REFUGE HOUSE, INC.

PURPOSE:

To establish the governing principles for discipline of children and youth in Refuge House foster homes, ensuring that all discipline is trauma-informed, supports each child's positive behavior and self-control, and never takes a form prohibited by the Minimum Standards.

POLICY:

Refuge House does not allow corporal punishment, the threat of corporal punishment, or any harsh, cruel, unusual, demeaning, or humiliating form of discipline with any child in care. Refuge House does not allow the use — or the threat of the use — of emergency behavior intervention (EBI) as discipline. All discipline practiced in any home certified, supervised, or operated by Refuge House must integrate trauma-informed care, support each child's positive behavior, nurture each child, and meet each child's needs promptly. This policy is required by TAC §749.117 (discipline policy requirements) and governed by TAC §§749.1951–749.1961 (Discipline and Punishment).

TRAUMA-INFORMED FOUNDATION:

Consistent with the T3C Blueprint, Refuge House is a trauma-informed agency that realizes the widespread impact of trauma, recognizes its signs and symptoms, responds by integrating trauma knowledge into its policies and practices, and resists re-traumatization. Foster parents and personnel receive Trauma-Informed Care training meeting a DFPS-approved curriculum (e.g., TBRI®), including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Secondary Traumatic Stress components. All discipline is delivered through a trauma-informed lens.

Discipline is delivered through the three TBRI® principles. Connecting — discipline preserves the caregiver-child relationship and the child's felt safety; the child is never shamed, isolated, or threatened with loss of placement. Empowering — caregivers address the physiological and environmental needs that drive behavior (hunger, sleep, sensory regulation) and offer choices and predictable structure before correcting. Correcting — caregivers use proactive strategies (clear expectations, redirection, natural and logical consequences, and restorative work) and treat misbehavior as a teaching opportunity rather than an occasion for punishment.

GOVERNING REQUIREMENTS:

Discipline must be individualized and related to the misbehavior, the child's age, developmental level, previous experience, and prior reactions to discipline; it must be age-appropriate; the child must be advised of the reason for the discipline; and only foster/adoptive parents or adult caregivers may discipline a child. Discipline of any type is not appropriate or permitted for infants, and great care must be exercised in disciplining a child who has experienced abuse or neglect (TAC §749.1951).

Prohibited discipline (TAC §749.1953, §749.1957): corporal punishment or physical punishment of any kind; any harsh, cruel, unusual, demeaning, or humiliating treatment; ridicule, verbal abuse, threats, or profane/derogatory remarks; punishment for bedwetting or toileting; denial of food, water, shelter, sleep, clothing, bedding, supervision, or medical/educational care; denial of any element of the Individualized Service Plan, of basic rights, or of family mail/communication/visits as punishment; strenuous exercise or non-productive work as punishment; pinching, hair-pulling, biting, or shaking; confinement in a locked, dark, or enclosed space; group punishment for an individual's behavior; threats of removal from the foster home; and any use, permitted use, or threat of EBI as discipline. Chemical restraints, mechanical restraints, and seclusion are never permitted in a Refuge House home.

Restriction of privileges (TAC §749.1959): a caregiver may restrict activities as a behavior-management tool within reason, provided the restriction does not interfere with activities required by the child's service plan. A restriction exceeding 7 consecutive days requires review and approval by the Treatment Director within 24 hours of imposition; a restriction to a particular room or building exceeding 8 hours requires review and approval by the treatment team or Treatment Director; and a child must never be confined or restricted to a room or isolated building for more than 12 hours as discipline. A restriction to the home lasting more than 24 hours must be recorded in the child's record.

Discipline is distinct from EBI. EBI may be administered only when permitted by the Emergency Behavior Intervention Policy (FC-16.06), only in response to an emergency behavior, and only by a caregiver trained and approved by Refuge House. EBI may never be used or threatened as discipline. A person in care must not discipline another person in care except when serving as a babysitter under TAC §749.2599.

APPLICATION ACROSS SERVICE PACKAGES:

The prohibitions and standards in this policy apply uniformly to every child in care, regardless of Service Package — no package permits a form of discipline prohibited here. Package-specific considerations: Mental & Behavioral Health — discipline aligns with the child's behavior-support/crisis plan and clinical recommendations; IDD/Autism — discipline is adapted to the child's developmental and communication level and sensory needs; Substance Use — relapse is treated as a clinical event and is never disciplined; Treatment Foster Family Care and other treatment services — caregivers complete the enhanced annual training (25 hours) reflecting the higher-acuity population. Training requirements by service level are maintained in FC-16.07.1 and FC-16.

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS RELATED TO DISCIPLINE:

Within 7 days of admission, the child and the child's parent are informed, orally and in writing, of the child's rights related to discipline (TAC §749.1003), including the right to be free from harsh, cruel, unusual, demeaning, or humiliating treatment; the right to age- and developmentally-appropriate discipline; the right to have disciplinary measures explained at admission and when imposed; and the right to report or complain — without coercion or retaliation — to the DFPS Abuse/Neglect Hotline, the HHSC Ombudsman for Children and Youth in Foster Care, the DFPS Office of Consumer Affairs, and Disability Rights of Texas.

