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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to employee caseload standards for child and adult |
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protective services and child-care licensing services and call |
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processing standards for certain of those services. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 531.048, Government Code, is amended by |
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adding Subsection (d-1) to read as follows: |
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(d-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (d) and to the extent |
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appropriated money is available for the purpose, the Department of |
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Family and Protective Services shall work toward ensuring that the |
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average caseload for the following categories of department |
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caseworkers does not exceed the number specified by this |
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subsection: |
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(1) for investigative caseworkers, an average of 15 |
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cases at any time; |
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(2) for caseworkers in the child protective services |
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division providing family-based safety services, an average of 10 |
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cases at any time; |
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(3) for caseworkers in the child protective services |
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division providing services through conservatorship programs, an |
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average of 20 cases at any time; |
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(4) for caseworkers in the child protective services |
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division providing services through foster and adoption programs, |
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an average of 20 cases at any time; |
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(5) for child-care licensing specialists, including |
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inspectors, in the child-care licensing division, an average |
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caseload of 64 child-care facilities or registered family homes at |
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any time; and |
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(6) for adult protective services specialists in the |
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adult protective services division providing services through |
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in-home programs, an average of 22 cases at any time, |
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notwithstanding Subsection (g). |
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SECTION 2. Section 40.0528(a), Human Resources Code, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(a) Subject to Section 531.048, Government Code, the [The] |
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department shall develop and implement a staffing and workload |
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distribution plan for the child protective services program to: |
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(1) reduce caseloads; |
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(2) enhance accountability; |
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(3) improve the quality of investigations; |
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(4) eliminate delays; and |
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(5) ensure the most efficient and effective use of |
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child protective services staff and resources. |
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SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, |
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is amended by adding Section 40.0529 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 40.0529. ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND EXPLOITATION HOTLINE: |
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CALL PROCESSING STANDARDS. (a) With respect to the hotline |
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maintained by the department for purposes of receiving reports |
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under Section 261.103, Family Code, and Section 48.051, to the |
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extent appropriated money is available for the purpose, the |
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department shall work toward ensuring that: |
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(1) the average hold time for calls to the hotline does |
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not exceed five minutes; and |
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(2) the call abandonment rate for each state fiscal |
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year does not exceed 25 percent. |
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(b) The executive commissioner by rule shall adopt the |
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methodology to be used to calculate the call abandonment rate |
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referred to in Subsection (a)(2). |
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SECTION 4. Not later than December 1, 2014, the Department |
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of Family and Protective Services shall submit a report to the |
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standing committees of the senate and house of representatives |
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having primary jurisdiction over the Department of Family and |
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Protective Services regarding the department's progress in |
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achieving the caseload standards described in Section |
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531.048(d-1), Government Code, as added by this Act, and the call |
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processing standards described in Section 40.0529, Human Resources |
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Code, as added by this Act. |
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SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |