96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB5767

 

Introduced 2/9/2010, by Rep. Jay C. Hoffman

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 515/20
20 ILCS 515/45

    Amends the Child Death Review Team Act. Requires the Director of Children and Family Services to submit specified reports in response to a child death investigation to the State Representative and State Senator in whose legislative districts the case arose. Provides that by January 1, 2012 (rather than January 1, 2010), the Child Death Review Teams Executive Council shall submit a report to the Director, the General Assembly, and the Governor summarizing the results of the Child Death Investigation Task Force together with any recommendations for statewide implementation of a protocol for the investigation of all sudden, unexpected, or unexplained child deaths.


LRB096 18229 KTG 33604 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5767 LRB096 18229 KTG 33604 b

1     AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Child Death Review Team Act is amended by
5 changing Sections 20 and 45 as follows:
 
6     (20 ILCS 515/20)
7     Sec. 20. Reviews of child deaths.
8     (a) Every child death shall be reviewed by the team in the
9 subregion which has primary case management responsibility.
10 The deceased child must be one of the following:
11         (1) A ward of the Department.
12         (2) The subject of an open service case maintained by
13     the Department.
14         (3) The subject of a pending child abuse or neglect
15     investigation.
16         (4) A child who was the subject of an abuse or neglect
17     investigation at any time during the 12 months preceding
18     the child's death.
19         (5) Any other child whose death is reported to the
20     State central register as a result of alleged child abuse
21     or neglect which report is subsequently indicated.
22     A child death review team may, at its discretion, review
23 other sudden, unexpected, or unexplained child deaths, and

 

 

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1 cases of serious or fatal injuries to a child identified under
2 the Children's Advocacy Center Act.
3     (b) A child death review team's purpose in conducting
4 reviews of child deaths is to do the following:
5         (1) Assist in determining the cause and manner of the
6     child's death, when requested.
7         (2) Evaluate means by which the death might have been
8     prevented.
9         (3) Report its findings to appropriate agencies and
10     make recommendations that may help to reduce the number of
11     child deaths caused by abuse or neglect.
12         (4) Promote continuing education for professionals
13     involved in investigating, treating, and preventing child
14     abuse and neglect as a means of preventing child deaths due
15     to abuse or neglect.
16         (5) Make specific recommendations to the Director and
17     the Inspector General of the Department concerning the
18     prevention of child deaths due to abuse or neglect and the
19     establishment of protocols for investigating child deaths.
20     (c) A child death review team shall review a child death as
21 soon as practical and not later than 90 days following the
22 completion by the Department of the investigation of the death
23 under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. When there
24 has been no investigation by the Department, the child death
25 review team shall review a child's death within 90 days after
26 obtaining the information necessary to complete the review from

 

 

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1 the coroner, pathologist, medical examiner, or law enforcement
2 agency, depending on the nature of the case. A child death
3 review team shall meet at least once in each calendar quarter.
4     (d) The Director shall, within 90 days, review and reply to
5 recommendations made by a team under item (5) of subsection
6 (b). With respect to each recommendation made by a team, the
7 Director shall submit his or her reply both to the chairperson
8 of that team, and to the chairperson of the Executive Council,
9 and to the State Representative and State Senator in whose
10 legislative districts the case arose. The Director's reply to
11 each recommendation must include a statement as to whether the
12 Director intends to implement the recommendation.
13     The Director shall implement recommendations as feasible
14 and appropriate and shall respond in writing to explain the
15 implementation or nonimplementation of the recommendations.
16     (e) Within 90 days after the Director submits a reply with
17 respect to a recommendation as required by subsection (d), the
18 Director must submit an additional report that sets forth in
19 detail the way, if any, in which the Director will implement
20 the recommendation and the schedule for implementing the
21 recommendation. The Director shall submit this report to the
22 chairperson of the team that made the recommendation, and to
23 the chairperson of the Executive Council, and to the State
24 Representative and State Senator in whose legislative
25 districts the case arose.
26     (f) Within 180 days after the Director submits a report

 

 

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1 under subsection (e) concerning the implementation of a
2 recommendation, the Director shall submit a further report to
3 the chairperson of the team that made the recommendation, and
4 to the chairperson of the Executive Council, and to the State
5 Representative and State Senator in whose legislative
6 districts the case arose. This report shall set forth the
7 specific changes in the Department's policies and procedures
8 that have been made in response to the recommendation.
9 (Source: P.A. 95-405, eff. 6-1-08; 95-527, eff. 6-1-08; 95-876,
10 eff. 8-21-08; 96-328, eff. 8-11-09.)
 
11     (20 ILCS 515/45)
12     Sec. 45. Child Death Investigation Task Force; pilot
13 program. The Child Death Review Teams Executive Council may,
14 from funds appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly to the
15 Department and provided to the Child Death Review Teams
16 Executive Council for this purpose, or from funds that may
17 otherwise be provided for this purpose from other public or
18 private sources, establish a 3-year pilot program in the
19 Southern Region of the State, as designated by the Department,
20 under which a special Child Death Investigation Task Force will
21 be created by the Child Death Review Teams Executive Council to
22 develop and implement a plan for the investigation of sudden,
23 unexpected, or unexplained deaths of children under 18 years of
24 age occurring within that region. The plan shall include a
25 protocol to be followed by child death review teams in the

 

 

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1 review of child deaths authorized under paragraph (a)(5) of
2 Section 20 of this Act. The plan must include provisions for
3 local or State law enforcement agencies, hospitals, or coroners
4 to promptly notify the Task Force of a death or serious
5 life-threatening injury to a child, and for the Child Death
6 Investigation Task Force to review the death and submit a
7 report containing findings and recommendations to the Child
8 Death Review Teams Executive Council, the Director, the
9 Department of Children and Family Services Inspector General,
10 the appropriate State's Attorney, and the State Representative
11 and State Senator in whose legislative districts the case
12 arose. The plan may include coordination with any investigation
13 conducted under the Children's Advocacy Center Act. By January
14 1, 2012 2010, the Child Death Review Teams Executive Council
15 shall submit a report to the Director, the General Assembly,
16 and the Governor summarizing the results of the pilot program
17 together with any recommendations for statewide implementation
18 of a protocol for the investigation of investigating all
19 sudden, unexpected, or unexplained child deaths.
20 (Source: P.A. 95-527, eff. 6-1-08; revised 10-30-09.)