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Revision 25-3; Effective Nov. 14, 2025
Grantees must obey state laws governing the reporting of suspected abuse and neglect.
Call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 800-252-5400 or use the secure Texas Abuse Hotline website to report abuse or neglect. For cases that pose an imminent threat or danger to a person, call 9-1-1 or the appropriate local law enforcement agency.
Grantees must have written policies and procedures in place for the detection and appropriate reporting of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of:
- the elderly and adults with disabilities (Texas Human Resources Code, Chapter 48);
- child abuse and neglect (Texas Family Code, Chapter 261);
In addition, grantees must have written policies and procedures in place for identifying and responding to:
- human trafficking; and
- domestic and intimate partner violence (Texas Family Code, Chapter 91).
Grantees must provide annual staff training on each separate policy and procedure listed in this section.
3210 Child Abuse Reporting, Compliance and Monitoring
Revision 25-3; Effective Nov. 14, 2025
Child abuse and neglect policies must include:
- The requirement that medical professionals must make a report no later than the 48th hour after first suspecting a child was abused or neglected or is a victim of an offense.
- How to determine, document, report, and track instances of abuse, either sexual or non-sexual, or neglect for all people 17 and younger, per Texas Family Code, Chapter 261.
Refer to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services website for more information on abuse reporting.
3220 Human Trafficking
Revision 25-3; Effective Nov. 14, 2025
Grantees must comply with all state and federal anti-trafficking laws. This includes the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 USC Ch 78) and Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 116, which requires health practitioners complete an HHSC-Approved Human Trafficking Course for every licensure renewal period.
Grantees must have a written policy on human trafficking which includes:
- the definition of human trafficking;
- how to identify possible situations of human trafficking;
- the screening tool used to identify possible situations of human trafficking;
- what to do and who to report to if human trafficking is suspected;
- mandatory reporting of suspected child human trafficking; and
- victim support resources.
References for human trafficking policy development:
- Texas Health and Human Services Human Trafficking Resource Center
- Texas Health and Human Services Health Care Practitioner Training Page
- Governor’s Child Sex Trafficking Team
- HHS National Human Trafficking Hotline website or dial 888-373-7888
- Rescue and Restore Campaign by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Contains multiple resources for health care providers, social service personnel, and law enforcement for identifying and aiding trafficking victims. Includes slide presentations for training purposes.
3230 Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence
Revision 25-3; Effective Nov. 14, 2025
Intimate partner violence (IPV) describes physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse. Per Texas Human Resources Code, Chapter 51, family violence may also include emotional harm and threat of harm. This type of violence does not require sexual intimacy.
Grantees must comply with all requirements listed in Texas Family Code, Chapter 91 and have a written policy about assessment and prevention of domestic violence and IPV.
Find more information on IPV on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. The National Domestic Violence Hotline operates 24/7 and provides interpretation services in over 200 languages at 800-799-7233.