Smart solutions to child abuse and neglect were put forward by TexProtects during the legislative session, including accomplishments, missed opportunities.
Category: Uncategorized
‘Be There’ – A Father’s Day Conversation With Rep. James Frank
Happy Father’s Day!
Today is that day when all over the nation, we salute the men who guided and nurtured us – and perhaps are still doing so.
We salute all the dads. Maybe he’s the one who has been with you since birth; maybe he’s a stepdad, uncle or grandfather who has stepped into the dad role; maybe he’s a foster or adopted father.
In that spirit, we sat down for chat with a state leader who has been through joys and trials of two of those forms of fatherhood.
Texas State Representative James Frank of Wichita Falls has put in a lot of time as a father – to six sons! The first four are his biological offspring, now grown, with his wife Alisha. But four years ago, the couple made the decision to foster-to-adopt two more.
Becoming adoptive parents was a huge step for the Franks, regardless of prior parenting experience, and one they did not rush into lightly. But once they did it, Rep. Frank says, it was a rewarding experience that made a huge difference in two boys’ lives … and in James and Alisha’s.
Ultimately, because of Rep. Frank’s position as Chair of the House Committee on Human Services, it could also be an experience that has an impact on public policy. It already has – among many other pieces of legislation, he sponsored a bill in 2017 that changed foster care to a more community-based model.
TexProtects: Tell us about your history with fostering and adopting – what led you to that?
My wife and I have worked with at-risk kids in various capacities in Wichita Falls for 25 years, primarily through church. We led what we called the bus ministry. We used to have 100, 150 kids, and I drove a bus for probably 12 or 13 of those years. That was always an important part of our life and ministry.
Getting into the foster care system itself, that came about because of some really good friends of ours. We had looked at adopting two different times earlier in our marriage, but not through the foster care system. One time Alisha wasn’t ready, one time I wasn’t ready.
This last time, our kids were getting older and we knew if we were going to adopt, we had to do it now. So we started thinking about what’s the right mechanism, and we had some good friends who had started a ministry at our church called Orphans to Grace, working with foster kids.
Be there. You’re not going to be perfect. Apologize when you mess up – sometimes that’s a thing dads forget to do. Be humble enough to admit when you mess up.
– Rep. James Frank
At the age we were at, 46, 47, we had to work with 8 to 10 to 12-year-old kids, not newborns. There’s a reason God gives kids to young people [laughs]. And our youngest at the time was 15, and we wanted kids younger than him.
It was always intended to be straight-up adoption. I had just entered the Legislature, and it seemed adoption would work better than foster, but we had to get trained to foster.
TexProtects: Most people, once they have their own kids, feel that their family is complete. What made you want to expand that?
I think really it’s just recognizing that there are a lot of people that don’t have that. My wife and I felt like we had a little more to give – a little more tread on the tires, so to speak. We had seen so many kids that didn’t have that.
TexProtects: So it was what you saw in your bus ministry that motivated you?
Following Christ is what drove us to work with at-risk kids, but the bus ministry was the thing that really trained us how to do it.
TexProtects: Tell us how that changed your life, bringing in two children that weren’t your biological children.
With us it wasn’t a huge change, we’d had four boys at once. The huge change is just when you bring in a 9 and 11-year-old and you don’t have their backgrounds. You know their backgrounds on paper, but you don’t know where their soft spots are – their hurts. We knew what the challenges in our [older] boys were because we had seen them.
Just having to deal with stuff you didn’t know. Something would happen and they’d react a lot differently than you’d expect, and you didn’t have the background to know why they’d react that way. It’s like getting an MBA in parenting and you think you’re a good parent, and now you don’t get to know their background, and you have a child who is still has attachment to their parents – their parents are still alive, one’s in jail and one’s on meth – and they have mostly fond memories of them. It’s almost amazing how kids don’t remember the bad stuff. Most kids in the foster care system are not from what you’d call abusive situations – most are from neglectful situations, and kids don’t recognize the bad, they just see the good.
TexProtects: What would you say is the joy of fatherhood, and particularly the joy of these two boys in particular?
To me the joy is when you see them “get it.” When you see them get life, when you see them grow, when you see them do things they couldn’t do before. Because your goal is not to grow children, your goal is to grow an adult. You’re trying to get them to adulthood where they can be independent and productive and hopefully love other people. That to me is the joy.
