98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB3761

 

Introduced , by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Young Adult Voluntary Foster Care Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to implement this Act in accordance with the State's approved Title IV-E State Plan. Provides that a youth who exited foster care after reaching 18 years of age but before reaching 21 years of age may reenter foster care and receive extended foster care services. Sets forth eligibility criteria and provides that if a youth chooses to participate in extended foster care services the Department and the youth shall sign a voluntary foster care agreement that shall include certain information including (i) the obligation for the youth to continue to meet the conditions for eligibility for the duration of the voluntary foster care agreement and (ii) the voluntary nature of the youth's participation in receiving extended foster care services. Contains provisions concerning written report requirements; periodic case reviews by the appropriate juvenile court; termination of the voluntary adult foster care agreement; and other matters.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning children.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Young
5Adult Voluntary Foster Care Act.
 
6    Section 3. Purpose. In 2008, the United States Congress
7passed the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing
8Adoptions Act of 2008 which allows states to receive a federal
9match for state dollars expended in supporting youth
10transitioning out of foster care. It is the intent of this Act
11to enable the State of Illinois to receive the federal match to
12offset costs expended on supporting youth seeking
13postsecondary education. This Act would result in these youth
14receiving extended foster care services, for which there is a
15federal match, until they turn 21, are no longer otherwise
16eligible, or choose to leave foster care.
 
17    Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
18    "Court" means an Illinois juvenile court.
19    "Department" means the Department of Human Services.
20    "Youth" means an individual who is at least 18 years of age
21but less than 21 years of age.
 

 

 

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1    Section 10. Implementation. The Department shall implement
2this Act in accordance with the State's approved Title IV-E
3State Plan.
 
4    Section 15. Youth exiting foster care. A youth who exited
5foster care after reaching 18 years of age but before reaching
621 years of age may reenter foster care and receive extended
7foster care services.
 
8    Section 20. Eligibility. The Department may provide
9extended foster care services if the youth meets one of the
10following conditions for eligibility:
11        (1) The youth is completing secondary education or a
12    program leading to an equivalent credential.
13        (2) The youth is enrolled in an institution that
14    provides postsecondary or vocational education.
15        (3) The youth is participating in a program or activity
16    designed to promote employment or remove barriers to
17    employment.
18        (4) The youth is employed for at least 80 hours per
19    month.
20        (5) The youth is incapable of doing any part of the
21    activities described in items (1) through (4) due to a
22    medical condition. This assertion of incapacity must be
23    supported by regularly updated information in the youth's
24    case plan.
 

 

 

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1    Section 25. Voluntary foster care agreement. If a youth
2chooses to participate in extended foster care services and
3meets the eligibility criteria set forth in Section 20, the
4Department and the youth shall sign a voluntary foster care
5agreement that shall include, at a minimum, information
6regarding all of the following:
7        (1) The obligation for the youth to continue to meet
8    the conditions for eligibility described in Section 20 for
9    the duration of the voluntary foster care agreement.
10        (2) Any obligation considered necessary by the
11    Department for the youth to continue to receive extended
12    foster care services.
13        (3) Any obligation considered necessary by the
14    Department to facilitate the youth's continued success in
15    the program.
16        (4) Termination of a voluntary foster care agreement
17    and program participation as described in Section 55.
18        (5) The voluntary nature of the youth's participation
19    in receiving extended foster care services.
 
20    Section 30. Extended foster care services. As soon as the
21Department determines that a youth is eligible under Section 20
22and the youth signs the voluntary foster care agreement
23described in Section 25, the Department may provide extended
24foster care services to the youth in accordance with this Act.
 

 

 

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1    Section 35. Written report. Within 150 days after the
2voluntary foster care agreement is signed, the Department shall
3file with the court in the county where the youth resides a
4written report that shall contain all of the following:
5        (1) The youth's name, date of birth, race, gender, and
6    current address.
7        (2) A statement of facts that supports the voluntary
8    foster care agreement and includes both of the following:
9            (A) The reasonable efforts made to achieve
10        permanency for the youth.
11            (B) The reasons why it remains in the youth's best
12        interests to continue in voluntary foster care.
13        (3) A copy of the signed voluntary foster care
14    agreement.
15        (4) Any other information the Department or the youth
16    wants the court to consider.
 
17    Section 40. Young adult voluntary foster care case. The
18court has the jurisdiction to review the voluntary foster care
19agreement signed by the Department and the youth in Section 25.
20Upon the filing of a report under Section 35, the court shall
21open a young adult voluntary foster care case for the purpose
22of determining whether continuing in voluntary foster care is
23in the youth's best interests. The court shall make that
24determination not later than 21 days after the date the report

 

 

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1was filed as described in Section 15.
 
2    Section 45. Closed young adult voluntary foster care case.
3Following the court's determination in Section 40, the court
4shall close the young adult voluntary foster care case and the
5Department shall provide extended foster care services to the
6youth in accordance with this Act.
 
7    Section 50. Periodic case reviews. The Department shall
8conduct periodic case reviews not less than once every 180 days
9to address the status of the youth's safety, continuing
10necessity and appropriateness of placement, extent of
11compliance with the case plan, and projected date by which the
12youth may no longer require extended foster care services.
 
13    Section 55. Termination of voluntary foster care
14agreement.
15    (a) A youth may choose to terminate the voluntary foster
16care agreement and stop receiving extended foster care services
17at any time.
18    (b) If, at any time, the Department determines that the
19youth is not in compliance with the voluntary foster care
20agreement or any program requirements, the Department may
21terminate the voluntary foster care agreement with the youth
22and stop providing extended foster care services to the youth.
23The Department shall provide written or electronic notice to

 

 

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1the youth regarding termination of the voluntary foster care
2agreement and the youth's participation in the program.