The commission must run early youth intervention services and provide them in specified referral situations, but it may not serve certain children with serious prior juvenile court history.
Sec. 137.152. EARLY YOUTH INTERVENTION SERVICES. (a) This section applies to a child who: (1) is seven years of age or older and under 17 years of age; and (2) has not had the disabilities of minority for general purposes removed under Chapter 31, Family Code. (b) The commission shall operate a program under this section to provide family support services for children in at-risk situations and for the families of those children. (c) The commission may not provide services under this section to a child who has: (1) at any time been referred to juvenile court for engaging in conduct that violates a penal law of this state of the grade of felony other than a state jail felony; or (2) been found to have engaged in delinquent conduct under Title 3, Family Code. (d) The commission may provide services under this section to a child who engages in conduct for which the child may be found by a court to be an at-risk child, without regard to whether the conduct violates a penal law of this state of the grade of felony other than a state jail felony, if the child was younger than 10 years of age at the time the child engaged in the conduct. (e) The commission shall provide services for a child and the child's family if a contract to provide services under this section is available in the county and the child is referred to the commission as an at-risk child by: (1) a juvenile court or probation department as part of a progressive sanctions program under Chapter 59, Family Code; (2) a law enforcement officer or agency under Section 52.03, Family Code; or (3) a justice or municipal court under Article 45A.457, 45A.509, or 45A.510, Code of Criminal Procedure. (f) The services under this section may include: (1) crisis family intervention; (2) emergency short-term residential care for children 10 years of age or older; (3) family counseling; (4) parenting skills training; (5) youth coping skills training; (6) advocacy training; and (7) mentoring. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 262, Sec. 58, eff. Jan. 1, 1996. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1086, Sec. 30, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 575, Sec. 31, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1514, Sec. 16, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 944 (S.B. 206), Sec. 60, eff. September 1, 2015. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 525 (H.B. 3186), Sec. 12, eff. January 1, 2024. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 765 (H.B. 4504), Sec. 2.053, eff. January 1, 2025. Transferred, redesignated and amended from Family Code, Subchapter D, Chapter 264 by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1033 (S.B. 24), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2023. Amended by: Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 204 (H.B. 1620), Sec. 10.002, eff. September 1, 2025. SUBCHAPTER E. PREVENTIVE SERVICES FOR VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES