88R6084 MM-D
 
  By: Plesa H.B. No. 2610
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to trauma-informed care for children in the
  conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services
  and trauma-informed care training for certain department
  employees.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 264.015, Family Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1), (a-2), (a-3),
  (a-4), (a-5), and (d) to read as follows:
         (a)  The department shall require [include training in
  trauma-informed programs and services in any training the
  department provides to] foster parents, adoptive parents, kinship
  caregivers, department caseworkers, [and] department supervisors,
  and personnel at agencies that provide services to children in the
  department's conservatorship to receive training regarding the
  impact of trauma on children and the use of a trauma-informed
  approach for interacting with a child or making decisions that
  affect a child. The training may include faith-based programs that
  meet the criteria described by this subsection and must:
               (1)  be comprehensive and use relevant
  research-supported or evidence-based content;
               (2)  train individuals to: 
                     (A)  understand the components of trauma; and
                     (B)  apply the principles of a trauma-informed
  approach to the individual's interactions with or decision-making
  regarding a child;
               (3)  address: 
                     (A)  the symptoms of trauma, including trauma
  triggers; 
                     (B)  the effect of trauma on a child's brain
  development, overall ability to function, and behavior;
                     (C)  the ability of trauma-informed strategies to
  support the success of children who have experienced trauma;
                     (D)  attachment and how a lack of attachment may
  affect a child; and
                     (E)  the risks and benefits associated with the
  use of psychotropic medication;
               (4)  include current research that addresses methods
  for assisting a child to heal from childhood trauma, including
  current trauma-informed treatments and services; and
               (5)  include methods for the practical application of
  the training to the specific role the individual being trained has
  in the child's life.
         (a-1)  The department shall seek and use [pay for the
  training provided under this subsection with] gifts, donations, and
  grants and any available state or federal money, including money
  available through the Fostering Connections to Success and
  Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Pub. L. No. 110-351) and the
  Family First Prevention Services Act (Title VII, Div. E, Pub. L.
  No. 115-123), to pay for the training required by Subsection (a).
         (a-2)  The department shall develop a plan to implement the
  training required by Subsection (a) that includes specific,
  measurable goals. The department shall annually report to the
  legislature regarding the department's [evaluate the effectiveness
  of the training provided under this subsection to ensure] progress
  toward a trauma-informed system of care.
         (a-3)  The training requirements of this section do not
  require the use of any specific training model or program. The
  department may exempt from the training required by Subsection (a)
  an individual who submits proof to the department that the
  individual has received training that meets the requirements of
  Subsection (a).
         (a-4)  In areas of the state where a single source continuum
  contractor provides foster care or case management services, the
  department shall ensure that the single source continuum contractor
  carries out the training required by Subsection (a). 
         (a-5)  The department shall provide to department employees
  required to complete the training under Subsection (a) access to
  ongoing training to ensure continuous progress toward a
  trauma-informed system of care. 
         (d)  In this section, "trauma" and "trauma-informed" have
  the meanings described by 40 T.A.C. Section 702.701.
         SECTION 2.  Section 264.015(b), Family Code, is repealed.
         SECTION 3.  The Department of Family and Protective Services
  shall:
               (1)  ensure that each person required to complete the
  training under Section 264.015, Family Code, as amended by this
  Act, completes the training not later than September 1, 2025; and
               (2)  develop the plan required under Section
  264.015(a-2), Family Code, as added by this Act, not later than
  December 1, 2023.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.