving the child or the
individual alleged to have abused or neglected the child during the two
years preceding the date of the fatality and the results of the
investigations;
(5) whether the department
offered family-based safety services or conservatorship services to the
child or family;
(6) the types of abuse and
neglect alleged in the reported investigations, if any; and
(7) any trends identified in
the investigations contained in the report.
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SECTION 4. Section 261.301,
Family Code, is amended.
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SECTION 3. Same as introduced
version.
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SECTION 5. Section 264.107,
Family Code, is amended by adding Subsection (b-2) to read as follows:
(b-2) The department
shall, subject to the availability of funds, use a web-based system to
assist the department in making the best placement decision for a child in
foster care. The system must:
(1) recommend a level of care for the
child;
(2) suggest placements
based on the child's needs;
(3) display the proximity
of potential providers to the child's home;
(4) incorporate foster
care provider preferences;
(5) provide access to the
foster care provider's history in providing safe and stable placements for
children; and
(6) include any other
provider information the department determines to be relevant.
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SECTION 4. Section 264.107,
Family Code, is amended by adding Subsection (b-2) to read as follows:
(b-2) The department
shall, subject to the availability of funds, use a web-based system to
assist the department in making the best placement decision for a child in
foster care. The system must:
(1) integrate a level of care for the
child;
(2) suggest placements
based on the child's needs;
(3) display the proximity
of potential providers to the child's home and
school;
(4) incorporate foster
care provider preferences;
(5) provide access to the
foster care provider's history in providing safe and stable placements for
children; and
(6) include any other
provider information the department determines to be relevant.
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SECTION 6. Subchapter B,
Chapter 264, Family Code, is amended by adding Section 264.1131 to read as
follows:
Sec. 264.1131. FOSTER
CARE PROVIDER RECRUITMENT PLAN. In addition to foster parent recruitment
from faith-based organizations under Section 264.113, the department shall,
subject to the availability of funds, collaborate with current foster and
adoptive parents to develop and implement a foster care provider
recruitment plan. The plan must:
(1) identify geographic
areas in the state where there is a need for foster care providers using
risk stratification modeling or risk assessments of geographic areas with
high occurrences of child abuse and neglect or child fatalities;
(2) use data analysis,
social media, partnerships with faith-based and volunteer organizations,
and other strategies for recruitment, including targeted and child-focused
recruitment;
(3) increase the number of available foster
care providers for children with high needs and
expand the use of therapeutic or treatment foster care for children in
those placements;
(4) require the provision
of:
(A) quality customer
service to prospective and current foster and adoptive parents; and
(B) assistance to
prospective foster parents with the certification and placement process;
(5) include strategies
for increasing the number of kinship providers;
(6) include strategies to
ensure that children in foster care do not have to transfer schools after
entering foster care, unless transferring is in the child's best interest;
and
(7) include programs to
support foster and adoptive families, including programs that provide
training, respite care, and peer assistance.
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SECTION 5. Subchapter B,
Chapter 264, Family Code, is amended by adding Section 264.1131 to read as
follows:
Sec. 264.1131. FOSTER
CARE PROVIDER RECRUITMENT PLAN. In addition to foster parent recruitment
from faith-based organizations under Section 264.113, the department shall,
subject to the availability of funds, collaborate with current foster and
adoptive parents to develop and implement a foster care provider
recruitment plan. The plan must:
(1) Same as introduced version.
(2) Same as introduced
version.
(3) identify the number of available foster
care providers for children with high needs in
order to expand the use of therapeutic or treatment foster care for
children in those placements;
(4) Same as introduced
version.
(5) Same as introduced
version.
(6) Same as introduced
version.
(7) Same as introduced
version.
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SECTION 7. Subchapter C,
Chapter 264, Family Code, is amended by adding Section 264.2012 to read as
follows:
Sec. 264.2012. FAMILY
PRESERVATION SERVICES. The department shall implement an evidence-based
program that provides frequent in-home visits with
families who have a history of child abuse or neglect or who display risk factors for child abuse or
neglect with the goal of improving family preservation and family
reunification. The program must contain guidelines for the
frequency of monthly contact by the department with the family, based on
the risk factors for child abuse and neglect in each case.
