bill adding items to the yearly child protection report

The text as introduced · 876 words

89R3730 RAL-D

By: Gervin-Hawkins
H.B. No. 1440

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the Department of Family and Protective Services'

annual report of key performance measures and data elements for

child protection; authorizing a penalty.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 264.001, Family Code, is amended by

adding Subdivision (6) to read as follows:

(6) "Substitute care" has the meaning assigned by

Section 263.001.

SECTION 2. Section 264.017, Family Code, is amended by

amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (g) to read as

follows:

(b) The department shall provide the report required by

Subsection (a) to the legislature and shall publish the report and

make the report available electronically to the public , including

by posting the report on the department's Internet website, not

later than February 1 of each year. The report must include, with

respect to the preceding year:

(1) information on the number and disposition of

reports of child abuse and neglect received by the department;

(2) information on the number of children [ clients ]

for whom the department took protective action, including

investigations, alternative responses, and court-ordered removals;

(3) information on the number of children [ clients ]

for whom the department provided services in each program

administered by the child protective services division, including

investigations, alternative responses, family-based safety

services, conservatorship, post-adoption services, and

transitional living services;

(4) the number of children in this state who died as a

result of child abuse or neglect;

(5) the number of children described by Subdivision

(4) for whom the department was the children's managing conservator

at the time of death;

(6) information on the timeliness of the department's

initial contact in an investigation or alternative response;

(7) information on the response time by the department

in commencing services to families and children for whom an

allegation of child abuse or neglect has been made;

(8) information regarding child protection staffing

and caseloads by program area;

(9) information on the permanency goals in place and

achieved for children in the managing conservatorship of the

department, including information on the timeliness of achieving

the goals, the stability of the children's placement in foster

care, and the proximity of placements to the children's home

counties;

(10) the number of children who suffer from a severe

emotional disturbance and for whom the department is appointed

managing conservator, including statistics on appointments as

joint managing conservator, due to an individual voluntarily

relinquishing custody of a child solely to obtain mental health

services for the child;

(11) the number of children who are pregnant or a

parent while in the managing conservatorship of the department and

the number of the children born to a parent in the managing

conservatorship of the department who are placed in the managing

conservatorship of the department;

(12) the number of children who are missing from the

children's substitute care provider while in the managing

conservatorship of the department; [ and ]

(13) of the children identified under Subdivision

(12):

(A) the number of children who were located and

returned to substitute care;

(B) the actions taken by the department to locate

those children; and

(C) the outcome of each child's case;

(14) the number of children who were victims of

trafficking under Chapter 20A, Penal Code, while in the managing

conservatorship of the department ;

(15) of the children identified under Subdivision

(14):

(A) the actions taken by the department to

resolve each case; and

(B) the outcome of each child's case;

(16) information on the program under Subchapter I,

including:

(A) the number of children placed with a relative

or designated caregiver;

(B) the percentage of children in the managing

conservatorship of the department who are placed with a relative or

designated caregiver;

(C) statistics on the age and race of the

children placed with a relative or designated caregiver;

(D) the number of children placed with a relative

or designated caregiver who were part of a sibling group;

(E) the number of relative or designated

caregivers who receive financial assistance; and

(F) outcome information for children placed with

a relative or designated caregiver including:

(i) how many months children spent with a

relative or designated caregiver before a case was closed;

(ii) the rates of types of resolutions for

closed cases; and

(iii) statistics comparing the outcomes for

relative or designated caregiver placements with and without

financial assistance;

(17) information on the number of substitute care

providers, other than relative or designated caregivers, who

received financial assistance;

(18) the number of complaints brought against

substitute care providers;

(19) the number of children in relative or designated

caregiver placements reunified with their families; and

(20) the number of children in substitute care, other

than relative or designated caregiver placements, reunified with

their families .

(g) The comptroller shall assess a penalty against the

department in the amount of $1,000 for each day after February 1 the

department has not filed the report under Subsection (b). The

comptroller shall reallocate the amount assessed as a penalty under

this subsection as necessary to allow the department to use the

money to provide monetary assistance to relative and other

designated caregivers under Section 264.755.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.