Sec. 107.158. GENERAL PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO CONDUCT OF ADOPTION EVALUATOR AND PREPARATION OF REPORTS. (a) Unless otherwise directed by a court or prescribed by this subchapter, an adoption evaluator's actions in conducting an adoption evaluation must be in conformance with the professional standard of care applicable to the evaluator's licensure and any administrative rules, ethical standards, or guidelines adopted by the licensing authority that licenses the evaluator.
(b) A court may impose requirements or adopt local rules applicable to an adoption evaluation or an adoption evaluator that do not conflict with this subchapter.
(c) An adoption evaluator shall follow evidence-based practice methods and make use of current best evidence in making assessments and recommendations.
(d) An adoption evaluator shall disclose to each attorney of record any communication regarding a substantive issue between the evaluator and an attorney of record representing a party in a contested suit. This subsection does not apply to a communication between an adoption evaluator and an amicus attorney.
(e) To the extent possible, an adoption evaluator shall verify each statement of fact pertinent to an adoption evaluation and shall note the sources of verification and information in any report prepared on the evaluation.
(f) An adoption evaluator shall state the basis for the evaluator's conclusions or recommendations in any report prepared on the evaluation.
(g) An adoption evaluation report must include for each adoption evaluator who conducted any portion of the adoption evaluation:
(1) the name and license number of the adoption evaluator; and
(2) a statement that the adoption evaluator:
(A) has read and meets the requirements of Section 107.154; or
(B) was appointed under Section 107.155.
Added by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1252 (H.B. 1449), Sec. 1.18, eff. September 1, 2015.
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