SB 593 Independent Assessment
The purpose of SB 593 is to evaluate:
- HHSC and DFPS’ rules, minimum standards, and contract requirements that apply to child-placing agencies, residential child-care facilities including foster homes, relative caregivers, and adoptive homes
- The standards or oversight requirements prescribed by law to determine the relevance of the standard or oversight requirement; whether the standard or oversight requirement is the best practice.
The independent assessment is intended to make the following findings and recommendations:
- Simplifying minimum standards to
- Prioritize health, safety, and well-being of children
- Reduce barriers to opening a child-care operation, agency, or becoming a foster parent
- Adjusting the weights of minimum standards to ensure a methodical and consistent approach and reflective of the focus on health and safety.
- Addressing licensing, training, and oversight requirements that are barriers to:
- Retaining kinship or foster home capacity
- Retaining operational capacity
- Update licensing standards to
- Prioritize health, safety, and well-being of children
- Reduce barriers to hiring and maintaining workforce including direct care, admin, and leadership
- Provide flexibility in applying standards so that services and care are in response to individual needs of child
- Defining HHSC and DFPS’ roles in licensing, investigating, contract oversight, and any other regulatory activity to eliminate duplicative functions
- Promote transparency and clarity of HHSC and DFPS expectations for caregivers and organizations.