Sec. 42.0535. REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR VERIFICATION. (a) A child-placing agency that seeks to verify an agency home or an agency group home shall request background information about the agency home or group home from a child-placing agency that has previously verified that agency home or agency group home.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 261.201, Family Code, a child-placing agency that has verified an agency home or an agency group home is required to release to another child-placing agency background information requested under Subsection (a).
(c) A child-placing agency that releases background information under this section is immune from civil and criminal liability for the release of the information.
(d) For purposes of this section, background information means the home study under which the agency home or agency group home was verified by the previous child-placing agency and any record of noncompliance with state minimum standards received and the resolution of any such noncompliance by the previous child-placing agency.
(e) The executive commissioner by rule shall develop a process by which a child-placing agency shall report to the department:
(1) the name of any verified foster home or foster group home that has been closed for any reason, including a voluntary closure;
(2) information regarding the reasons for the closure of the foster home or foster group home; and
(3) the name and other contact information of a person who may be contacted by another child-placing agency to obtain the records relating to the closed foster home or foster group home that are required to be maintained and made available under this section.
(f) Information gathered under Subsection (e) must be made available to child-placing agencies through a searchable database maintained by the department.
Added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 575, Sec. 36(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1997.
Amended by:
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1406 (S.B. 758), Sec. 36, eff. September 1, 2007.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 4.230, eff. April 2, 2015.
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