Sec. 32.0211. WOMEN, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN PROGRAM OUTREACH CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE FATHERS' INVOLVEMENT. (a) The attorney general shall:
(1) subject to Subsections (b) and (c), develop and periodically update a publication that:
(A) describes the importance and long-term positive effects on children of a father's involvement during a mother's pregnancy; and
(B) provides guidance to prospective fathers on the positive actions that they can take to support the pregnant mother during pregnancy and the effect those actions have on pregnancy outcomes; and
(2) make the publication described by Subdivision (1) available to any agency, organization, or other entity that contracts with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and on the attorney general's Internet website in a format that allows the public to download and print the publication.
(b) The publication developed by the attorney general under Subsection (a) must include:
(1) information regarding the steps that unmarried parents must take if the parents want to establish legal paternity and the benefits of paternity establishment for children;
(2) a worksheet to help fathers identify personal risk behaviors, including smoking, substance abuse, and unemployment;
(3) information regarding how a father's personal risk behaviors may affect the father's child and a guide to resources that are available to the father to assist in making necessary lifestyle changes;
(4) information for fathers about the mother's prenatal health, including the emotional and physical changes a mother will experience throughout pregnancy, the mother's nutritional needs, and an explanation of how the father may help the mother meet those needs;
(5) an explanation of prenatal health care visits, including an explanation of what they are and what to expect, and the practical ways a father may support the mother throughout pregnancy;
(6) information regarding a child's prenatal health, including the child's developmental stages, the importance of attending prenatal health care visits, the practical ways a father may contribute to healthy baby outcomes, and actions the father may take to prepare for the birth of a child;
(7) an explanation regarding prenatal tests, including an explanation of what the tests are and what tests to expect;
(8) basic infant care information, including:
(A) information regarding the basics of dressing, diapering, bathing, consoling, and stimulating an infant;
(B) health and safety issues, including issues relating to nutritional information, sleep needs and expectations, baby-proofing a home, and what to expect at the first well-child visits; and
(C) information on bonding and attachment and how each relates to an infant's development;
(9) healthy relationship and coparenting information, including communication strategies, conflict resolution strategies, and problem-solving techniques for coparenting;
(10) worksheets, activities, and exercises to aid fathers and the couple in exploring the following topics:
(A) personal ideas about fatherhood and the role of the father in the family system;
(B) the immediate and long-term benefits of father involvement specific to their family; and
(C) perceived barriers to father involvement and strategies for overcoming those barriers; and
(11) activities and projects for fathers that increase the fathers' understanding of the stages of child developmental and health and safety issues.
(c) In developing the publication required by Subsection (a), the attorney general shall consult with:
(1) the department as the state agency responsible for administering the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and this state's program under the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. Section 701 et seq.); and
(2) the Texas Council on Family Violence.
(d) An agency, organization, or other entity that contracts with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children shall make the publication described by Subsection (a) available to each client receiving clinical or nutritional services under the program.
Added by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 241 (H.B. 824), Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 2011.
Amended by:
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 3.0090, eff. April 2, 2015.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 3.0091, eff. April 2, 2015.
Last modified: September 28, 2016