TexProtects: That joy, does it take a different form with adopted children or is it the same thing?
It’s the same thing. Once we committed to it, I feel as responsible with these boys as I ever did with my own. Certainly, there’s been less time to develop the knowledge that I need of them, but the joy and the satisfaction and sometimes the frustration are very similar.
TexProtects: What tips do you have for first-time fathers?
Be there. You’re not going to be perfect. Apologize when you mess up – sometimes that’s a thing dads forget to do. Be humble enough to admit when you mess up.
Also, enjoy them. Not everything about fatherhood is enjoyable, because a lot of it is sacrifice and tiring, but remember to enjoy them as well, as you’re leading and training and disciplining.
TexProtects: What have you tried to do in your role as a legislator to promote fatherhood involvement?
Most of my work has been around Child Protective Services. It’s very difficult to govern and make people be good fathers. But I do want to make sure we don’t do things to make it harder for fathers to be around.
I think we’ve done things to make it easier to foster – some of the foster care training requirements are over-the-top. We’ve tried to reduce some of the excess training requirements, so people spend time with kids instead of with paperwork.
We need to recognize the positive attributes of encouraging fatherhood and the consequences of not having fathers. There was a bill to study that last session that didn’t get passed, and hopefully gets passed next session. Anything we can do to keep families intact is something we should do.
How Did Child Protection Fare in the 86th Texas Legislature?
The 86th Texas Legislative Session is now history – lawmakers gaveled out to finish the session on May 27.
While this session did not see child protection take center stage the way it did two years ago (when Governor Greg Abbott named it an emergency priority), there was nonetheless important work to be done. At the beginning of the session, TexProtects laid out our top priorities, and we’re happy to report that we were successful on most of them … and made great strides forward even on issues that didn’t result in bill passage.
As with every legislative session, it was a long and challenging 140 days, and we could not have done it without your help.
For our part, we provided 16 written and oral testimonies before legislative committees, registered support for 117 bills, and made 461 visits to the lawmakers’ offices.
That was bolstered by you: In response to the 12 advocacy alerts we sent out, you sent a total of 13,189 emails to lawmakers. Nothing gets a lawmaker to take action quicker than an email, call or office visit from the Texans they represent! Thank you!
Here’s our round-up of what happened with our top-priority bills:
Priority: Strengthen investments in community-based, primary child abuse prevention programs for children in their most critical neurodevelopmental years
Result: $4.3 million more in funding for Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) and HOPES (Healthy Outcomes through Prevention and Early Support)
Attaining and maintaining legislative support for evidence-based home visiting and other family support programs is at the core of TexProtects’ mission, and yet again, we were able to reach lawmakers and convince them of how crucial it is to increase state investments.
However, this was a mixed success. While investments did increase, they were not at a level that we believe will result in meaningful change statewide. The Department of Family and Protective Services requested an additional $15.5 million and TexProtects was even bolder, asking that investments be bumped up by $30.5 million between NFP and HOPES.
In the end, HOPES only received an additional $1.5 million and NFP got an extra $2.9 million. (Please note: TexProtects does not receive any of this funding. We are an independently funded nonprofit.)
This is actually better than it could have been. The Senate’s original budget proposal added only $2 million for NFP and $0 for HOPES. However, thanks to action you took in response to our advocacy alerts, the conference committee tasked with reconciling the differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget settled on the higher amounts.
Priority: Create a Texas strategy (via Senate Bill 355) to leverage funds from the federal Family First Prevention Services Act, thus improving coordination and effectiveness of services for children at risk of entering foster care
Result: Passage – sent to the Governor on May 26 UPDATE: will become law without Governor’s signature
When Congress passed (and the president signed into law) the Family First Prevention Services Act in 2018, it signaled a landmark shift in funding priorities for child protection. For the first time, states can take funds previously reserved only for foster care (in other words, after a family has fallen into a bad situation) and now invest them in prevention services (before a family reaches a crisis).
Although the DFPS could have begun leveraging Family First as early as September, the Department decided to hold off until September 2021. Family First places limits on what kinds of programs are eligible for funding and requires a written plan for implementation.
