SB2909 EnrolledLRB098 16977 KTG 52059 b

1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended
5by changing Section 21 as follows:
 
6    (20 ILCS 505/21)  (from Ch. 23, par. 5021)
7    Sec. 21. Investigative powers; training.
8    (a) To make such investigations as it may deem necessary to
9the performance of its duties.
10    (b) In the course of any such investigation any qualified
11person authorized by the Director may administer oaths and
12secure by its subpoena both the attendance and testimony of
13witnesses and the production of books and papers relevant to
14such investigation. Any person who is served with a subpoena by
15the Department to appear and testify or to produce books and
16papers, in the course of an investigation authorized by law,
17and who refuses or neglects to appear, or to testify, or to
18produce books and papers relevant to such investigation, as
19commanded in such subpoena, shall be guilty of a Class B
20misdemeanor. The fees of witnesses for attendance and travel
21shall be the same as the fees of witnesses before the circuit
22courts of this State. Any circuit court of this State, upon
23application of the person requesting the hearing or the

 

 

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1Department, may compel the attendance of witnesses, the
2production of books and papers, and giving of testimony before
3the Department or before any authorized officer or employee
4thereof, by an attachment for contempt or otherwise, in the
5same manner as production of evidence may be compelled before
6such court. Every person who, having taken an oath or made
7affirmation before the Department or any authorized officer or
8employee thereof, shall willfully swear or affirm falsely,
9shall be guilty of perjury and upon conviction shall be
10punished accordingly.
11    (c) Investigations initiated under this Section shall
12provide individuals due process of law, including the right to
13a hearing, to cross-examine witnesses, to obtain relevant
14documents, and to present evidence. Administrative findings
15shall be subject to the provisions of the Administrative Review
16Law.
17    (d) Beginning July 1, 1988, any child protective
18investigator or supervisor or child welfare specialist or
19supervisor employed by the Department on the effective date of
20this amendatory Act of 1987 shall have completed a training
21program which shall be instituted by the Department. The
22training program shall include, but not be limited to, the
23following: (1) training in the detection of symptoms of child
24neglect and drug abuse; (2) specialized training for dealing
25with families and children of drug abusers; and (3) specific
26training in child development, family dynamics and interview

 

 

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1techniques. Such program shall conform to the criteria and
2curriculum developed under Section 4 of the Child Protective
3Investigator and Child Welfare Specialist Certification Act of
41987. Failure to complete such training due to lack of
5opportunity provided by the Department shall in no way be
6grounds for any disciplinary or other action against an
7investigator or a specialist.
8    The Department shall develop a continuous inservice staff
9development program and evaluation system. Each child
10protective investigator and supervisor and child welfare
11specialist and supervisor shall participate in such program and
12evaluation and shall complete a minimum of 20 hours of
13inservice education and training every 2 years in order to
14maintain certification.
15    Any child protective investigator or child protective
16supervisor, or child welfare specialist or child welfare
17specialist supervisor hired by the Department who begins his
18actual employment after the effective date of this amendatory
19Act of 1987, shall be certified pursuant to the Child
20Protective Investigator and Child Welfare Specialist
21Certification Act of 1987 before he begins such employment.
22Nothing in this Act shall replace or diminish the rights of
23employees under the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act, as
24amended, or the National Labor Relations Act. In the event of
25any conflict between either of those Acts, or any collective
26bargaining agreement negotiated thereunder, and the provisions

 

 

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1of subsections (d) and (e), the former shall prevail and
2control.
3    (e) The Department shall develop and implement the
4following:
5        (1) A standardized child endangerment risk assessment
6    protocol.
7        (2) Related training procedures.
8        (3) A standardized method for demonstration of
9    proficiency in application of the protocol.
10        (4) An evaluation of the reliability and validity of
11    the protocol.
12All child protective investigators and supervisors and child
13welfare specialists and supervisors employed by the Department
14or its contractors shall be required, subsequent to the
15availability of training under this Act, to demonstrate
16proficiency in application of the protocol previous to being
17permitted to make decisions about the degree of risk posed to
18children for whom they are responsible. The Department shall
19establish a multi-disciplinary advisory committee appointed by
20the Director, including but not limited to representatives from
21the fields of child development, domestic violence, family
22systems, juvenile justice, law enforcement, health care,
23mental health, substance abuse, and social service to advise
24the Department and its related contractors in the development
25and implementation of the child endangerment risk assessment
26protocol, related training, method for demonstration of

 

 

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1proficiency in application of the protocol, and evaluation of
2the reliability and validity of the protocol. The Department
3shall develop the protocol, training curriculum, method for
4demonstration of proficiency in application of the protocol and
5method for evaluation of the reliability and validity of the
6protocol by July 1, 1995. Training and demonstration of
7proficiency in application of the child endangerment risk
8assessment protocol for all child protective investigators and
9supervisors and child welfare specialists and supervisors
10shall be completed as soon as practicable, but no later than
11January 1, 1996. The Department shall submit to the General
12Assembly on or before May 1, 1996, and every year thereafter,
13an annual report on the evaluation of the reliability and
14validity of the child endangerment risk assessment protocol.
15The Department shall contract with a not for profit
16organization with demonstrated expertise in the field of child
17endangerment risk assessment to assist in the development and
18implementation of the child endangerment risk assessment
19protocol, related training, method for demonstration of
20proficiency in application of the protocol, and evaluation of
21the reliability and validity of the protocol.
22    (f) The Department shall provide each parent or guardian
23and responsible adult caregiver participating in a safety plan
24a copy of the written safety plan as signed by each parent or
25guardian and responsible adult caregiver and by a
26representative of the Department. The Department shall also

 

 

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1provide each parent or guardian and responsible adult caregiver
2safety plan information on their rights and responsibilities
3that shall include, but need not be limited to, information on
4how to obtain medical care, emergency phone numbers, and
5information on how to notify schools or day care providers as
6appropriate. The Department's representative shall ensure that
7the safety plan is reviewed and approved by the child
8protection supervisor.
9(Source: P.A. 91-61, eff. 6-30-99; 92-154, eff. 1-1-02.)