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SECTION 6. Subchapter C,
Chapter 264, Family Code, is amended by adding Section 264.2012 to read as
follows:
Sec. 264.2012. FAMILY
PRESERVATION SERVICES. Subject to the
appropriation of funds for that purpose, the department shall
implement an evidence-based pilot
program that provides frequent in-home visits to
not more than 2,000
families who have a history of child abuse or neglect. The program must
contain guidelines for the frequency of monthly contact by the department
with the family, based on the risk factors for child abuse and neglect in
each case.
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SECTION 8. Sections
264.502(a) and (b), Family Code, are amended.
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SECTION 7. Same as introduced
version.
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SECTION 9. Section 264.503,
Family Code, is amended by amending Subsections (d) and (e) and adding
Subsection (h) to read as follows:
(d) The Department of State
Health Services shall:
(1) recognize the creation
and participation of review teams;
(2) promote and coordinate
training to assist the review teams in carrying out their duties;
(3) assist the committee in
developing model protocols for:
(A) the reporting and
investigating of child fatalities for law enforcement agencies, child
protective services, justices of the peace and medical examiners, and other
professionals involved in the investigations of child deaths;
(B) the collection of data
regarding child deaths; and
(C) the operation of the
review teams;
(4) develop and implement
procedures necessary for the operation of the committee; [and]
(5) develop and implement training for justices of the
peace and medical examiners regarding inquests in child death cases; and
(6) promote education
of the public regarding the incidence and causes of child deaths, the
public role in preventing child deaths, and specific steps the public can
undertake to prevent child deaths.
(e) In addition to the
duties under Subsection (d), the Department of State Health Services shall:
(1) collect data under this
subchapter and coordinate the collection of data under this subchapter with
other data collection activities; [and]
(2) perform annual
statistical studies of the incidence and causes of child fatalities using
the data collected under this subchapter; and
(3) evaluate the
available child fatality data and use the data to create public health
strategies for the prevention of child fatalities.
(h) Each member of the
committee must be a member of the child fatality review team in the county
where the committee member resides.
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SECTION 8. Section 264.503,
Family Code, is amended by amending Subsections (d) and (e) and adding
Subsection (h) to read as follows:
(d) The Department of State Health
Services shall:
(1) recognize the creation
and participation of review teams;
(2) promote and coordinate
training to assist the review teams in carrying out their duties;
(3) assist the committee in
developing model protocols for:
(A) the reporting and
investigating of child fatalities for law enforcement agencies, child
protective services, justices of the peace and medical examiners, and other
professionals involved in the investigations of child deaths;
(B) the collection of data
regarding child deaths; and
(C) the operation of the
review teams;
(4) develop and implement
procedures necessary for the operation of the committee; [and]
(5) develop and make available training for justices of
the peace and medical examiners regarding inquests in child death cases;
and
(6) promote education
of the public regarding the incidence and causes of child deaths, the
public role in preventing child deaths, and specific steps the public can
undertake to prevent child deaths.
(e) Same as introduced
version.
(h) Same as introduced
version.
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SECTION 10. Subchapter F,
Chapter 264, Family Code, is amended by adding Sections 264.5031 and
264.5032 to read as follows:
Sec. 264.5031. COLLECTION
OF NEAR FATALITY DATA. (a) The
Department of State Health Services shall develop a definition for the term
"near fatality" to allow for statewide consistency in child
fatality investigations.
(b) The Department of
State Health Services shall include near fatality child abuse or neglect
cases in the child fatality case database, for cases in which child abuse
or neglect is determined to have been the cause of the near fatality. The
Department of State Health Services must also develop a data collection
strategy for near fatality child abuse or neglect cases.
Sec. 264.5032. TRACKING
OF CHILD FATALITY AND NEAR FATALITY DATA. (a) The department shall track and analyze data relating to
child fatality and near fatality cases resulting from child abuse or
neglect and produce a report
containing the following information:
(1) any prior contact the
department had with the child's family and the manner in which the case was
disposed, including cases in which the department made the following
dispositions:
(A) priority none or
administrative closure;
(B) call screened out;
(C) alternative or
differential response provided;
(D) unable to complete
the investigation;
(E) unable to determine
whether abuse or neglect occurred;
(F) reason to believe
abuse or neglect occurred; or
(G) child removed and placed
into substitute care;
(2) for any case
investigated by the department involving the child or the child's family:
(A) the number of
caseworkers assigned to the case before the fatality or near fatality
occurred;
(B) the level of
education for each caseworker assigned to the case and the caseworker's
employment tenure; and
(C) the caseworker's
caseload at the time the case was opened and at the time the case was
closed;
(3) for any case in which
the department investigation concluded that there was reason to believe
that abuse or neglect occurred, and the family was referred to family-based
safety services:
(A) the safety plan
provided to the family;
(B) the services offered
to the family; and
(C) the level of
compliance with the safety plan or completion of the services by the
family;
(4) the number of
contacts the department made with children and families in family-based
safety services cases; and
(5) the initial and
attempted contacts the department made with child abuse and neglect victims.
(b) The department shall
make the data collected under Subsection (a) available to allow research
into the determining factors related to child abuse fatalities, with the
purpose of:
(1) reducing child
fatalities or near fatalities and repeated referrals of a child or family
to the department; and
(2) predicting future
occurrences of child fatalities and near fatalities to improve prevention
and early intervention strategies.
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SECTION 9. Subchapter F,
Chapter 264, Family Code, is amended by adding Sections 264.5031 and
264.5032 to read as follows:
Sec. 264.5031. COLLECTION
OF NEAR FATALITY DATA. (a) In this
section, "near fatality" means a case where a physician has
certified that a child is in critical or serious condition, and a
caseworker determines that the child's condition was caused by the abuse or
neglect of the child.
(b) The Department of
State Health Services shall include near fatality child abuse or neglect
cases in the child fatality case database, for cases in which child abuse
or neglect is determined to have been the cause of the near fatality. The
Department of State Health Services must also develop a data collection
strategy for near fatality child abuse or neglect cases.
Sec. 264.5032. TRACKING
OF CHILD FATALITY AND NEAR FATALITY DATA. (a) The department shall produce a report relating to child
fatality and near fatality cases resulting from child abuse or neglect
containing the following information:
(1) Same as introduced
version.
(2) Same as introduced
version.
(3) Same as introduced
version.
(4) Same as introduced
version.
(5) Same as introduced
version.
(b) Same as introduced
version.
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SECTION 11. Sections
264.505(a) and (c), Family Code, are amended.
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SECTION 10. Same as
introduced version.
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SECTION 12. Section
264.506(b), Family Code, is amended.
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SECTION 11. Same as
introduced version.
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SECTION 13. Section 264.509,
Family Code, is amended.
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SECTION 12. Same as
introduced version.
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SECTION 14. (a) Section
264.514, Family Code, is amended.
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SECTION 13. Same as
introduced version.
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SECTION 15. Section 264.755,
Family Code, is amended by adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows:
(b-1) The executive
commissioner by rule may set the maximum monetary payment amount that may,
subject to an appropriation of funds for that purpose, be provided to a
relative or designated caregiver under this section in an amount not to
exceed the amount that the department would pay to a licensed foster care
provider for the care of the child.
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No
equivalent provision.
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SECTION 16. Section 264.903,
Family Code, is amended.
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SECTION 14. Same as
introduced version.
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SECTION 17. (a) Subchapter
L, Chapter 264, Family Code, is amended by adding Section 264.907 to read
as follows:
Sec. 264.907. CAREGIVER
ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT. (a) The department may, subject to the availability
of funds, enter into a caregiver assistance agreement with a caregiver to
provide monetary assistance and additional support services to the
caregiver. The monetary assistance and support services must be based on
the caregiver's and child's needs, as determined by rules adopted by the
executive commissioner.
