093_HB3062enr

 
HB3062 Enrolled                      LRB093 11082 DRJ 11794 b

 1        AN ACT in relation to children.

 2        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section  5.  The  Child  Care  Act  of 1969 is amended by
 5    adding Section 7.3 as follows:

 6        (225 ILCS 10/7.3 new)
 7        Sec.  7.3.  Children  placed  by  private  child  welfare
 8    agency.
 9        (a)  Before  placing  a  child  who  is  a  ward  of  the
10    Department in a foster family home, a private  child  welfare
11    agency  must ascertain (i) whether any other children who are
12    wards of the Department have been placed  in  that  home  and
13    (ii)  whether  every  such  child who has been placed in that
14    home continues to reside in that home, unless the  child  has
15    been  transferred to another placement or is no longer a ward
16    of the Department. The agency must keep  a  record  of  every
17    other  child  welfare  agency that has placed such a child in
18    that foster family home; the record must include the name and
19    telephone number of a contact person at each such agency.
20        (b)  At least once every 30 days, a private child welfare
21    agency that places wards of the Department in  foster  family
22    homes  must make a site visit to every such home where it has
23    placed a ward. The purpose of the site  visit  is  to  verify
24    that the child continues to reside in that home and to verify
25    the  child's  safety and well-being. The agency must document
26    the verification in its records. If a private  child  welfare
27    agency   fails  to  comply  with  the  requirements  of  this
28    subsection, the Department must suspend all payments  to  the
29    agency until the agency complies.
30        (c)  The  Department must periodically (but no less often
31    than once every 6 months) review the child placement  records
 
HB3062 Enrolled             -2-      LRB093 11082 DRJ 11794 b
 1    of each private child welfare agency that places wards of the
 2    Department.
 3        (d)  If  a  child  placed  in  a  foster  family  home is
 4    missing, the foster parent must promptly report that fact  to
 5    the Department or to the child welfare agency that placed the
 6    child  in the home. If the foster parent fails to make such a
 7    report, the Department shall put the home  on  hold  for  the
 8    placement  of  other  children and initiate corrective action
 9    that may include revocation of the foster parent's license to
10    operate the foster family home. A foster parent who knowingly
11    and willfully fails to report a missing  foster  child  under
12    this subsection is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
13        (e)  If  a private child welfare agency determines that a
14    ward of the Department whom it has placed in a foster  family
15    home no longer resides in that home, the agency must promptly
16    report  that  fact  to the Department. If the agency fails to
17    make such a report, the Department shall put  the  agency  on
18    hold  for  the  placement  of  other  children  and  initiate
19    corrective action that may include revocation of the agency's
20    license.
21        (f)  When  a  child  is  missing  from a foster home, the
22    Department or private agency in  charge  of  case  management
23    shall  report  regularly  to  the  foster  parent  concerning
24    efforts to locate the missing child.
25        (g)  The Department must strive to account for the status
26    and  whereabouts  of every one of its wards who it determines
27    is not residing in the authorized placement in  which  he  or
28    she was placed.

29        Section  99.  Effective  date. This Act takes effect upon
30    becoming law.