SB 355 authorizes the development of that strategy, and the delay will allow DFPS to build up the eligible programs.
Priority: Integrate trauma- and grief-informed practices into the school environment (via House Bill 18)
Result: Passage – sent to the Governor May 17 UPDATE: Signed by Governor Abbott, effective on December 1
HB 18 will institute training to educate school staff on the impact of trauma and empower them with practical tools to ensure that children who have a trauma history feel safe and connected at school and are able to engage productively in the classroom. Implementing trauma informed strategies can increase academic and behavioral outcomes for all students and minimize the likelihood that they will be dependent on state programs later in life. Thanks to lead author Rep. Four Price and Senate sponsor Kirk Watson for this proactive legislation.
Priority: Make available proper information to pregnant and parenting foster youth on providing safe environments for their children (via HB 475)
Result: Passage – sent to the Governor May 29 UPDATE: Signed by the Governor, effective on September 1
Foster youth who become or are about to become parents may have limited access to parenting education resources. Such a lack of information can perpetuate the cycle of child abuse and neglect. This bill directs DFPS to ensure that such youth receive information about safe sleeping arrangements, childproofing the home, methods to cope with challenging behaviors and similar parenting skills. Thanks to author Rep. Donna Howard and Senate sponsor Kirk Watson.
Priority: Develop and implement a statewide strategic plan to address causes and symptoms of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), via House Bill 4183
Result: House passage, left pending in Senate Health and Human Services Committee
Increasing awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences and the lifelong damage they can cause to both mental and physical health – as well as strategies to mitigate or prevent such damage, building resiliency in children and families – was a major priority for TexProtects this session.
We did accomplish that through a well-received press conference at the beginning of this session and in one-on-one interactions with legislators and their staff, but ultimately, we were unsuccessful in final passage of HB 4183, Rep. Tan Parker’s bill that would have implemented a cross-systems strategy for tackling ACEs.
Thanks especially to emails that you sent, HB 4183 enjoyed solid support in the House, passing on a 131-14 vote. However, once in the Senate, the bill became stuck in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. While frustrating, it’s important to acknowledge a great truth about the Texas legislative system – it is designed to kill bills, not pass them, and there are numerous hurdles along the way.
It is not unusual for bold ideas, no matter how good they may be, to take multiple sessions before finally becoming law. We are grateful for the staggering amount of work that Rep. Parker put into crafting and shepherding this legislation through the House, and to Sen. Charles Perry for sponsoring it in the other chamber. This effort only strengthens our resolve to educate the public and lawmakers on the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences.
Thanks again for your support this session, and we look forward to hearing from you as we develop an agenda for the 87th Texas Legislature.
The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift: Home Visiting
By Sophie Phillips, CEO, TexProtects
Six Mother’s Days have passed since I’ve been with TexProtects, the Texas chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America. All were meaningful, because mothers are central to our mission, but this one deepened my perspective – it’s my first as a mother.
In our efforts to prevent trauma from abuse and neglect, TexProtects promotes and builds effective policies and programs helping new mothers and families deal with the life-changing stresses that come with newborns and young children.
Now, through seemingly never-ending late-night feedings, cries you just can’t soothe and frantic internet searches looking for answers to unanticipated questions, I understand how crucial this is. This precious little gift is a great responsibility that would be difficult to handle alone.
I am fortunate and grateful to have my husband at my side every step of the way, family nearby, a supportive church, steady income and paid leave, and good health during my life’s most meaningful and joyful, yet challenging experience. I spent years meticulously planning for this moment, including a wealth of knowledge gleaned from my career.
I thought I was prepared.
These first weeks of my baby’s life have shown me how fortunate I am. The resources and supports shown to me during this transition are not something I take for granted, because I know there are many new mothers across Texas in very different circumstances.
Some are very young. Many are alone – maybe kicked out of their homes or fleeing from an abusive situation. Some are struggling with postpartum depression or mental illness or fighting their way out of addiction. They may lack confidence, parenting knowledge, or reliable relationships to help, especially if their own parents abused or neglected them.
Abuse and neglect are cyclical. These mothers’ situations do not predetermine that their children will be abused or neglected – but they dramatically raise the odds. Helping these mothers is key to breaking that cycle.
