Sen. James F. Clayborne Jr.

Filed: 5/24/2007

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 617

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 617 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended
5 by changing Section 35.5 and by adding Section 35.7 as follows:
 
6     (20 ILCS 505/35.5)
7     Sec. 35.5. Inspector General.
8     (a) The Governor shall appoint, and the Senate shall
9 confirm, an Inspector General who shall have the authority to
10 conduct investigations into allegations of or incidents of
11 possible misconduct, misfeasance, malfeasance, or violations
12 of rules, procedures, or laws by any employee, foster parent,
13 service provider, or contractor of the Department of Children
14 and Family Services. The Inspector General shall make
15 recommendations to the Director of Children and Family Services
16 concerning sanctions or disciplinary actions against

 

 

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1 Department employees or providers of service under contract to
2 the Department. The Director of Children and Family Services
3 shall provide the Inspector General with an implementation
4 report on the status of any corrective actions taken on
5 recommendations under review and shall continue sending
6 updated reports until the corrective action is completed. The
7 Director shall provide a written response to the Inspector
8 General indicating the status of any sanctions or disciplinary
9 actions against employees or providers of service involving any
10 investigation subject to review. In any case, information
11 included in the reports to the Inspector General and Department
12 responses shall be subject to the public disclosure
13 requirements of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act.
14 Any investigation conducted by the Inspector General shall be
15 independent and separate from the investigation mandated by the
16 Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. The Inspector General
17 shall be appointed for a term of 4 years. The Inspector General
18 shall function independently within the Department of Children
19 and Family Services with respect to be independent of the
20 operations of the Office of Inspector General, including the
21 performance of investigations and issuance of findings and
22 recommendations, Department and shall report to the Director of
23 Children and Family Services and the Governor and perform other
24 duties the Director may designate. The Inspector General shall
25 adopt rules as necessary to carry out the functions, purposes,
26 and duties of the office of Inspector General in the Department

 

 

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1 of Children and Family Services, in accordance with the
2 Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and any other applicable
3 law.
4     (b) The Inspector General shall have access to all
5 information and personnel necessary to perform the duties of
6 the office. To minimize duplication of efforts, and to assure
7 consistency and conformance with the requirements and
8 procedures established in the B.H. v. Suter consent decree and
9 to share resources when appropriate, the Inspector General
10 shall coordinate his or her activities with the Bureau of
11 Quality Assurance within the Department.
12     (c) The Inspector General shall be the primary liaison
13 between the Department and the Department of State Police with
14 regard to investigations conducted under the Inspector
15 General's auspices. If the Inspector General determines that a
16 possible criminal act has been committed, or that special
17 expertise is required in the investigation, he or she shall
18 immediately notify the Department of State Police. All
19 investigations conducted by the Inspector General shall be
20 conducted in a manner designed to ensure the preservation of
21 evidence for possible use in a criminal prosecution.
22     (d) The Inspector General may recommend to the Department
23 of Children and Family Services, the Department of Public
24 Health, or any other appropriate agency, sanctions to be
25 imposed against service providers under the jurisdiction of or
26 under contract with the Department for the protection of

 

 

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1 children in the custody or under the guardianship of the
2 Department who received services from those providers. The
3 Inspector General may seek the assistance of the Attorney
4 General or any of the several State's Attorneys in imposing
5 sanctions.
6     (e) The Inspector General shall at all times be granted
7 access to any foster home, facility, or program operated for or
8 licensed or funded by the Department.
9     (f) Nothing in this Section shall limit investigations by
10 the Department of Children and Family Services that may
11 otherwise be required by law or that may be necessary in that
12 Department's capacity as the central administrative authority
13 for child welfare.
14     (g) The Inspector General shall have the power to subpoena
15 witnesses and compel the production of books and papers
16 pertinent to an investigation authorized by this Act. The power
17 to subpoena or to compel the production of books and papers,
18 however, shall not extend to the person or documents of a labor
19 organization or its representatives insofar as the person or
20 documents of a labor organization relate to the function of
21 representing an employee subject to investigation under this
22 Act. Any person who fails to appear in response to a subpoena
23 or to answer any question or produce any books or papers
24 pertinent to an investigation under this Act, except as
25 otherwise provided in this Section, or who knowingly gives
26 false testimony in relation to an investigation under this Act

 

 

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1 is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
2     (h) The Inspector General shall provide to the General
3 Assembly and the Governor, no later than January 1 of each
4 year, a summary of reports and investigations made under this
5 Section for the prior fiscal year. The summaries shall detail
6 the imposition of sanctions and the final disposition of those
7 recommendations. The summaries shall not contain any
8 confidential or identifying information concerning the
9 subjects of the reports and investigations. The summaries also
10 shall include detailed recommended administrative actions and
11 matters for consideration by the General Assembly.
12 (Source: P.A. 90-512, eff. 8-22-97.)
 
13     (20 ILCS 505/35.7 new)
14     Sec. 35.7. Error Reduction Implementations Plans;
15 Inspector General.
16     (a) The Inspector General of the Department of Children and
17 Family Services shall develop Error Reduction Implementation
18 Plans, as necessary, to remedy patterns of errors or
19 problematic practices that compromise or threaten the safety of
20 children as identified in DCFS Office of Inspector General
21 (OIG) death or serious injury investigations and Child Death
22 Review Teams recommendations. The Error Reduction
23 Implementation Plans shall include both training and on-site
24 components. The Inspector General shall submit proposed Error
25 Reduction Implementation Plans to the Director for review. The

 

 

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1 Director may approve the plans submitted, or approve plans
2 amended by the Office of the Inspector General. The Director
3 shall document the basis for disapproval of any submitted or
4 amended plan. The Department shall deploy Error Reduction
5 Safety Teams to implement the Error Reduction Implementation
6 Plans. The Error Reduction Safety Teams shall be composed of
7 Quality Assurance and Division of Training staff to implement
8 hands-on training and Error Reduction Implementation Plans.
9 The teams shall work in the offices of the Department or of
10 agencies, or both, as required by the Error Reduction
11 Implementation Plans, and shall work to ensure that systems are
12 in place to continue reform efforts after the departure of the
13 teams. The Director shall develop a method to ensure consistent
14 compliance with any Error Reduction Implementation Plans, the
15 provisions of which shall be incorporated into the plan.
16     (b) Quality Assurance shall prepare public reports
17 annually detailing the following: the substance of any Error
18 Reduction Implementation Plan approved; any deviations from
19 the Error Reduction Plan; whether adequate staff was available
20 to perform functions necessary to the Error Reduction
21 Implementation Plan, including identification and reporting of
22 any staff needs; other problems noted or barriers to
23 implementing the Error Reduction Implementation Plan; and
24 recommendations for additional training, amendments to rules
25 and procedures, or other systemic reform identified by the
26 teams.

 

 

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1     (c) The Error Reduction Teams shall implement training and
2 reform protocols through incubating change in each region,
3 Department office, or purchase of service office, as required.
4 The teams shall administer hands-on assistance, supervision,
5 and management while ensuring that the office, region, or
6 agency develops the skills and systems necessary to incorporate
7 changes on a permanent basis. For each Error Reduction
8 Implementation Plan, the Team shall determine whether adequate
9 staff is available to fulfill the Error Reduction
10 Implementation Plan, provide case-by-case supervision to
11 ensure that the plan is implemented, and ensure that management
12 puts systems in place to enable the reforms to continue.
13     (d) The OIG shall develop and submit new Error Reduction
14 Implementation Plans as necessary. To implement each Error
15 Reduction Implementation Plan, as approved by the Director, the
16 OIG shall work with Quality Assurance members of the Error
17 Reduction Teams designated by the Department. The teams shall
18 be comprised of staff from Quality Assurance and Training.
19 Training shall work with the OIG and with the child death
20 review teams to develop a curriculum to address errors
21 identified that compromise the safety of children. Following
22 the training roll-out, the Teams shall work on-site in
23 identified offices. The Teams shall review and supervise all
24 work relevant to the Error Reduction Implementation Plan.
25 Quality Assurance shall identify outcome measures and track
26 compliance with the training curriculum. Each quarter, Quality

