Section 328.2  Definitions

"Children for Whom the Department has Legal Responsibility" or "Department Wards", as used in this Subpart means children for whom the Department of Children and Family Services has custody or guardianship via court order as well as children whose parents have signed an adoptive surrender with the Department.

"Facility" means a person, group of persons, or corporation caring for children licensed under applicable laws.  Facility includes, but is not limited to, child care institution, related or non-related foster family home or group home.

"Godparent" is a person who sponsors a child at baptism or one in whom the parents have entrusted a special duty that includes assisting in raising the child if the parent cannot raise the child.  The worker shall verify the godparent/godchild relationship by contacting the parents to confirm the fact that they did, in fact, designate the person as the godparent. If the parents are unavailable, the worker should contact other close family members to verify the relationship.  If the person is considered to be the child's godparent, in order for placement to occur, the same placement selection criteria as contained in 89 Ill. Adm. Code 302.60 (Placement Selection) must be met.  If the godparent is not a licensed foster parent, all the conditions currently in effect for placement with relatives in 89 Ill. Adm. Code 301.80 must be met.

"Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children" is a law, enacted by all 50 states and the territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands, for the purpose of establishing uniform procedures for handling the interstate placement of children in foster homes, adoptive homes, or other child care facilities.

"Placement", as used in this Subpart, means the arrangement for the continuing care of a child in a foster or adoptive family home, group home, child care institution, or other child care facility as defined by the Child Care Act of 1969 [225 ILCS 10].  Placements do not include care of a child in a medical facility, a mental health facility, a correctional facility or an educational facility.

"Relative", for purposes of placement of children for whom the Department is legally responsible, means any person, 21 years of age or over, other than the parent, who:

•           is currently related to the child in any of the following ways by blood or adoption: grandparent, sibling, great-grandparent, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, first cousin, first cousin once removed (children of one's first cousin to oneself), second cousin (children of first cousins are second cousins to each other), godparent (as defined above), great-uncle, or great-aunt, or

•           is the spouse of such a relative, or

•           is the child's step-father, step-mother, or adult step-brother or step-sister.

Relative also includes a person related in any of the foregoing ways to a sibling of a child, even though the person is not related to the child, when the child and its sibling are placed together with that person. [20 ILCS 505/7(b)]

(Source:  Amended at 26 Ill. Reg. 11773, effective August 1, 2002)