Private custody cases involving substance-use allegations operate without any statewide standards, timelines, or recovery guidelines. While CPS cases receive structured, state-guided plans and regular judicial oversight, private cases offer no equivalent protections. This leaves families navigating a system with no predictability, no consistency, and no clear path toward reunification—even when a parent is stable, sober, and actively engaged in recovery.
No attorney or legal guidance
No reunification plan
No treatment or recovery roadmap
No required judicial review
No timelines or benchmarks
No statewide consistency
No oversight
No recognition of documented sobriety or treatment progress
This gap creates a system where identical allegations lead to drastically different outcomes depending on which courtroom a parent enters.
Children, parents, and courts all suffer when there is no clear structure guiding substance-use recovery in private cases.
Without timelines or clear expectations, children assume the parent must be unsafe or unchanged. Courts rarely explain restrictions, and the lack of transparency results in shame, fear, and long-term emotional strain.
Parents who complete residential treatment, sober living, drug testing, meetings, therapy, and recovery work have no guarantee their progress will be acknowledged.
One courtroom reinstates possession after treatment; another restricts a parent indefinitely. There are no standardized criteria.
This Act establishes fair, consistent, evidence-based standards for handling substance-use allegations in private custody cases.
Creates statewide recovery and reunification guidelines
Requires judges to provide clear, written reunification steps
Aligns private custody expectations with proven CPS practices
Standardizes drug testing procedures
Introduces periodic judicial review timelines
Ensures documented recovery progress is recognized
Protects children through predictable, transparent procedures
The Act strengthens fairness without weakening safety.
Does not weaken child safety
Does not override judicial discretion
Does not force reunification
Does not affect CPS cases
Does not remove a judge’s ability to impose restrictions
Does not help unsafe parents avoid accountability
This bill adds structure—not leniency.
Greater emotional stability
Less confusion
Predictable timelines
Healthier parent-child relationships
Fair and consistent expectations
Clear criteria for rebuilding access
Reduced financial burden
A roadmap instead of uncertainty
Less litigation
More predictable outcomes
Clear statewide guidance
Reduced backlog
Better outcomes for families
Lower long-term costs
Increased public trust
Children separated from a parent
Parents in recovery
Judges and attorneys seeking structure
Families navigating private custody
Rural counties with limited resources
Texas communities supporting safe reunification