 

 

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1 Assurance shall prepare a report detailing compliance with the
2 Error Reduction Implementation Plan and alert the Director to
3 staffing needs or other needs to accomplish the goals of the
4 Error Reduction Implementation Plan. The report shall be
5 transmitted to the Director, the OIG, and all management staff
6 involved in the Error Reduction Implementation Plan.
7     (e) The Director shall review quarterly Quality Assurance
8 reports and determine adherence to the Error Reduction
9 Implementation Plan using criteria and standards developed by
10 the Department.
 
11     Section 10. The Child Death Review Team Act is amended by
12 changing Sections 15, 20, 25, and 40 and by adding Section 45
13 as follows:
 
14     (20 ILCS 515/15)
15     Sec. 15. Child death review teams; establishment.
16     (a) The Director, in consultation with the Executive
17 Council, law enforcement, and other professionals who work in
18 the field of investigating, treating, or preventing child abuse
19 or neglect in that subregion, shall appoint members to a child
20 death review team in each of the Department's administrative
21 subregions of the State outside Cook County and at least one
22 child death review team in Cook County. The members of a team
23 shall be appointed for 2-year terms and shall be eligible for
24 reappointment upon the expiration of the terms. The Director

 

 

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1 must fill any vacancy in a team within 60 days after that
2 vacancy occurs.
3     (b) Each child death review team shall consist of at least
4 one member from each of the following categories:
5         (1) Pediatrician or other physician knowledgeable
6     about child abuse and neglect.
7         (2) Representative of the Department.
8         (3) State's attorney or State's attorney's
9     representative.
10         (4) Representative of a local law enforcement agency.
11         (5) Psychologist or psychiatrist.
12         (6) Representative of a local health department.
13         (7) Representative of a school district or other
14     education or child care interests.
15         (8) Coroner or forensic pathologist.
16         (9) Representative of a child welfare agency or child
17     advocacy organization.
18         (10) Representative of a local hospital, trauma
19     center, or provider of emergency medical services.
20         (11) Representative of the Department of State Police.
21     Each child death review team may make recommendations to
22 the Director concerning additional appointments.
23     Each child death review team member must have demonstrated
24 experience and an interest in investigating, treating, or
25 preventing child abuse or neglect.
26     (c) Each child death review team shall select a chairperson

 

 

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1 from among its members. The chairperson shall also serve on the
2 Illinois Child Death Review Teams Executive Council.
3     (d) The child death review teams shall be funded under a
4 separate line item in the Department's annual budget.
5 (Source: P.A. 92-468, eff. 8-22-01.)
 
6     (20 ILCS 515/20)
7     Sec. 20. Reviews of child deaths.
8     (a) Every child death shall be reviewed by the team in the
9 subregion which has primary case management responsibility.
10 The deceased child must be one of the following:
11         (1) A ward of the Department.
12         (2) The subject of an open service case maintained by
13     the Department.
14         (3) The subject of a pending child abuse or neglect
15     investigation.
16         (4) A child who was the subject of an abuse or neglect
17     investigation at any time during the 12 months preceding
18     the child's death.
19         (5) Any other child whose death is reported to the
20     State central register as a result of alleged child abuse
21     or neglect which report is subsequently indicated.
22     A child death review team may, at its discretion, review
23 other sudden, unexpected, or unexplained child deaths, and
24 cases of serious or fatal injuries to a child identified under
25 the Child Advocacy Center Act.

