| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to a suicide prevention policy in residential child-care |
|
|
facilities and child-placing agencies. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 42, Human Resources Code, |
|
|
is amended by adding Section 42.0433 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 42.0433. SUICIDE PREVENTION, INTERVENTION, AND |
|
|
POSTVENTION PLAN. (a) In this section, "postvention" has the |
|
|
meaning assigned by Section 38.351, Education Code. |
|
|
(b) The executive commissioner by rule shall adopt a model |
|
|
suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policy for use by |
|
|
a residential child-care facility. The model policy must: |
|
|
(1) be based on current and best evidence-based |
|
|
practices; |
|
|
(2) require all employees of the facility to receive |
|
|
annual suicide prevention training that includes understanding of |
|
|
safety planning and screening for risk; |
|
|
(3) promote suicide prevention training for |
|
|
non-employee entities, as appropriate; and |
|
|
(4) include procedures to support children who return |
|
|
to the facility following hospitalization for a mental health |
|
|
condition. |
|
|
(c) Each residential child-care facility shall adopt a |
|
|
suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policy. A |
|
|
residential child-care facility may adopt: |
|
|
(1) the model policy adopted by the executive |
|
|
commissioner under Subsection (b); or |
|
|
(2) another suicide prevention, intervention, and |
|
|
postvention policy approved by the executive commissioner. |
|
|
(d) The suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention |
|
|
policy adopted under Subsection (c) may be part of a broader mental |
|
|
health crisis plan if the components of the plan include suicide |
|
|
prevention, intervention, and postvention. |
|
|
(e) The commission shall provide to a residential |
|
|
child-care facility any technical assistance necessary to adopt or |
|
|
implement a suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention |
|
|
policy. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 42.252(c), Human Resources Code, is |
|
|
amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(c) The operational plan must include: |
|
|
(1) a community engagement plan to develop and, if |
|
|
necessary, improve relations between the general residential |
|
|
operation and the community in which the operation is located that |
|
|
includes: |
|
|
(A) a summary of any discussions the operation |
|
|
had with: |
|
|
(i) local law enforcement; and |
|
|
(ii) local health, therapeutic, and |
|
|
recreational resources available to support children at the |
|
|
operation; and |
|
|
(B) a summary of the opportunities the children |
|
|
at the operation will have for social interaction in the community; |
|
|
(2) an educational plan describing the applicant's |
|
|
plan to provide for the educational needs of the children at the |
|
|
general residential operation that: |
|
|
(A) identifies whether the proposed operation |
|
|
will provide for the public or private education of school-age |
|
|
children at the operation; |
|
|
(B) identifies whether the proposed operation |
|
|
will provide for the education of school-age children through a |
|
|
local school, off-site charter school, or on-site charter school; |
|
|
(C) includes any discussions, plans, and |
|
|
agreements with the local school district, private school, or local |
|
|
charter school that will be providing education to the school-age |
|
|
children at the operation; and |
|
|
(D) if the children are to be enrolled in a public |
|
|
school, includes either: |
|
|
(i) a statement from the local independent |
|
|
school district on the impact of the proposed child-care services |
|
|
on the local school district; or |
|
|
(ii) an explanation of the reasons the |
|
|
operation was unable to obtain a statement described by |
|
|
Subparagraph (i) and a discussion of other alternative educational |
|
|
services that the operation could offer; |
|
|
(3) a trauma-informed plan to address unauthorized |
|
|
absences of children from the general residential operation; [and] |
|
|
(4) a suicide prevention, intervention, and |
|
|
postvention plan that meets the requirements of Section 42.0433; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(5) the qualifications, background, and history, |
|
|
including any compliance history, of each individual who is |
|
|
proposed to be involved in: |
|
|
(A) the management of the operation; and |
|
|
(B) the educational leadership of the operation |
|
|
if the operation will be using an on-site charter school. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Not later than July 1, 2022, the |
|
|
executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission |
|
|
shall adopt the model suicide prevention, intervention, and |
|
|
postvention policy required by Section 42.0433, Human Resources |
|
|
Code, as added by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |