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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the requirements of the Department of Family and |
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Protective Services strategic plan for prevention and early |
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intervention services. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 265.005, Family Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (f) to read as |
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follows: |
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(b) A strategic plan required under this section must: |
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(1) identify methods to leverage other sources of |
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funding or provide support for existing community-based prevention |
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efforts; |
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(2) include a needs assessment that identifies |
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programs to best target the needs of the highest risk populations |
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and geographic areas; |
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(3) identify the goals and priorities for the |
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department's overall prevention efforts; |
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(4) report the results of previous prevention efforts |
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using available information in the plan; |
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(5) identify additional methods of measuring program |
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effectiveness and results or outcomes; |
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(6) identify methods to collaborate with other state |
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agencies on prevention efforts; [and] |
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(7) identify specific strategies to implement the plan |
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and to develop measures for reporting on the overall progress |
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toward the plan's goals; and |
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(8) include a growth strategy with the goal of |
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increasing the number of families receiving prevention and early |
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intervention services each year, subject to the availability of |
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funds, with the initial goal of providing services to 50 percent of |
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the highest risk families that are eligible to receive services |
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through home visiting and community-based programs financed with |
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federal, state, local, or private resources. |
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(f) In this section, "highest risk family" means a family |
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that has children five years of age or younger and whose family |
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income is at or below 50 percent of the federal poverty level. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |