SECTION 749.932. What exemptions or waivers may apply to the annual training requirements for a caregiver?

(a) If a caregiver is absent from the home on an extended basis as a condition of the caregiver's employment or military service, you must prorate the caregiver's annual training requirements based on the number of months out of the year that the caregiver will be at the home. If a caregiver is absent for an entire year, the caregiver is exempt for the annual training hours for that year.

(b) A child-placing agency, including a single source continuum contractor, may waive certain annual training requirements for a foster parent or for a foster home as described in subsection (c) of this section if:

(1) The foster parent or foster home has been verified by the child-placing agency the previous two years; and

(2) During that timeframe, the child-placing agency was not cited for any deficiencies related to the foster parent or the foster home and there are no pending allegations related to the foster parent or the foster home.

(c) For a foster parent or foster home that meets the requirements described in subsection (b) of this section, the agency may waive the following types of training upon determining that the training is not directly related to the care of any foster child in the home:

(1) Emergency behavior intervention;

(2) Trauma informed care; or

(3) Normalcy.

(d) A child-placing agency that waives certain annual training requirements for a foster home under subsection (c) of this section may waive the training for one or both foster parents and any other caregiver in the home.

(e) A child-placing agency may not waive a foster parent's annual training for emergency behavior intervention, trauma informed care, or normalcy during consecutive years.

(f) You must document the basis of the exemption, proration, or waiver in the appropriate foster home record or personnel record.

Source Note: The provisions of this §749.932 adopted to be effective June 27, 2021, 46 TexReg 3525