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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to trauma-informed care for children in the |
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conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services |
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and trauma-informed care training for certain department |
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employees. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 264.015, Family Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1), (a-2), (a-3), |
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(a-4), (a-5), and (d) to read as follows: |
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(a) The department shall require [include training in |
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trauma-informed programs and services in any training the |
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department provides to] foster parents, adoptive parents, kinship |
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caregivers, department caseworkers, [and] department supervisors, |
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and personnel at agencies that provide services to children in the |
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department's conservatorship to receive training regarding the |
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impact of trauma on children and the use of a trauma-informed |
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approach for interacting with a child or making decisions that |
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affect a child. The training may include faith-based programs that |
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meet the criteria described by this subsection and must: |
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(1) be comprehensive and use relevant |
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research-supported or evidence-based content; |
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(2) train individuals to: |
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(A) understand the components of trauma; and |
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(B) apply the principles of a trauma-informed |
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approach to the individual's interactions with or decision-making |
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regarding a child; |
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(3) address: |
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(A) the symptoms of trauma, including trauma |
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triggers; |
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(B) the effect of trauma on a child's brain |
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development, overall ability to function, and behavior; |
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(C) the ability of trauma-informed strategies to |
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support the success of children who have experienced trauma; |
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(D) attachment and how a lack of attachment may |
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affect a child; and |
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(E) the risks and benefits associated with the |
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use of psychotropic medication; |
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(4) include current research that addresses methods |
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for assisting a child to heal from childhood trauma, including |
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current trauma-informed treatments and services; and |
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(5) include methods for the practical application of |
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the training to the specific role the individual being trained has |
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in the child's life. |
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(a-1) The department shall seek and use [pay for the |
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training provided under this subsection with] gifts, donations, and |
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grants and any available state or federal money, including money |
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available through the Fostering Connections to Success and |
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Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Pub. L. No. 110-351) and the |
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Family First Prevention Services Act (Title VII, Div. E, Pub. L. |
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No. 115-123), to pay for the training required by Subsection (a). |
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(a-2) The department shall develop a plan to implement the |
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training required by Subsection (a) that includes specific, |
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measurable goals. The department shall annually report to the |
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legislature regarding the department's [evaluate the effectiveness |
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of the training provided under this subsection to ensure] progress |
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toward a trauma-informed system of care. |
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(a-3) The training requirements of this section do not |
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require the use of any specific training model or program. The |
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department may exempt from the training required by Subsection (a) |
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an individual who submits proof to the department that the |
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individual has received training that meets the requirements of |
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Subsection (a). |
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(a-4) In areas of the state where a single source continuum |
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contractor provides foster care or case management services, the |
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department shall ensure that the single source continuum contractor |
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carries out the training required by Subsection (a). |
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(a-5) The department shall provide to department employees |
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required to complete the training under Subsection (a) access to |
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ongoing training to ensure continuous progress toward a |
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trauma-informed system of care. |
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(d) In this section, "trauma" and "trauma-informed" have |
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the meanings described by 40 T.A.C. Section 702.701. |
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SECTION 2. Section 264.015(b), Family Code, is repealed. |
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SECTION 3. The Department of Family and Protective Services |
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shall: |
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(1) ensure that each person required to complete the |
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training under Section 264.015, Family Code, as amended by this |
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Act, completes the training not later than September 1, 2025; and |
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(2) develop the plan required under Section |
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264.015(a-2), Family Code, as added by this Act, not later than |
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December 1, 2023. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |