Texas Register, Volume 41, Number 52, Pages 10019-10486, December 23, 2016 Page: 10,050
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(a) The statewide children's advocacy center organization with
which HHSC contracts under 377.207 of this subchapter (relating
to Contract with Statewide Children's Advocacy Center Organization)
contracts with local children's advocacy centers.
(b) Eligibility of a Local Children's Advocacy Center to Con-
tract with the Statewide Organization.
(1) To be eligible to contract with the statewide organiza-
tion under Texas Family Code 264.410, a local children's advocacy
center must:
(A) have a signed memorandum of understanding as
provided by Texas Family Code 264.403;
(B) operate under the authority of a governing board as
provided by Texas Family Code 264.404;
(C) have a multidisciplinary team of persons involved
in the investigation or prosecution of child abuse cases or the delivery
of services as provided by Texas Family Code 264.406;
(D) hold regularly scheduled case reviews as provided
by Texas Family Code 264.406;
(E) operate in a neutral and physically separate space
from the day-to-day operations of any public agency partner;
(F) have developed a method of statistical information-
gathering on children receiving services through the center and share
such statistical information with the statewide children's advocacy cen-
ter organization, DFPS, and HHSC when requested;
(G) have an in-house volunteer program;
(H) employ an executive director who is answerable to
the board of directors of the local children's advocacy center and who is
not the exclusive salaried employee of any public agency partner; and
(I) operate under a working protocol that includes a
statement of:
(i) the local children's advocacy center's mission;
(ii) each participating agency's role and commit-
ment to the local children's advocacy center;
(iii) the type of cases to be handled by the local chil-
dren's advocacy center;
(iv) the local children's advocacy center's procedure
for conducting case reviews and forensic interviews and for ensuring
access to specialized medical and mental health services; and
(v) the local children's advocacy center's policies re-
garding confidentiality and conflict resolution.
(2) The statewide children's advocacy center organization
may waive requirements specified in subsection (b)(1) of this section
if it determines that the waiver will not adversely affect the local chil-
dren's advocacy center's ability to carry out its duties under Texas Fam-
ily Code 264.405.
(c) Requirements for Contracts Awarded to Local Children's
Advocacy Centers by the Statewide Children's Advocacy Center Or-
ganization.
(1) A contract between the statewide children's advocacy
center organization and a local children's advocacy center under Texas
Family Code 264.410 must not result in reducing the financial support
the local children's advocacy center receives from another source.
(2) A contract between the statewide children's advocacy
center organization and a local children's advocacy center under TexasFamily Code 264.410 must be enforced through the use of remedies
and in accordance with the procedures provided in the Uniform Grant
Management Standards for Texas (UGMS).
(3) A contract between the statewide children's advocacy
center organization and a local children's advocacy center under Texas
Family Code 264.4 10 must require the local children's advocacy cen-
ter to comply with the requirements and provisions applicable to local
children's advocacy centers in the contract between the statewide chil-
dren's advocacy center organization and HHSC under Texas Family
Code 264.409.
377.211. Operation of Local Children's Advocacy Center and Pro-
gram.
(a) A local children's advocacy center must:
(1) assess victims of child abuse and their families to deter-
mine their need for services relating to the investigation of child abuse;
(2) provide the services determined to be needed;
(3) provide a facility at which a multidisciplinary team ap-
pointed under Texas Family Code 264.406 can meet to facilitate the
efficient and appropriate disposition of child abuse cases through the
civil and criminal justice systems; and
(4) coordinate the activities of governmental entities relat-
ing to child abuse investigations and delivery of services to child abuse
victims and their families.
(b) Board of Directors of a Local Children's Advocacy Center.
(1) A local children's advocacy center must be governed by
a board of directors. In addition to other persons appointed or elected
to serve on the board of directors, the board of directors must include
an executive officer of or an employee selected by an executive officer
of each of the following:
(A) a law enforcement agency that investigates child
abuse in the area served by the center;
(B) DFPS's Child Protective Services division; and
(C) the county or district attorney's office involved in
the prosecution of child abuse cases in the area served by the center.
(2) Service on a local children's advocacy center's board by
a public officer or employee is an additional duty of the person's office
or employment.
(c) Multidisciplinary Team of a Local Children's Advocacy
Center.
(1) A local children's advocacy center's multidisciplinary
team must include employees of the participating agencies who are pro-
fessionals involved in the investigation or prosecution of child abuse
cases.
(2) A local children's advocacy center's multidisciplinary
team may also include professionals involved in the delivery of ser-
vices, including medical and mental health services, to child abuse vic-
tims and the victims' families.
(3) A multidisciplinary team must meet at regularly sched-
uled intervals to:
(A) review child abuse cases determined to be appro-
priate for review by the multidisciplinary team; and
(B) coordinate the actions of the entities involved in the
investigation and prosecution of the cases and the delivery of services
to the child abuse victims and the victims' families.41 TexReg 10050 December 23, 2016 Texas Register
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Texas. Secretary of State. Texas Register, Volume 41, Number 52, Pages 10019-10486, December 23, 2016, periodical, December 23, 2016; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth835937/m1/32/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.