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1 | AN ACT concerning courts.
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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 7.8 as follows: | ||||||
6 | (20 ILCS 505/7.8 new) | ||||||
7 | Sec. 7.8. Home safety checklist; aftercare services; | ||||||
8 | immunization checks. | ||||||
9 | (a) As used in this Section, "purchase of service agency" | ||||||
10 | means any entity that contracts with the Department to provide | ||||||
11 | services that are consistent with the purposes of this Act. | ||||||
12 | (b) Whenever a child is placed in the custody or | ||||||
13 | guardianship of the Department or a child is returned to the | ||||||
14 | custody of a parent or guardian and the court retains | ||||||
15 | jurisdiction of the case, the Department must ensure that the | ||||||
16 | child is up to date on his or her well-child visits, including | ||||||
17 | age-appropriate immunizations, or that there is a documented | ||||||
18 | religious or medical reason the child did not receive the | ||||||
19 | immunizations. | ||||||
20 | (c) Whenever a child has been placed in foster or | ||||||
21 | substitute care by court order and the court later determines | ||||||
22 | that the child can return to the custody of his or her parent | ||||||
23 | or guardian, the Department must complete, prior to the child's |
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1 | discharge from foster or substitute care, a home safety | ||||||
2 | checklist to ensure that the conditions of the child's home are | ||||||
3 | sufficient to ensure the child's safety and well-being, as | ||||||
4 | defined in Department rules and procedures. At a minimum, the | ||||||
5 | home safety checklist shall be completed within 24 hours prior | ||||||
6 | to the child's return home and completed again or recertified | ||||||
7 | in the absence of any environmental barriers or hazards within | ||||||
8 | 5 working days after a child is returned home and every month | ||||||
9 | thereafter until the child's case is closed pursuant to the | ||||||
10 | Juvenile Court Act of 1987. The home safety checklist shall | ||||||
11 | include a certification that there are no environmental | ||||||
12 | barriers or hazards to prevent returning the child home. | ||||||
13 | (d) When a court determines that a child should return to | ||||||
14 | the custody or guardianship of a parent or guardian, any | ||||||
15 | aftercare services provided to the child and the child's family | ||||||
16 | by the Department or a purchase of service agency shall | ||||||
17 | commence on the date upon which the child is returned to the | ||||||
18 | custody or guardianship of his or her parent or guardian. | ||||||
19 | However, if multiple children are returned at different times | ||||||
20 | to the custody or guardianship of the parent or guardian, | ||||||
21 | aftercare services shall commence on the date upon which the | ||||||
22 | last child returns home. | ||||||
23 | (e) One year after the effective date of this amendatory | ||||||
24 | Act of the 101st General Assembly, the Auditor General shall | ||||||
25 | commence a performance audit of the Department of Children and | ||||||
26 | Family Services to determine whether the Department is meeting |
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1 | the requirements of this Section. Within 2 years after the | ||||||
2 | audit's release, the Auditor General shall commence a follow-up | ||||||
3 | performance audit to determine whether the Department has | ||||||
4 | implemented the recommendations contained in the initial | ||||||
5 | performance audit. Upon completion of each audit, the Auditor | ||||||
6 | General shall report its findings to the General Assembly. The | ||||||
7 | Auditor General's reports shall include any issues or | ||||||
8 | deficiencies and recommendations. The audits required by this | ||||||
9 | Section shall be in accordance with and subject to the Illinois | ||||||
10 | State Auditing Act. | ||||||
11 | Section 10. The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act is | ||||||
12 | amended by adding Section 7.01 as follows: | ||||||
13 | (325 ILCS 5/7.01 new) | ||||||
14 | Sec. 7.01. Safety assessments for reports made by mandated | ||||||
15 | reporters. | ||||||
16 | (a) When a report is made by a mandated reporter to the | ||||||
17 | statewide toll-free telephone number established under Section | ||||||
18 | 7.6 of this Act and there is a prior indicated report of abuse | ||||||
19 | or neglect and a prior open service case involving any member | ||||||
20 | of the household, the Department must, at a minimum, accept the | ||||||
21 | report as a child welfare services referral. If the family | ||||||
22 | refuses to cooperate or refuses access to the home or children, | ||||||
23 | then a child protective services investigation shall be | ||||||
24 | initiated if the facts otherwise meet the criteria to accept a |
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1 | report. | ||||||
2 | As used in this Section, "child welfare services referral" | ||||||
3 | means an assessment of the family for service needs and linkage | ||||||
4 | to available local community resources for the purpose of | ||||||
5 | preventing or remedying or assisting in the solution of | ||||||
6 | problems which may result in the neglect, abuse, exploitation, | ||||||
7 | or delinquency of children, and as further defined in | ||||||
8 | Department rules and procedures. | ||||||
9 | As used in this Section, "prior open service case" means a | ||||||
10 | case in which the Department has provided services to the | ||||||
11 | family either directly or through a purchase of service agency. | ||||||
12 | (b) One year after the effective date of this amendatory | ||||||
13 | Act of the 101st General Assembly, the Auditor General shall | ||||||
14 | commence a performance audit of the Department of Children and | ||||||
15 | Family Services to determine whether the Department is meeting | ||||||
16 | the requirements of this Section. Within 2 years after the | ||||||
17 | audit's release, the Auditor General shall commence a follow-up | ||||||
18 | performance audit to determine whether the Department has | ||||||
19 | implemented the recommendations contained in the initial | ||||||
20 | performance audit. Upon completion of each audit, the Auditor | ||||||
21 | General shall report its findings to the General Assembly. The | ||||||
22 | Auditor General's reports shall include any issues or | ||||||
23 | deficiencies and recommendations. The audits required by this | ||||||
24 | Section shall be in accordance with and subject to the Illinois | ||||||
25 | State Auditing Act.
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