(b) The department may
agree to provide to a caregiver in an agreement under this section any
monetary assistance or additional support services that may be provided in
a caregiver assistance agreement under Section 264.755.
(b) The executive
commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission shall adopt the
rules necessary to implement Section 264.907, Family Code, as added by this
Act, not later than December 1, 2017.
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No
equivalent provision.
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SECTION 18. Section 265.005,
Family Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection
(f) to read as follows:
(b) A strategic plan
required under this section must:
(1) identify methods to
leverage other sources of funding or provide support for existing
community-based prevention efforts;
(2) include a needs
assessment that identifies programs to best target the needs of the highest
risk populations and geographic areas;
(3) identify the goals and
priorities for the department's overall prevention efforts;
(4) report the results of
previous prevention efforts using available information in the plan;
(5) identify additional
methods of measuring program effectiveness and results or outcomes;
(6) identify methods to
collaborate with other state agencies on prevention efforts; [and]
(7) identify specific
strategies to implement the plan and to develop measures for reporting on
the overall progress toward the plan's goals; and
(8) include annual targets that increase each year for the
number of families receiving prevention and early intervention services,
with the initial goal of
providing services to 50 percent of the highest risk families that are
eligible to receive services through home visiting and community-based
programs financed with federal, state, local, or private resources.
(f) In this section, "highest risk family" means a
family that has children five years of age or younger and whose family
income is at or below 50 percent of the federal poverty level.
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SECTION 15. Section
265.005(b), Family Code, is amended to read as follows:
(b) A strategic plan
required under this section must:
(1) identify methods to
leverage other sources of funding or provide support for existing
community-based prevention efforts;
(2) include a needs
assessment that identifies programs to best target the needs of the highest
risk populations and geographic areas;
(3) identify the goals and
priorities for the department's overall prevention efforts;
(4) report the results of
previous prevention efforts using available information in the plan;
(5) identify additional
methods of measuring program effectiveness and results or outcomes;
(6) identify methods to
collaborate with other state agencies on prevention efforts; [and]
(7) identify specific
strategies to implement the plan and to develop measures for reporting on
the overall progress toward the plan's goals; and
(8) include a growth strategy with the goal of increasing the
number of families receiving prevention and early intervention services each year, subject to the availability of
funds, with the eventual
goal of providing services to 50 percent of the highest risk families, as defined by the department, that are
eligible to receive services through home visiting and community-based
programs financed with federal, state, local, or private resources.
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SECTION 19. Subchapter A,
Chapter 265, Family Code, is amended by adding Sections 265.007 and 265.008
to read as follows:
Sec. 265.007. IMPROVING
PROVISION OF PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES. To improve the
effectiveness and delivery of prevention and early intervention services,
the department shall:
(1) use a geographic
focus to ensure that prevention and early intervention services are
provided to families with the greatest need;
(2) identify the
geographic areas that have the highest need for prevention and early
intervention services using:
(A) verified external risk terrain modeling; or
(B) geographic risk assessments that use risk indicators of
child abuse or neglect and child abuse fatalities;
(3) identify geographic
areas that have a high need for prevention and early intervention services
but do not have prevention and early intervention services available in the
area or have only unevaluated prevention and early intervention services
available in the area; and
(4) develop strategies
for community partners to:
(A) improve the early recognition
of child abuse or neglect;
(B) improve the reporting
of child abuse and neglect; and
(C) prevent child
fatalities.
Sec. 265.008. EVALUATION
OF PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES.
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SECTION 16. Subchapter A,
Chapter 265, Family Code, is amended by adding Sections 265.007, 265.008,
and 265.009 to read as follows:
Sec. 265.007. IMPROVING
PROVISION OF PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES. (a) To improve
the effectiveness and delivery of prevention and early intervention services,
the department shall:
(1) use a geographic
focus to ensure that prevention and early intervention services are
provided to families with the greatest need;
(2) identify the
geographic areas that have the highest need for prevention and early intervention
services;
(3) identify geographic
areas that have a high need for prevention and early intervention services
but do not have prevention and early intervention services available in the
area or have only unevaluated prevention and early intervention services
available in the area; and
(4) develop strategies
for community partners to:
(A) improve the early
recognition of child abuse or neglect;
(B) improve the reporting
of child abuse and neglect; and
(C) prevent child
fatalities.