One of the best ways to do this is through evidence-based home visiting programs. These are nonprofit programs in the community, in which a family with newborns or young children can invite a nurse, social worker or other trained professional into the home to provide support and make referrals when needed.
Home visiting has proven benefits: fewer pregnancy complications; reduced incidences of domestic violence, child maltreatment, and interaction with the judicial system; better educational and health outcomes (both for the parent and child); and a greater likelihood that the parent(s) will become or remain employed. In other words – stronger, more resilient, self-sufficient families.
The programs have another beneficiary – taxpayers. Helping these families avoid tragic situations and stay out of the Child Protective Services and foster care systems relieves pressure on the emergency services, judicial, health, and education systems.
In the current Texas Legislative session, which ends May 27, the competing House and Senate versions of the proposed Fiscal Years 2020-21 budget both have very modest increases in state investments in home visiting – but not nearly enough to substantially increase the number of families served.
Of 423,000 Texas families we estimate could benefit from home visiting, having young children with multiple risk factors, Texas currently can serve only about 15,000.
The actual need is much greater. On paper I may not look like I need home visiting, but following my son’s birth, I most certainly did. All new mothers could use some help.
With the $30.5 million legislative investment increase requested by TexProtects, we could help another 3,600 families. Home visiting programs have demonstrated returns ranging from $1.26 to $8.08 per dollar invested – failure to reach those families means lives lost and tax savings missed.
Please urge lawmakers negotiating the final budget bill to substantially increase home visiting investments. Mother’s Day shouldn’t be a reminder of traumatic childhoods or maternal inadequacies. Help us cement Mother’s Day as a celebration of strong families and abundant love for our children.
Sophie Phillips is CEO of TexProtects – Champions for Safe Children. www.texprotects.org.
This op-ed was published May 10 in the San Antonio Express-News.
Learn more:
‘What happened to you?’ – Rep. Tan Parker on Adverse Childhood Experiences
State Rep. Tan Parker has been a champion at the Texas Legislature this session in the drive to help prevent and mitigate the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences, including authoring this op-ed, which was published in the Houston Chronicle and Galveston County Daily News. His House Bill 4183 is key to this effort, as he explains below.
“What’s wrong with you?”
That’s a common question we ask when children act in a self-destructive manner. Maybe they’re being disruptive in class, misbehaving regularly, hurting themselves or even having violent thoughts.
A growing body of research suggests that “What’s wrong with you?” is actually the incorrect question. The better one is: “What happened to you?”
It has been widely known traumatic experiences suffered early in life — known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) — can leave deep emotional scars. But many studies now show that the effects of trauma can be even more profound than previously believed. These experiences can actually disrupt healthy development and change a child’s brain architecture in ways that impact behavior and health throughout an entire life.
Recognized ACEs include child abuse and neglect, death of a parent, having a parent with a mental illness, an incarcerated parent or caregiver, substance use and family violence. Sadly, it’s estimated that 24 percent of Texas children have experienced multiple ACEs.
That’s a serious public health crisis that requires a cross-systems, comprehensive strategy to solve.
To that end, I have partnered with TexProtects (the Texas Chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America) to make that vision a reality by authoring House Bill 4183 to address the challenges that ACEs pose to our children.
ACEs are often cumulative — exposure to one increases the likelihood of exposure to others. Researchers have found compound exposure increases the likelihood of suicide, depression, substance use, obesity, smoking and leading causes of early death such as stroke, heart attack, cancer and diabetes. Among Texas children with multiple ACEs, 17.2 percent have repeated a school grade (compared to 2.7 percent of children with none), 31 percent are more likely to have two or more chronic health conditions (compared to 10.5 percent with none) and 59 percent have no consistent, comprehensive medical care.
But childhood adversity does not have to dictate a child’s future health and success. By appropriately addressing ACEs (as well as root causes), children and families can build resiliency, allowing them to thrive despite adversity. Research shows a supportive, responsive relationship with an adult in early life can prevent or mitigate the damaging effects resulting from childhood exposure to chronically stressful experiences.
