New HHSC Rules to Streamline Kinship Foster Home Licensing
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has officially adopted amended rules in Title 26, Texas Administrative Code, Chapters 745 and 749, updating standards for kinship foster home licensing and verification. The goal of these changes is to make it easier for relatives and close family friends to become licensed (verified) caregivers while maintaining strong safety standards for children in care.
It is important to support kinship caregivers in becoming verified because it opens the door to additional financial assistance and ongoing support. In Texas, verified caregivers are eligible for higher monthly reimbursement payments, access to specialized training and resources, additional guidance from child-placing agencies to help meet each child’s needs and, if applicable, adoption subsidies until the child turns 18. Supporting relatives in becoming verified not only ensures they have the tools and resources to provide care, but it also strengthens long-term placement stability for children and helps families thrive.
These new rules incorporate recommendations from the Senate Bill 593 Independent Assessment Workgroup Report, which Texas CASA participated in developing. They align Texas policy with recent federal and state directives to improve support for kinship caregivers. The rules simplify licensing requirements, reduce redundancy and create a new option for non-expiring foster home verifications. As an example of simplification, HHSC clarified that infants may not co-sleep under any circumstances and removed tuberculosis testing requirements. Additional edits improved clarity around immunization, safety and home environment standards.
Under the new rules, kinship caregivers must still complete training in pediatric first aid and CPR, trauma-informed care, abuse prevention and emergency procedures within set timelines after verification. Caregivers must also follow updated medical documentation requirements, including recording all medical and dental visits and maintaining daily medication logs for children receiving psychotropic medications. All homes must complete a health and fire safety inspection or equivalent Child Placing Agency (CPA) evaluation, correct any deficiencies and remain free from safety risks. Additionally, each child must have a separate sleeping space, and caregivers must use safe, reliable vehicles with age-appropriate restraints when transporting children.
Overall, these updates modernize and streamline kinship foster home standards, easing requirements for caregivers while maintaining high expectations for health and safety for children. By reducing barriers and clarifying requirements, these new rules aim to make it easier for more kinship families to become verified and help children remain safely with the people who know and love them. You can read all of HHSC’s newly adopted kinship rules aquí.
