Relating to grounds for the involuntary termination of the parent-child relationship.

Contracts

• DFPS Vendor Agreements: Agencies with performance-based contracts tied to "Time to Permanency" must review terms. The removal of the "fast track" termination ground will likely extend case durations, potentially causing vendors to miss existing contract metrics.
• Service Provider Agreements: Contracts with behavioral health and counseling providers should be reviewed. Anticipate a potential drop in utilization/revenue, as parents may be less motivated to complete court-ordered services without the immediate threat of termination based on non-compliance.

Hiring/Training

• Legal Staff: Attorneys must be retrained to stop pleading Ground O as a primary strategy. Litigation training must focus on gathering evidence for Grounds D (Endangerment), E (Conduct Endangerment), and N (Constructive Abandonment).
• Caseworkers: Staff must be trained to document the *clinical impact* of missed services rather than just the *absence*. Training must shift from "checklist compliance" to "safety assessment."

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Evidence Documentation: Shift record-keeping from attendance logs to qualitative assessments. A log showing "Parent missed 3 classes" is now legally weak. Records must explicitly state: "Parent missed 3 classes, resulting in a continued inability to manage anger triggers, posing a direct safety risk to the child."
• Pleading Audits: All open case files must be audited. Any petition relying solely on Ground O must be amended immediately to include alternative statutory grounds.

Fees & Costs

• Litigation Costs: Budget for increased legal spend. Proving endangerment requires more witness testimony, expert analysis, and court time than proving a missed drug test, leading to longer, more expensive trials.
• Insurance Premiums: Foster care agencies should anticipate potential premium adjustments due to longer average lengths of stay for children in custody, which increases liability exposure.