Under HB 4183, Texas would deploy a strategy coordinated across state agencies, child well-being and faith-based organizations, neighborhood schools, local medical and mental health service providers, criminal and juvenile justice and the philanthropic community. By bringing together stakeholders from multiple domains, Texas will be able to better understand the prevalence and patterns of adversities in Texas communities, identify best practices and service gaps and chart a path forward so that Texas systems and communities are better prepared to implement approaches that can truly change the trajectory for the estimated 3.4 million Texas children experiencing ACES.
A blueprint for our communities may include strategies to train and educate professionals to prevent and assess for ACEs, then referring for effective services; providing trauma-informed behavioral counseling; providing high-quality early childhood education; making available voluntary programs that strengthen parenting skills; identifying best practices for Child Protective Services; and successfully treating mental illness and substance abuse disorders.
The economic impact of ACEs is staggering. Child abuse and neglect alone will cost Texas taxpayers an estimated $1.75 billion for Child Protective Services in 2019. The lifetime costs of abuse and neglect victims in 2018 — across the education, health care, criminal justice and welfare systems, as well as lost future earnings in the workforce — will add up to more than $58 billion, based on estimates provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Every year Texas waits, those billions accumulate, more lives are damaged, and we ultimately pay a much higher price.
Rep. Tan Parker represents District 63 (Denton County).
To learn more about Adverse Childhood Experiences, see our report at http://bit.ly/acesuncovered
Reasons I’m HOPEful…
Why are you hopeful for Texas children and families? That’s the question we’re asking as we launch our #TexProtectsHOPEful social media campaign during Child Abuse Prevention Month – and continuing well beyond April! This campaign celebrates the efforts of good people all over the state working to prevent and protect children from abuse and neglect!
We got a great answer from Michelle Heflin of Buckner International, the nonprofit that administers the Project HOPES program in Gregg, Upshur and Harrison Counties. So great, in fact, that it deserves more than just a Tweet, so we present it here as a full blog post. Enjoy!
In July 2014, I welcomed my first child into the world and quickly realized that for the past 10 years of my professional career in social services I may have been giving impractical parenting advice to parents and foster parents. It was not intentional, but when you’re in the parenting trenches and the 2am wake-up cry has you sleep-deprived, you quickly learn it’s a whole other ball game – theory versus practice.
Shortly after my initiation into motherhood, the nonprofit I work for, Buckner International (www.Buckner.org), was awarded the Project HOPES contract in September 2014 for the Texas counties of Gregg, Upshur and Harrison from the Prevention and Early Intervention Division of the Department of Family and Protective Services. We selected the Parents as Teachers home visiting (0-5 yrs.) program, which focuses on parents being the first teacher of the child through developmental milestones and school readiness.
Through the program, I found that the information delivered to families really pertained to being a new parent and parents confirmed their feeling of support by having a plan for those 2am wake-up cries. Accurate information about child development and appropriate expectations for children’s behavior at every age helps parents see their children in a positive light and promote their healthy development.
Why is parent education so important for the prevention of child abuse or maltreatment? Because having (1) Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development is just one of the Five Protective Factors within families.
The other Protective Factors include:
(2) Parental Resilience – No one can eliminate stress from parenting, but a parent’s capacity for resilience can affect how a parent deals with stress.
(3) Social Connections – Networks of support are essential to parents and also offer opportunities for people to “give back,” an important part of self-esteem as well as a benefit for the community.
(4) Concrete Support in Time of Need – Meeting basic economic needs like food, shelter, clothing and health care is essential for families to thrive.
(5) Social and Emotional Competence of Children – Challenging behaviors or delayed development create extra stress for families, so early identification and assistance for both parents and children can head off negative results and keep development on track.
There is a correlation between low Protective Factors within families and the prevalence of child abuse or neglect. If we are going to prevent or lower the child abuse rates in our communities and therefore potentially decreasing the need for children to be removed from their home, this is the key.
I’m hopeful for the children in our community because parents that engage with Buckner Project HOPES (www.Buckner.org/Project-HOPES) to increase Protective Factors have also taken on tasks of reaching goals within their family. Goals like obtaining an associate’s degree then moving onto a bachelor’s degree, securing more stable housing, moving from underemployment to a living wage and feeling better prepared to parent.
It has been my observation that many of these goals are accomplished because they first felt successful as a parent! When families are strengthened and are mutually responsible for better outcomes for their children, that is the essence of the meaning of our slogan at Buckner International: “Hope shines here.”®
For more information on Project HOPES, click here.