 

 

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1     (b) A child death review team's purpose in conducting
2 reviews of child deaths is to do the following:
3         (1) Assist in determining the cause and manner of the
4     child's death, when requested.
5         (2) Evaluate means by which the death might have been
6     prevented.
7         (3) Report its findings to appropriate agencies and
8     make recommendations that may help to reduce the number of
9     child deaths caused by abuse or neglect.
10         (4) Promote continuing education for professionals
11     involved in investigating, treating, and preventing child
12     abuse and neglect as a means of preventing child deaths due
13     to abuse or neglect.
14         (5) Make specific recommendations to the Director and
15     the Inspector General of the Department concerning the
16     prevention of child deaths due to abuse or neglect and the
17     establishment of protocols for investigating child deaths.
18     (c) A child death review team shall review a child death as
19 soon as practical and not later than 90 days following the
20 completion by the Department of the investigation of the death
21 under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. When there
22 has been no investigation by the Department, the child death
23 review team shall review a child's death within 90 days after
24 obtaining the information necessary to complete the review from
25 the coroner, pathologist, medical examiner, or law enforcement
26 agency, depending on the nature of the case. A child death

 

 

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1 review team shall meet at least once in each calendar quarter.
2     (d) The Director shall, within 90 days, review and reply to
3 recommendations made by a team under item (5) of subsection
4 (b). The Director shall implement recommendations as feasible
5 and appropriate and shall respond in writing to explain the
6 implementation or nonimplementation of the recommendations.
7 (Source: P.A. 90-239, eff. 7-28-97; 90-608, eff. 6-30-98.)
 
8     (20 ILCS 515/25)
9     Sec. 25. Team access to information.
10     (a) The Department shall provide to a child death review
11 team, on the request of the team chairperson, all records and
12 information in the Department's possession that are relevant to
13 the team's review of a child death, including records and
14 information concerning previous reports or investigations of
15 suspected child abuse or neglect.
16     (b) A child death review team shall have access to all
17 records and information that are relevant to its review of a
18 child death and in the possession of a State or local
19 governmental agency, including, but not limited to,
20 information gained through the Child Advocacy Center protocol
21 for cases of serious or fatal injury to a child. These records
22 and information include, without limitation, birth
23 certificates, all relevant medical and mental health records,
24 records of law enforcement agency investigations, records of
25 coroner or medical examiner investigations, records of the

 

 

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1 Department of Corrections concerning a person's parole,
2 records of a probation and court services department, and
3 records of a social services agency that provided services to
4 the child or the child's family.
5 (Source: P.A. 91-812, eff. 6-13-00.)
 
6     (20 ILCS 515/40)
7     Sec. 40. Illinois Child Death Review Teams Executive
8 Council.
9     (a) The Illinois Child Death Review Teams Executive
10 Council, consisting of the chairpersons of the 9 child death
11 review teams in Illinois, is the coordinating and oversight
12 body for child death review teams and activities in Illinois.
13 The vice-chairperson of a child death review team, as
14 designated by the chairperson, may serve as a back-up member or
15 an alternate member of the Executive Council, if the
16 chairperson of the child death review team is unavailable to
17 serve on the Executive Council. The Inspector General of the
18 Department, ex officio, is a non-voting member of the Executive
19 Council. The Director may appoint to the Executive Council any
20 ex-officio members deemed necessary. Persons with expertise
21 needed by the Executive Council may be invited to meetings. The
22 Executive Council must select from its members a chairperson
23 and a vice-chairperson, each to serve a 2-year, renewable term.
24     The Executive Council must meet at least 4 times during
25 each calendar year.

 

 

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1     (b) The Department must provide or arrange for the staff
2 support necessary for the Executive Council to carry out its
3 duties. The Director, in cooperation and consultation with the
4 Executive Council, shall appoint, reappoint, and remove team
5 members. From funds available, the Director may select from a
6 list of 2 or more candidates recommended by the Executive
7 Council to serve as the Child Death Review Teams Executive
8 Director. The Child Death Review Teams Executive Director shall
9 oversee the operations of the child death review teams and
10 shall report directly to the Executive Council.
11     (c) The Executive Council has, but is not limited to, the
12 following duties:
13         (1) To serve as the voice of child death review teams
14     in Illinois.
15         (2) To oversee the regional teams in order to ensure
16     that the teams' work is coordinated and in compliance with
17     the statutes and the operating protocol.
18         (3) To ensure that the data, results, findings, and
19     recommendations of the teams are adequately used to make
20     any necessary changes in the policies, procedures, and
21     statutes in order to protect children in a timely manner.
22         (4) To collaborate with the General Assembly, the
23     Department, and others in order to develop any legislation
24     needed to prevent child fatalities and to protect children.
25         (5) To assist in the development of quarterly and
26     annual reports based on the work and the findings of the