(b) The department may not use data gathered under this section
to identify a specific family or individual.
Sec. 265.008. EVALUATION
OF PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES.
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No
equivalent provision.
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Sec. 265.009. EXPANSION
OF HOME VISITING SERVICES. Subject to an appropriation for that purpose,
and not later than August 31, 2019, the department shall expand the
capacity of home visiting services provided by the prevention and early
intervention services division of the department by 20 percent in the six
counties of the state that:
(1) are identified under
Section 265.007(a)(2) as having the highest need for services; and
(2) have the largest
disparity between the percentage of families receiving home visiting
services in the county and the goal developed under Section 265.005(b)(8).
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SECTION 20. Subchapter B,
Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, is amended.
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SECTION 17. Same as
introduced version.
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No
equivalent provision.
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SECTION 18. Subchapter C,
Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, is amended by adding Section 40.0516 to
read as follows:
Sec. 40.0516. COLLECTION
OF DATA; ANNUAL REPORT. (a) The department shall collect and compile the
following data on the state and county level:
(1) the following
information for reports of abuse and neglect in residential child-care
facilities, as defined by Section 42.002:
(A) the number of reports
of abuse and neglect made to the department hotline;
(B) the types of abuse
and neglect reported;
(C) the investigation
priority level assigned to each report;
(D) the investigation
response times, sorted by investigation priority;
(E) the disposition of
each investigation;
(F) the number of reports
of abuse and neglect to which the department assigned a disposition of call
screened out or alternative or differential response provided; and
(G) the overall safety
and risk finding for each investigation;
(2) the number of
families referred to family preservation services, organized by the risk
level assigned to each family through structured decision-making;
(3) the number of
children removed from the child's home as the result of an investigation of
a report of abuse or neglect and the primary circumstances that contributed
to the removal;
(4) the number of
children placed in substitute care, organized by type of placement;
(5) the number of
children placed out of the child's home county or region;
(6) the number of
children in the conservatorship of the department at each service level;
(7) the number of
children in the conservatorship of the department who are pregnant or who
are a parent;
(8) the number of
children in the managing conservatorship of the department who are the
parent of a child who is also in the managing conservatorship of the
department;
(9) the recurrence of
child abuse or neglect in a household in which the department investigated
a report of abuse or neglect within six months and one year of the date the
case was closed separated by the following type of case:
(A) cases that were
administratively closed without further action;
(B) cases in which the
child was removed and placed in the managing conservatorship of the
department; and
(C) cases in which the
department provided family preservation services;
(10) the recurrence of
child abuse and neglect in a household within five years of the date the
case was closed for cases described by Subdivisions (9)(B) and (C); and
(11) workforce turnover
data for child protective services employees, including the average tenure
of caseworkers and supervisors and the average salary of caseworkers and
supervisors.
(b) Not later than
February 1 of each year, the department shall publish a report containing
data collected under this section. The report must include the statewide
data and the data reported by county.
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SECTION 21. Subchapter C,
Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, is amended.
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SECTION 19. Same as
introduced version.
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SECTION 22. Subchapter C,
Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, is amended by adding Section 40.078 to
read as follows:
Sec. 40.078. PREVENTION
ADVISORY BOARD.
(a) In this section,
"board" means the Prevention Advisory Board.
(b) The board is
established in the department to promote public awareness and make
recommendations to the Health and Human Services Commission, the Department
of State Health Services, the department, the governor, and the legislature
for changes to law, policy, and practices regarding:
(1) the prevention of
child abuse and neglect;
(2) the development of a
state strategy to promote child safety and well-being using enhanced data
collection and analysis; and
(3) the expansion of
evidence-based and promising practice programs, as those terms are
described by Sections 531.983(b) and (c), Government Code.