Tell us in the comments – why are you #TexProtectsHOPEful?
86th Texas Legislature Update: Mid-April
The 86th Texas Legislature is almost two-thirds complete. Here is the status of the major bills TexProtects is supporting:
The Fiscal Years 2020-21 Budget (House Bill 1)
Our major goal for the 86th Legislature is to secure increased investments in family support home visiting programs – specifically an additional $12 million for Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) and $18.5 for the HOPES (Healthy Outcomes through Prevention and Early Support) program. The majority of child maltreatment occurs in the most formative years for children and 75% of child abuse fatalities over the past five years were children under age 3. Texas needs these most proven and effective programs for reducing child maltreatment for children between the ages of 0-5. Currently both the House and Senate versions of the budget fall short of those goals.
Prevention
For Nurse Family Partnership, the Senate included an additional $2 million dollars. The House, thanks in large part to the efforts of Representatives Button and Meyer, added $5.8 million dollars to NFP. For Project HOPES, however, the House only included $1.5 million new dollars and the Senate didn’t appropriate any. The differences between the two versions will have to be ironed out in a conference committee between the two chambers. House conferees are Reps. John Zerwas, Greg Bonnen, Sarah Davis, Oscar Longoria and Armando Walle; Senate conferees will soon be appointed.
TexProtects will monitor negotiations between the House and Senate and will advocate for larger investments (thus reaching more families who would benefit) in the final budget.
Child Protective Services
Overall, the House version of the 2020-2021 biennial budget includes $3.9 billion (an increase of $311.8 million from 2018-2019) in Child Protective Services funding, while the Senate version includes $3.8 billion (an increase of $271.7 million from 2018-2019).
Included in these amounts is $2 billion in the House version and $1.9 billion in the Senate version for client services programs, including foster care, adoption subsidies, permanency care assistance payments, relative caregiver monetary assistance payments, and day care. The House appropriated funds for rate increases for certain foster care providers. Both the House and Senate included $1.6 billion for CPS direct-delivery staff, including services provided through Community-Based Care. This amount includes increased funding to maintain lower caseloads for most caseworkers – the House version would reduce caseloads for conservatorship caseworkers, and the Senate version would reduce caseloads for conservatorship, kinship, foster and adoptive developmental home (FAD) and residential child care investigators. The House version expands Community-Based Care into two new regions and into stage 2, which includes case management, in Region 3B. The Senate version expands Community-Based Care into two new regions and into stage 2 in Regions 3B, 2, and 8A.
Behavioral Health Services
The House appropriated $4.1 billion (an increase of $665.4 million) while the Senate included $3.1 billion (a decrease of $275.9 million) for behavioral health services at the three health and human services agencies, which includes funding for community mental health services; mental health services for veterans; inpatient mental health services at state-owned and community hospitals; and substance abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment services.
Early Childhood Intervention (ECI)
Finally, funding for Early Childhood Intervention services totals $372.8 million (an increase of $83.4 million) in the House version for the 2020–21 biennium. The Senate appropriated $313.1 million for ECI services, representing an increase of $23.7 million.
For additional details related to the funding amounts for the Department of Family and Protective Services throughout the legislative process, please review this table.
Non-Budget Bills
HB 3718 (Rep. Tan Parker with Reps. Zerwas, Huberty, Miller, and Senfronia Thompson): This bill would require school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to implement a trauma-informed care policy (including staff training) and incorporates trauma-informed training into the existing continuing education hours teachers complete each five years. This bill is part of TexProtects’ call for a statewide strategy to mitigate and prevent trauma from Adverse Childhood Experiences and other sources of trauma. On April 11, HB 3718 was reported favorably from the House Public Education Committee, and now, it should head to the full House for a vote.
HB 4183 (Rep. Tan Parker with Reps. Zerwas, Miller, Sanford and Senfronia Thompson): This bill is key to our Adverse Childhood Experiences campaign, requiring multiple state agencies across the child protection, justice, education and health care systems to create a statewide strategy for preventing and mitigating ACEs. Testimony on HB 4183 was heard in the House Public Health Committee on April 3 and was voted out favorably on April 15. We look forward to a House vote on the bill soon.
