Relating to the notification of certain persons concerning certain events related to children in the managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services.

Contracts

• Foster Parent Agreements: You must amend contracts with foster parents to require they report incidents to your agency within 12 to 24 hours. If they delay, your agency will miss the 48-hour state reporting deadline.
• DFPS Master Service Agreements: Anticipate a unilateral contract amendment from DFPS updating the "Reporting Requirements" section to align with the new statutory timelines.

Hiring/Training

• Case Management Training: Retrain staff immediately. The "weekly summary" approach to reporting is now non-compliant. Shift to a "real-time" reporting model.
• Intake Protocols: Intake staff must be trained to demand and record the email and phone number of the Parent's Attorney of Record upon initial placement.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• CMS Updates: Update Case Management Software to mandate "Parent's Attorney" as a required recipient field.
• The "Attempt Log": Create a specific form or digital log to document *attempted* notifications. You must record the time, method (email/call), and specific recipient for every attempt to prove "reasonable effort" during future audits.
• Placement Changes:
• Emergency: Report within 24 hours *after* the event.
• Planned: Report 48 hours *before* the move.

Fees & Costs

• No New State Fees: There are no new filing fees.
• Administrative Burden: Expect increased administrative costs related to the higher volume of required communications and the staff time required to locate and document attorney contacts.