 

 

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1     teams.
2         (6) To ensure that the regional teams' review processes
3     are standardized in order to convey data, findings, and
4     recommendations in a usable format.
5         (7) To serve as a link with child death review teams
6     throughout the country and to participate in national child
7     death review team activities.
8         (8) To develop an annual statewide symposium to update
9     the knowledge and skills of child death review team members
10     and to promote the exchange of information between teams.
11         (9) To provide the child death review teams with the
12     most current information and practices concerning child
13     death review and related topics.
14         (10) To perform any other functions necessary to
15     enhance the capability of the child death review teams to
16     reduce and prevent child injuries and fatalities.
17     (d) In any instance when a child death review team does not
18 operate in accordance with established protocol, the Director,
19 in consultation and cooperation with the Executive Council,
20 must take any necessary actions to bring the team into
21 compliance with the protocol.
22 (Source: P.A. 92-468, eff. 8-22-01.)
 
23     (20 ILCS 515/45 new)
24     Sec. 45. Child Death Investigation Task Force; pilot
25 program. The Child Death Review Teams Executive Council may,

 

 

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1 from funds appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly to the
2 Department and provided to the Child Death Review Teams
3 Executive Council for this purpose, or from funds that may
4 otherwise be provided for this purpose from other public or
5 private sources, establish a 3-year a pilot program in the
6 Southern Region of the State, as designated by the Department,
7 under which a special Child Death Investigation Task Force will
8 be created by the Child Death Review Teams Executive Council to
9 develop and implement a plan for the investigation of sudden,
10 unexpected, or unexplained deaths of children under 18 years of
11 age occurring within that region. The plan shall include a
12 protocol to be followed by child death review teams in the
13 review of child deaths authorized under paragraph (a)(5) of
14 Section 20 of this Act. The plan must include provisions for
15 local or State law enforcement agencies, hospitals, or coroners
16 to promptly notify the Task Force of a death or serious
17 life-threatening injury to a child, and for the Child Death
18 Investigation Task Force to review the death and submit a
19 report containing findings and recommendations to the Child
20 Death Review Teams Executive Council, the Director, the
21 Department of Children and Family Services Inspector General,
22 the appropriate States Attorney, and the State Representative
23 and State Senator in whose legislative districts the case
24 arose. The plan may include coordination with any investigation
25 conducted under the Children's Advocacy Center Act. By January
26 1, 2010, the Child Death Review Teams Executive Council shall

 

 

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1 submit a report to the Director, the General Assembly, and the
2 Governor summarizing the results of the pilot program together
3 with any recommendations for statewide implementation of a
4 protocol for the investigating all sudden, unexpected, or
5 unexplained child deaths.
 
6     Section 15. The Children's Advocacy Center Act is amended
7 by changing Sections 3 and 4 as follows:
 
8     (55 ILCS 80/3)  (from Ch. 23, par. 1803)
9     Sec. 3. Child Advocacy Advisory Board.
10     (a) Each county in the State of Illinois shall establish a
11 Child Advocacy Advisory Board ("Advisory Board").
12     Each of the following county officers or State agencies
13 shall designate a representative to serve on the Advisory
14 Board: the sheriff, the Illinois Department of Children and
15 Family Services, the State's attorney, and the county mental
16 health department, and the Department of State Police.
17     The chairman may appoint additional members of the Advisory
18 Board as is deemed necessary to accomplish the purposes of this
19 Act, the additional members to include but not be limited to
20 representatives of local law enforcement agencies, and the
21 Circuit Courts.
22     (b) The Advisory Board shall organize itself and elect from
23 among its members a chairman and such other officers as are
24 deemed necessary. Until a chairman is so elected, the State's

 

 

