87R884 MCK-F
 
  By: West S.B. No. 452
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to prevention and early intervention programs and
  practices.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 264.201(d), Family Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (d)  The services may include in-home programs, parenting
  skills training, youth coping skills, and individual and family
  counseling. If the department requires or a court orders parenting
  skills training services through a parenting education program or
  practice, the program or practice must be an evidence-based program
  or practice, promising [practice parenting education] program or
  practice, or evidence-informed program or practice described by
  Section 265.151 that is provided in the community in which the
  family resides, if available.
         SECTION 2.  Section 265.004(a-1), Family Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (a-1)  The department shall ensure that not less than 75
  percent of the money appropriated for home visitation programs and
  parenting education programs under Subsection (a) funds
  evidence-based programs or practices described by Section
  265.151(b) and that the remainder of that money funds promising
  [practice] programs or practices described by Section 265.151(c)
  and evidence-informed programs or practices described by Section
  265.151(d).
         SECTION 3.  The heading to Subchapter D, Chapter 265, Family
  Code, is amended to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER D. EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES [PARENTING
  EDUCATION]
         SECTION 4.  The heading to Section 265.151, Family Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 265.151.  REQUIREMENTS FOR [PARENTING EDUCATION]
  PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES ON EVIDENCE-BASED SPECTRUM.
         SECTION 5.  Section 265.151, Family Code, is amended by
  amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsection (d) to read
  as follows:
         (b)  An evidence-based program or practice is a [parenting
  education] program or practice that:
               (1)  is research-based and grounded in relevant,
  empirical knowledge and program-determined outcomes;
               (2)  has comprehensive standards ensuring the highest
  quality service delivery with continuous improvement in the quality
  of service delivery;
               (3)  has demonstrated significant positive [short-term
  and long-term] outcomes;
               (4)  is listed as an evidence-based program or practice
  by a nationally recognized clearinghouse associated with a state or
  federal agency or an institution of higher education or, during the
  preceding 10 years, has been subject to an external evaluation that
  showed positive results and was published in peer-reviewed
  literature [has been evaluated by at least one rigorous, random,
  controlled research trial across heterogeneous populations or
  communities with research results that have been published in a
  peer-reviewed journal];
               (5)  substantially complies with a program manual or
  design that specifies the purpose, outcomes, duration, and
  frequency of the program services; [and]
               (6)  employs well-trained and competent staff and
  provides continual relevant professional development opportunities
  to the staff;
               (7)  is associated with a national organization,
  institution of higher education, or national or state public health
  institute; and
               (8)  demonstrates substantial connections to other
  community-based services.
         (c)  A promising [practice] program or practice is a
  [parenting education] program or practice that:
               (1)  has an active impact evaluation program or
  demonstrates a schedule for implementing an active impact
  evaluation program;
               (2)  is listed as a promising program or practice by a
  nationally recognized clearinghouse associated with a state or
  federal agency or an institution of higher education or, during the
  preceding 10 years, has been subject to an external evaluation that
  showed positive results and was published in peer-reviewed
  literature [has been evaluated by at least one outcome-based study
  demonstrating effectiveness or random, controlled trial in a
  homogeneous sample];
               (3)  substantially complies with a program manual or
  design that specifies the purpose, outcomes, duration, and
  frequency of the program services;
               (4)  employs well-trained and competent staff and
  provides continual relevant professional development opportunities
  to the staff; [and]
               (5)  is research-based and grounded in relevant,
  empirical knowledge and program-determined outcomes; and
               (6)  demonstrates substantial connections to other
  community-based services.
         (d)  An evidence-informed program or practice is a program or
  practice that:
               (1)  combines well-researched interventions with
  clinical experience and ethics, and client preferences and culture,
  to guide and inform the delivery of treatments and services;
               (2)  has an active impact evaluation program or
  demonstrates a schedule for implementing an active impact
  evaluation program;
               (3)  substantially complies with a program manual or
  design that specifies the purpose, outcome, duration, and frequency
  of the program services; and
               (4)  employs well-trained and competent staff and
  provides continual relevant professional development opportunities
  to the staff.
         SECTION 6.  Section 265.152, Family Code, is amended to read
  as follows:
         Sec. 265.152.  OUTCOMES OF EVIDENCE-BASED PREVENTION AND
  EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES [PARENTING EDUCATION].
  The department shall ensure that a prevention and early
  intervention [parenting education] program or practice provided
  under this subchapter [chapter] achieves favorable behavioral
  outcomes in at least two of the following areas:
               (1)  improved cognitive development of children;
               (2)  increased [school] readiness for and
  participation and performance in school [of children];
               (3)  reduced child abuse, neglect, and injury;
               (4)  improved child safety;
               (5)  improved social-emotional development of children
  and youth;
               (6)  increased protective factors [improved parenting
  skills], including nurturing, [and] bonding, and other parenting
  skills;
               (7)  improved family economic self-sufficiency;
               (8)  reduced parental or youth involvement with the
  criminal justice system; [and]
               (9)  increased paternal involvement and support;
               (10)  improved maternal and child health; and
               (11)  increased protective factors for children and
  youth.
         SECTION 7.  Section 265.153, Family Code, is amended to read
  as follows:
         Sec. 265.153.  EVALUATION OF PREVENTION AND EARLY
  INTERVENTION PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES [EVIDENCE-BASED PARENTING
  EDUCATION]. (a) The department shall adopt outcome indicators to
  measure the effectiveness of prevention and early intervention
  [parenting education] programs and practices provided under this
  subchapter [chapter] in achieving desired outcomes.
         (b)  The department may work directly with the model
  developer of a prevention and early intervention [parenting
  education] program or practice to identify appropriate outcome
  indicators for the program or practice and to ensure that the
  program or practice substantially complies with the model.
         (c)  The department shall develop internal processes to
  share information with prevention and early intervention service
  providers [parenting education programs] to assist the department
  in analyzing the performance of the programs or practices.
         (d)  The department shall use information obtained under
  this section to:
               (1)  monitor prevention and early intervention
  [parenting education] programs and practices;
               (2)  continually improve the quality of the programs
  and practices; and
               (3)  evaluate the effectiveness of the programs and
  practices.
         SECTION 8.  Section 265.154, Family Code, is amended to read
  as follows:
         Sec. 265.154.  REPORTS TO LEGISLATURE. (a) Not later than
  December 1 of each even-numbered year, the department shall prepare
  and submit a report on state-funded prevention and early
  intervention [parenting education] programs and practices to the
  standing committees of the senate and house of representatives with
  jurisdiction over child protective services.
         (b)  A report submitted under this section must include:
               (1)  a description of the prevention and early
  intervention [parenting education] programs and practices
  implemented and of the models associated with the programs and
  practices;
               (2)  information on the families served by the programs
  and practices, including the number of families served and their
  demographic information;
               (3)  the goals and achieved outcomes of the implemented
  programs and practices;
               (4)  information on the cost for each family served,
  including any available third-party return-on-investment analysis;
  and
               (5)  information explaining the percentage of money
  spent on evidence-based programs and practices, on promising
  [practice] programs and practices, and on evidence-informed
  programs and practices.
         SECTION 9.  Section 265.151(a), Family Code, is repealed.
         SECTION 10.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.