Section 316.50  Conduct and Participation at Administrative Case Reviews

Administrative case reviews shall:

a)         be convened by a professional staff member from the Office of Administrative Case Review;

b)         include the caseworker or supervisor from the Department or the contributing agency that has case responsibility for both the youth in care and the family; other service providers who are associated with the case;

c)         be open to the participation of the youth in care's parents and their representatives.

1)         If parents are known to be violent and potentially dangerous to other participants in the review, they will be excluded from any scheduled in-person review.

2)         If a parent exhibits disruptive or inappropriate conduct toward the reviewer or other participants on a telephonic or video review, the Department reserves the right to terminate the parent from the review. Conduct that may result in termination from the review includes, but is not limited to:

A)        Abusive or inappropriate language toward the reviewer or other review participants;

B)        Threats of physical harm toward the reviewer or other review participants;

C)        Disruptions and interruptions that prevent the review from being able to move or forward such as excessive noise making or not allowing the reviewer or other participants to speak.

3)         Before a parent is terminated from a telephonic or video review, the reviewer shall follow the discipline procedures in the order outlined below:

A)        verbal warning;

B)        temporary removal to the waiting room of the review;

C)        after consultation with the ACR Program Manager, termination from the review.

4)         If inappropriate conduct is directed repeatedly towards a specific participant on the review, the reviewer shall consider conducting a separate review with the parent who was terminated from the review.

5)         When a parent is terminated from a review, the reviewer shall document the actions of the parent that led to termination and the steps the reviewer took to maintain order on the review prior to termination.

6)         A parent terminated from a review shall be allowed to attend the next review.  Discipline procedures shall start from the beginning if disruptive or inappropriate conduct occurs.

7)         If a petition seeking the termination of parental rights has been filed, these parents will be invited to the review until a final decision has been made on the petition;

d)         be open to the participation of children 12 years of age or older with consideration given to the material in the review and the benefits of having the youth in care present.  Younger youth in care may attend if the caseworker and supervisor determine the youth in care can benefit from participation in the review process;

e)         be open to the participation of the substitute caregivers in the section of the review for the youth in care in their care.  Substitute caregivers may be able to participate in other segments of the review involving the youth in care's family provided that the information being presented at the review is essential for understanding the needs of and providing care to the youth in care. When a positive relationship exists between the substitute caregiver and the youth in care's family, the youth in care's family may consent to disclosure of additional information in accordance with the consent provisions of 89 Ill. Adm. Code 431 (Confidentiality of Personal Information of Persons Served by the Department).  Disclosure of information concerning the youth in care's family shall be limited to information that is essential for understanding the needs of and providing care to the youth in care in order to protect the rights of the youth in care's family;

f)         be open to the participation of the youth in care's guardian ad litem, legal representative, and court appointed special advocate;

g)         be conducted via teleconferencing or video conferencing.  If the reviewer agrees that an in-person review is necessary, the review will be conducted in the office serving the  county of residence of either the parent or youth in care depending on the goal. However, the parent may agree to travel to another office that is within the State of Illinois;

h)         focus on the issues described in Section 316.30 of this Part; and

i)          be recorded by a written feedback report of the findings.

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 1021, effective January 7, 2026)