(a) The contractor must comply with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) requirements related to health regulations for all direct service staff. The contractor must comply with 34 CFR Part 85 and Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 81.
(b) The contractor must comply with HHSC ECI requirements related to initial training requirements for direct service staff. Before providing services, all staff must:
  (1) complete orientation training as required by HHSC ECI. This requirement does not apply to staff employed by the Local Education Agency (LEA);
  (2) hold current certification in first-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation for children and infants; and
  (3) complete universal precautions training.
(c) The contractor must comply with HHSC ECI requirements related to continuing education requirements for direct service staff. All staff providing early childhood intervention services to children and families must maintain current certification in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation for children and infants.
(d) The contractor must verify that all newly employed staff, except staff employed by the LEA:
  (1) are qualified in terms of education and experience for their assigned scopes of responsibilities;
  (2) are competent to perform the job-related activities before providing early childhood intervention services; and
  (3) complete orientation training as required by HHSC ECI before providing early childhood intervention services.
(e) The contractor must comply with HHSC ECI requirements related to supervision of direct service staff. A contractor must implement a system of supervision and oversight that consists of consultation, record review, and observation from a qualified supervisor. The intent of supervision is to provide oversight and direction to staff. Supervisor qualifications are further described in §350.313(c) and §350.315(d) of this subchapter (relating to Early Intervention Specialist (EIS) and Service Coordinator, respectively).
  (1) Consultation means evaluation and development of staff knowledge, skills, and abilities in the context of case-specific problem solving.
  (2) Record review means a review of documentation in child records to evaluate compliance with the requirements of this chapter, and quality, accuracy, and timeliness of documentation. It also includes feedback to staff to identify areas of strength and areas that need improvement.
  (3) Observation means watching staff interactions with children and families to provide guidance and feedback and providing guidance and feedback about the observation.
(f) The contractor must follow all training requirements defined by HHSC ECI.

Source Note: The provisions of this §350.309 adopted to be effective September 1, 2011, 36 TexReg 5387; amended to be effective July 1, 2012, 37 TexReg 4621; amended to be effective September 1, 2013, 38 TexReg 5524; amended to be effective March 7, 2015, 40 TexReg 939; amended to be effective June 30, 2019, 44 TexReg 3280; transferred effective March 1, 2021, as published in the Texas Register February 5, 2021, 46 TexReg 941; amended to be effective March 17, 2022, 47 TexReg 1277