Relating to prohibiting single source continuum contractors and child-placing agencies from imposing certain requirements on or adopting certain policies and procedures related to relative and designated caregivers.

Contracts

• SSCC-CPA Vendor Agreements: SSCCs must review subcontracts to ensure they do not contractually obligate CPAs to enforce standards on kinship homes that are now illegal under HB5394.
• Caregiver Agreements: "Rights and Responsibilities" documents signed by relative caregivers must be redacted. Clauses requiring compliance with "all agency policies" are unenforceable if those policies exceed the TAC.

Hiring/Training

• Caseworker Retraining: Staff must be retrained immediately to stop requesting discretionary documentation. Intake staff must shift from a "best practice" mindset to a "statutory compliance" mindset.
• Scripting: Provide staff with scripts to explain to families why certain previously standard requirements (e.g., specific fire safety equipment not in TAC, extra training hours) are no longer mandatory.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Citation Mapping: You must audit your kinship verification checklists. Every single item on the checklist must map to a specific citation in the Texas Family Code or Texas Administrative Code. If you cannot cite the state rule, you must remove the requirement.
• Denial Justifications: You can no longer deny or delay a relative placement based on failure to meet agency-specific criteria. Denial documentation must explicitly reference a state violation.

Fees & Costs

• Liability Insurance: There are no new state fees; however, you must contact your liability insurance carrier. You are now statutorily barred from enforcing risk management policies that exceed state minimums. This may impact your premiums or coverage terms regarding negligence claims.