REPORTING AND NON-RETALIATION:

Any suspected misuse of discipline, prohibited discipline, threatened or actual prohibited use of EBI, or any incident constituting abuse, neglect, or exploitation must be reported immediately to the Texas Abuse and Neglect Hotline (1-800-252-5400), to HHSC Child Care Regulation and the parent/managing conservator within 24 hours, and to the applicable SSCC and DFPS contacts per contract (TAC §§749.503–749.513; DFPS 24-Hr RCC §1411). Refuge House prohibits any discharge or retaliation against an employee, child in care, foster parent, or other person who, in good faith, reports the misuse of EBI or prohibited discipline.

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS:

All foster parents and personnel complete pre-service and annual training that includes positive discipline, trauma-informed care, and emergency behavior intervention, as required by TAC §§749.863–749.947 and the Staff and Caregiver Training Policy (FC-16). Specific training hours by role and service level are maintained in FC-16.07.1 and FC-16.

REFERENCES:

• TAC §749.103, §749.105, §749.117 (Required plans and policies, including the discipline policy)
• TAC §749.1951, §749.1953, §749.1955, §749.1957, §749.1959, §749.1961 (Discipline and Punishment)
• TAC §749.1003, §749.1005 (Children's rights)
• TAC §749.503, §749.509, §749.511, §749.513 (Reporting and documenting serious incidents)
• TAC §749.863, §749.864, §749.911, §749.930, §749.931, §749.945, §749.947 (Pre-service and annual training)
• TAC §749.2001, §749.2051, §749.2205, §749.2231, §749.2281 (Emergency Behavior Intervention — see FC-16.06); §749.2599 (babysitting)
• TAC §749.4471–§749.4493 (Kinship foster homes — daily care, education, and discipline)
• DFPS 24-Hour Residential Child Care Requirements (FY26) §§4700–4721 (Discipline, De-escalation, Crisis Management, Emergency Behavior Intervention); SSCC Provider Manuals (OCOK, Belong, EMPOWER, 2INgage, Saint Francis, 4Kids4Families)
• T3C System Blueprint 2026 (Trauma-Informed Agency; Treatment-Model integration)

SSCC alignment (FY-26): Reviewed against the 2INgage Provider Manual Rev. 1.2026; aligned — no additional provider-specific provisions required. Cross-reference: FC-CQI-01 Continuous Quality Improvement Policy; FY-26 SSCC coverage tracker (temporary-reference/fy26-sscc-joint-monitoring/sscc-alignment/).

SSCC alignment (FY-26) — EMPOWER: EMPOWER Provider Manual Rev. 1.2026 — reviewed; aligned, no additional provider-specific provisions required. Cross-reference: FC-CQI-01 Continuous Quality Improvement Policy; FY-26 SSCC variance matrix.

SSCC alignment (FY-26) — OCOK: OCOK Network Management Operations Manual Rev. 7-1-2025 — reviewed; aligned, no additional provider-specific provisions required in this document. Cross-reference: FC-CQI-01 Continuous Quality Improvement Policy; FY-26 SSCC variance matrix.

SSCC alignment (FY-26) — 4Kids: 4Kids4Families Joint Operations Manual (Dec 2025) / Subcontractor Agreement — reviewed; aligned (4Kids items here are casework/Minimum-Standards-level), no additional provider-specific provisions required in this document. Cross-reference: FC-CQI-01 Continuous Quality Improvement Policy; FY-26 SSCC variance matrix.

SSCC alignment (FY-26) — Belong: Belong Stage I & II Provider Manual (Aug 2025) / Provider Services Agreement — reviewed; aligned, no additional provider-specific provisions required in this document. Cross-reference: FC-CQI-01 Continuous Quality Improvement Policy; FY-26 SSCC variance matrix.

SSCC alignment (FY-26) — SFCS: SFCS Placement Provider Manual (July 2020, publicly-sourced — currency unconfirmed) / 2019 Affiliate Provider Agreement — reviewed; aligned, no additional provider-specific provisions required in this document. Cross-reference: FC-CQI-01 Continuous Quality Improvement Policy; FY-26 SSCC variance matrix.

RELATED PROCEDURES:

• FC-16.07.1 Discipline Procedure
• FC-16.06 Emergency Behavior Intervention Policy
• FC-16 Staff and Caregiver Training Policy
• FC-04 Crisis Management Policy
• Incident Reporting Policy and Procedure
• RH ICWA Policy

DEFINITIONS:

Corporal punishment: the infliction of physical pain on any part of a child's body to control behavior, including hitting/spanking, forced physical exercise, held physical positions, and unproductive work.

Discipline: the use of appropriate authority and limit-setting, including trauma-focused techniques, to help a child develop self-control; distinct from EBI.

Emergency Behavior Intervention (EBI): a behavior-management response (short personal restraint, personal restraint, or emergency medication) used only to address an emergency behavior; never used or threatened as discipline.

Restraint: any restriction of a child's free movement; chemical restraints, mechanical restraints, and seclusion are not allowed in any Refuge House home.

Unproductive work: work that serves no purpose except to demean the child; restorative work that corrects damage the child caused is a logical consequence and is not unproductive work.

This policy document establishes the governing principles for Discipline. The corresponding procedure document (FC-16.07.1) operationalizes these principles by providing specific implementation details. While policies require Board approval and remain relatively stable, procedures may be updated by the Executive Director to adapt to regulatory changes or operational improvements without requiring Board approval, provided such changes maintain alignment with the policy's intent.