Senate Bill 355 (Sen. Royce West with Sens. Kolkhorst, Lucio and Menéndez): SB 355 tasks DFPS with creating a strategic plan to maximize prevention funds available through the Federal Family First Prevention Services Act. Family First marks a key shift in federal policy, allowing money that was previously reserved strictly for foster care (in other words, after a tragedy has occurred) to be directed toward programs designed to prevent children from ever needing foster care (before tragedy occurs). Funds can be used for evidence-based substance use prevention and treatment, mental health care, and in-home parenting programs to strengthen families so that children can remain safely at home. SB 355 passed the Senate on March 20 and is currently in the House Human Services Committee.
HB 12 (Rep. Sarah Davis): This bill strengthens the Early Childhood Intervention Program by streamlining processes to receive services, requiring health benefit plans to cover services, creating a tele-health pilot to increase access, and requiring the ombudsman office to collect data on complaints and make recommendations on how to improve the provision of services. HB 12 received a hearing in the House Human Services Committee on April 9 and was left pending in committee.
HB 18 (Rep. Four Price and others): In response to ongoing concerns with school safety as well as recommendations from the House Select Committee on Mental Health, HB 18 provides students and educators with training and resources on mental health and substance use. Included in this very comprehensive bill is language that would ensure that trauma-informed practices are integrated into school environments and included in teachers’ continuing education. HB 18 has made it through the House and is on its way to the Senate.
HB 474 (Rep. Donna Howard): HB 474 will expand the data that is available as part of the foster care needs assessment to better understand where there are service gaps affecting pregnant and parenting foster youth. In addition to collecting information on prenatal, postpartum, or parenting supports for youth, it also collects information on placements that will be reimbursable under the Family First Prevention Services Act, including: licensed residential family-specialized substance use treatment facilities; qualified residential treatment programs; supervised independent living; and settings specializing in serving survivors of human trafficking. HB 474 will be considered by the House Human Services committee this week.
HB 475 (Rep. Donna Howard): Ensures pregnant and parenting youth in care receive basic parenting education and services that will help strengthen and preserve their young families. HB 475 specifically will make available to these youth information on: safe sleeping arrangements; recommendations for safety childproofing their home; methods to manage crying infants; the selection of appropriate substitute caregivers; early brain development; the importance of meeting an infant’s developmental needs by providing positive experiences and avoiding adverse experiences; the importance of paternal involvement; the benefits of reading and talking to young children; and the impact of perinatal mood disorders. HB 475 will be considered by the House Human Services committee this week.
HB 1110 (Rep. Sarah Davis): This bill expands Medicaid coverage for pregnant women from 60 days after the birth of a child to 12 months after delivery. This ensures that new mothers have access to critical health care in the postpartum period to increase health outcomes for moms and children. HB 1110 received a hearing in the House Human Services Committee on April 9 and was left pending in committee.
HB 2030 (Rep. John Turner): This bill provides that if a child is eligible for pre-K at 3 years old, they remain eligible at 4 years old. The House Public Education Committee passed a committee substitute version of the bill and reported it favorably to the full House.
HB 2832 (Rep. Dade Phelan): This bill requires the Health and Human Services Commission to work with the Department of Family and Protective Services to promote and track referrals to Nurse-Family Partnership programs. HB 2832 received a hearing in the House Human Services Committee on April 2 and was left pending in committee.
SB 708 (Sen. Judith Zaffirini with Sen. Campbell): This bill ensures that HHSC and other stakeholders have access to critical data on child safety. This bill directs the commission to collect data on caregiver-child ratios and group size standards as well as serious violations and injuries. This information will allow leaders to better understand if state minimum standards are sufficient to ensure that enrolled children are being cared for in supportive and safe environments. HB 708 received a hearing on April 16 and was left pending.
April Is Child Abuse Prevention Month!
April is here, and that means it’s national Child Abuse Prevention Month (CAPM)!
In 2017, TexProtects | Champions for Children also became Prevent Child Abuse Texas – the Texas chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA). This year, PCAA and all of its state chapters are spreading the message: Preventing child abuse and neglect can be simpler than you think – often, all it takes to create great childhoods is to Do More of What You Love.
Yes, it’s that simple. By channeling your interests into the lives of children, your neighbors, and your community, you can uplift them and give them the strength and resiliency they need to thrive.
All parents want to provide for and nurture their child in a positive, healthy environment, but sometimes they need a little support along the way – and they don’t know how to ask for it. In a national survey, 94% of parents said they needed help of some kind; 86% said they would be grateful for services, childcare or other support. However, in a separate study, fewer than 20% of parents said they would actually seek help.
So what can you do?
- Love to read? Volunteer for an after-school reading program or book club – you’ll help kids meet new friends and spark their imaginations, too.
- Love to cook? Give a new mom a break by bringing over dinner, offering to run an errand, or babysitting.
- Love sports? Coach a youth sports team to teach kids the value of teamwork – they’ll learn how to trust teammates and themselves.
- Love to play host or hostess? Host a kid-friendly BBQ or organize a block party so parents can socialize without the stress of finding a sitter – social connections with other parents help to establish a strong support network.
- Want your voice to be heard? Contact your elected officials and urge them to support policies and programs that promote safe, healthy childhoods. (TexProtects can definitely help you with this: Just go to texprotects.org, look for the “Stay Updated!” box, and sign up to receive our legislative advocacy alerts. Also, see our 2019 Legislative Agenda and our Legislative Advocacy Portal.)
To see more of how Small Steps Can Make a Big Difference, visit this resource page by Prevent Child Abuse America: https://preventchildabuse.org/small-steps-2019/
For a listing of 2019 Child Abuse Prevention Month Events near you, please click here.
The 86th Texas Legislature is heating up
The Texas Legislature has a rule: Bills may not be considered for floor debate in either the House or Senate during the first 60 days of the 140-day session unless designated an emergency by the Governor. This allows members to spend adequate time in committee meetings vetting them.
That 60 days is up! We have reached the second half of the session and we can expect things to start moving quickly now – in fact, some of bills are already rolling along, and we could use your help with a key budget request.
- Our key budget request – $30.5 million to expand evidence-based home visiting programs to reach an additional 3,600 families – is thus far not reflected in the budget bill. At the moment, an expansion of only $5.2 million is included in the House version. Fortunately, it is still early in the budgeting process and we will continue advocating for a much larger investment. We encourage you to do so as well by reaching out to Senate Finance Committee members. Key senators working on health and human services budget decisions include: Chair Lois Kolkhorst, Kirk Watson, Donna Campbell and Pete Flores. (For a deeper look at our budget requests, read here.)
- Senate Bill 355 by Sen. Royce West, another of our top-priority bills, was passed unanimously by the Senate last week! SB 355 would lay out a Texas plan for implementation of the federal Family First Prevention Services Act, a landmark bill that will direct more federal dollars toward keeping children out of foster care. When SB 355 was in committee, TexProtects Vice President of Public Affairs Pamela McPeters testified in favor of it. Now the bill goes to the House.
- House Bill 3718 by Rep. Tan Parker, which would require public schools to develop and implement a trauma-informed care policy, is scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday (March 26) in the House Public Education Committee.
- House Bill 123, by multiple authors, made it out of the House Human Services Committee and has been placed on the General State Calendar for Monday, March 25. This bill will make it easier for foster children to obtain forms of state identification that are crucial for youth aging out of care.
- Our Public Policy Director Jennifer Lucy spoke in support of House Bill 18, which would ensure teachers, principals and counselors are equipped with evidence-informed training on how trauma affects our students and then how to respond in ways that will de-escalate stressed responses, avoid retraumatizing our students, and create an environment of safety. The trainings also help school staff understand which students may need opportunities to access resources outside of the school setting. This supports our efforts to highlight the role of Adverse Childhood Experiences in lifetime health.
- Speaking of Adverse Childhood Experiences, the bill number for Rep. Tan Parker’s legislation to study a cross-systems plan to prevent and address such experiences has been updated. In our previous communications we identified it as House Bill 822. However, after making revisions, Rep. Parker decided to reintroduce it as a new bill: HB 4183. Passage of this bill is one of TexProtects’ major goals of the 86th Legislative Session.
To get status updates on the many bills we are following or supporting this session, bookmark our Bill Tracker.