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| 1 | AN ACT concerning State government.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended | ||||||
| 5 | by adding Section 5.46 as follows: | ||||||
| 6 | (20 ILCS 505/5.46 new) | ||||||
| 7 | Sec. 5.46. Extended Family Support Pilot Program. The | ||||||
| 8 | Department may consult with independent partners to review | ||||||
| 9 | Extended Family Support Program services and advise if | ||||||
| 10 | additional services are needed prior to the start of the pilot | ||||||
| 11 | program required under this Section. Beginning January 1, | ||||||
| 12 | 2023, the Department shall implement a 3-year pilot program of | ||||||
| 13 | additional resources for families receiving Extended Family | ||||||
| 14 | Support Program services from the Department for the purpose | ||||||
| 15 | of supporting relative caregivers. These resources may | ||||||
| 16 | include, but are not limited to: (i) wraparound case | ||||||
| 17 | management services, (ii) home visiting services for | ||||||
| 18 | caregivers with children under the age of 5, and (iii) parent | ||||||
| 19 | mentors for caregivers with children over the age of 3. | ||||||
| 20 | The services for the Extended Family Support Program are | ||||||
| 21 | expanded given the program's inclusion in the Family First | ||||||
| 22 | Prevention Services Act's targeted populations. Other target | ||||||
| 23 | populations include intact families, pregnant and parenting | ||||||
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| 1 | youth, reunification within 6 months, and post adoption and | ||||||
| 2 | subsidized guardianship. Inclusion provides the array of | ||||||
| 3 | evidence-based interventions included within the State's | ||||||
| 4 | Family First Prevention Services plan. Funding through Title | ||||||
| 5 | IV-E of the Social Security Act shall be spent on services to | ||||||
| 6 | prevent children and youth who are candidates for foster care | ||||||
| 7 | from coming into care and allow them to remain with their | ||||||
| 8 | families. Given the inclusion of the Extended Family Support | ||||||
| 9 | Program in the Family First Prevention Services Act, the | ||||||
| 10 | program is a part of the independent evaluation of Family | ||||||
| 11 | First Prevention Services. This includes tracking deflection | ||||||
| 12 | from foster care. | ||||||
| 13 | The resources provided by the pilot program are voluntary | ||||||
| 14 | and refusing such resources shall not be used as evidence of | ||||||
| 15 | neglect of a child. | ||||||
| 16 | The Department shall arrange for an independent evaluation | ||||||
| 17 | of the pilot program to determine whether the pilot program is | ||||||
| 18 | successfully supporting families receiving Extended Family | ||||||
| 19 | Support Program services or Family First Prevention Program | ||||||
| 20 | services and preventing entrance into the foster care system. | ||||||
| 21 | This evaluation will support determining whether there is a | ||||||
| 22 | long-term cost benefit to continuing the pilot program. | ||||||
| 23 | At the end of the 3-year pilot program, the Department | ||||||
| 24 | shall submit a report to the General Assembly with its | ||||||
| 25 | findings of the evaluation. The report shall state whether the | ||||||
| 26 | Department intends to continue the pilot program and the | ||||||
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| 1 | rationale for its decision. | ||||||
| 2 | The Department may adopt rules and procedures to implement | ||||||
| 3 | and administer this Section.
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| 4 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
| 5 | becoming law.
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