Section 329.70  All Other Runaway Children or Youth

a)         When no agency, state, or jurisdiction is legally responsible for a child or youth who has run away, the Department will contact the state from which the child or youth has run and request that state arrange for and pay for the return of the child or youth according to the provisions of the Interstate Compact on Juveniles.  If the state from which the child or youth has run away refuses to arrange for or pay for the child or youth's return, the Department shall arrange for and pay for the return of the child or youth from Illinois to another state. However, the Department will not arrange for or pay for the return of an Illinois child who is not a child or youth in the Department's care when the child or youth runs away to another locale in Illinois.

b)         Arranging for the Interstate Return of Runaway Children

The Department will arrange for the return of runaway children between Illinois and another state when:

1)         another agency or jurisdiction is not legally responsible for the child;

2)         the child or youth will be returned to the child's or youth's state of legal residence and family or other caretaker; and

3)         the child or youth, or an individual speaking on behalf of the child or youth, consents to the return of the child or youth.

c)         Paying for the Interstate Return of Runaway Children

The Department will reimburse another agency or jurisdiction for the return of a runaway child between Illinois and another state when:

1)         the arrangements for the child or youth's return meet the conditions of subsection (b); and

2)         the agency or individual has obtained Department approval for the expenses before they were incurred.

(Source:  Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 12218, effective August 1, 2024)