(c) The board is composed
of not more than 25 members, appointed as follows:
(1) one member appointed
by the governor from the governor's staff;
(2) one member appointed
by the lieutenant governor from the lieutenant governor's staff;
(3) one member appointed
by the speaker of the house of representatives from the speaker's staff;
(4) one staff member from
the Senate Health and Human Services Committee;
(5) one staff member from
the House Public Health Committee; and
(6) any remaining members
appointed by the commissioner.
(d) The members appointed
under Subsections (c)(1) through (5) serve as ex officio nonvoting members
of the board.
(e) In appointing members
to the board, the commissioner shall attempt to select individuals whose
qualifications are not already represented by existing members of the
board. Board members must
include:
(1) a chair of a child
fatality review team committee;
(2) a pediatrician;
(3) a judge;
(4) representatives of
relevant state agencies;
(5) prosecutors who
specialize in child abuse and neglect;
(6) medical examiners;
(7) representatives of
service providers to the department; and
(8) policy experts in
child abuse and neglect prevention, community advocacy, or related fields.
(f) The board shall
select a chair from among its members and shall meet at least quarterly,
with additional meetings called by the chair as necessary.
(g) A vacancy on the
board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
(h) A member of the board
is not entitled to compensation or reimbursement of expenses incurred in
performing board duties.
(i) The board may take
testimony and receive evidence that the board considers necessary to carry
out the duties of the board.
(j) In developing the
recommendations under Subsection (b), the board shall collaborate with the
prevention and early intervention services division of the department to:
(1) use a public health
approach by applying population-based, universal, and targeted strategies
for prevention;
(2) consider the
evidence-based and promising practice programs for home visiting under
Section 531.983, Government Code, and parent education under Section
265.101, Family Code, as added by Chapter 1257 (H.B. 2630), Acts of the
84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, in structuring accountability and
evidence-based measures for child abuse fatality prevention programming;
(3) maximize funding
sources to expand prevention programs, including federal and local
government funds and private funds; and
(4) research and make
recommendations regarding the training of external stakeholders, including
the expansion of mandated training for medical professionals, child care
workers, educators, and higher education professionals with access to
minors, to improve the identification, recognition, reporting, and
prevention of child abuse and neglect.
(k) The board shall collaborate
with the department and the Department of State Health Services to develop
and maintain a database of the most effective state and national
evidence-based or promising practice programs that address child abuse and
neglect and the prevention of child abuse and neglect fatalities. The
database shall include the cost per family and a cost-benefit analysis for
each program.
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SECTION 20. Subchapter C,
Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, is amended by adding Section 40.078 to
read as follows:
Sec. 40.078. PREVENTION
ADVISORY BOARD.
(a) Same as introduced
version.
(b) Same as introduced
version.
(c) The board is composed
of not more than 25 members, appointed as follows:
(1) one member appointed
by the governor from the governor's staff;
(2) one member appointed
by the lieutenant governor from the lieutenant governor's staff;
(3) one member appointed
by the speaker of the house of representatives from the speaker's staff;
(4) one staff member from
the office of the chair of the
Senate Health and Human Services Committee;
(5) one staff member from the office of the chair of the
House Public Health Committee; and
(6) any remaining members
appointed by the commissioner.
(d) Same as introduced
version.
(e) In appointing members
to the board, the commissioner shall attempt to select individuals whose
qualifications are not already represented by existing members of the
board. Board members may
include:
(1) a chair of a child
fatality review team committee;
(2) a pediatrician;
(3) a judge;
(4) representatives of
relevant state agencies;
(5) prosecutors who
specialize in child abuse and neglect;
(6) medical examiners;
(7) representatives of
service providers to the department; and
(8) policy experts in
child abuse and neglect prevention, community advocacy, or related fields.
(f) Same as introduced
version.
(g) Same as introduced
version.
(h) Same as introduced
version.
(i) Same as introduced
version.
(j) Same as introduced
version.
(k) Same as introduced
version.
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SECTION 23. This Act takes
effect September 1, 2017.
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SECTION 21. Same as
introduced version.
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