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1 attorney shall serve as interim chairman.
2     (c) The Advisory Board shall adopt, by a majority of the
3 members, a written child sexual abuse protocol within one year
4 after the effective date of this Act. An Advisory Board
5 adopting a protocol after the effective date of this amendatory
6 Act of 1996 shall, prior to finalization, submit its draft to
7 the Illinois Child Advocacy Commission for review and comments.
8 After considering the comments of the Illinois Child Advocacy
9 Commission and upon finalization of its protocol, the Advisory
10 Board shall file the protocol with the Department of Children
11 and Family Services. A copy shall be furnished to the Illinois
12 Child Advocacy Commission and to each agency in the county or
13 counties which has any involvement with the cases of sexually
14 abused children.
15     The Illinois Child Advocacy Commission shall consist of the
16 Attorney General and the Directors of the Illinois State Police
17 and the Department of Children and Family Services or their
18 designees. Additional members may be appointed to the Illinois
19 Child Advocacy Commission as deemed necessary by the Attorney
20 General and the Directors of the Illinois State Police and the
21 Department of Children and Family Services. The Illinois Child
22 Advocacy Commission may also provide technical assistance and
23 guidance to the Advisory Boards.
24     (d) The purpose of the protocol shall be to ensure
25 coordination and cooperation among all agencies involved in
26 child sexual abuse cases so as to increase the efficiency and

 

 

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1 effectiveness of those agencies, to minimize the stress created
2 for the child and his or her family by the investigatory and
3 judicial process, and to ensure that more effective treatment
4 is provided for the child and his or her family.
5     (e) The protocol shall be a written document outlining in
6 detail the procedures to be used in investigating and
7 prosecuting cases arising from alleged child sexual abuse and
8 in coordinating treatment referrals for the child and his or
9 her family. In preparing the written protocol, the Advisory
10 Board shall consider the following:
11         (1) An interdisciplinary, coordinated systems approach
12     to the investigation of child sexual abuse which shall
13     include, at a minimum;
14             (i) an interagency notification procedure;
15             (ii) a dispute resolution process between the
16         involved agencies when a conflict arises on how to
17         proceed with the investigation of a case;
18             (iii) a policy on interagency decision-making; and
19             (iv) a description of the role each agency has in
20         the investigation of the case;
21         (2) A safe, separate space with assigned personnel
22     designated for the investigation and coordination of child
23     sexual abuse cases;
24         (3) An interdisciplinary case review process for
25     purposes of decision-making, problem solving, systems
26     coordination, and information sharing;

 

 

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1         (4) A comprehensive tracking system to receive and
2     coordinate information concerning child sexual abuse cases
3     from each participating agency;
4         (5) Interdisciplinary specialized training for all
5     professionals involved with the victims and families of
6     child sexual abuse cases; and
7         (6) A process for evaluating the implementation and
8     effectiveness of the protocol.
9     (f) The Advisory Board shall evaluate the implementation
10 and effectiveness of the protocol required under subsection (c)
11 of this Section on an annual basis, and shall propose
12 appropriate modifications to the protocol to maximize its
13 effectiveness. A report of the Advisory Board's review, along
14 with proposed modifications, shall be submitted to the Illinois
15 Child Advocacy Commission for its review and comments. After
16 considering the comments of the Illinois Child Advocacy
17 Commission and adopting modifications, the Advisory Board
18 shall file its amended protocol with the Department of Children
19 and Family Services. A copy of the Advisory Board's review and
20 amended protocol shall be furnished to the Illinois Child
21 Advocacy Commission and to each agency in the county or
22 counties having any involvement with the cases covered by the
23 protocol.
24     (g) The Advisory Board shall may adopt, by a majority of
25 the members, a written protocol for coordinating cases of
26 serious or fatal injury to a child physical abuse cases,

 

 

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1 following the procedures and purposes described in subsections
2 (c), (d), (e), and (f) of this Section. The protocol shall be a
3 written document outlining in detail the procedures that will
4 be used by all of the agencies involved in investigating and
5 prosecuting cases arising from alleged cases of serious or
6 fatal injury to a child physical abuse and in coordinating
7 treatment referrals for the child and his or her family.
8 (Source: P.A. 89-543, eff. 1-1-97.)
 
9     (55 ILCS 80/4)  (from Ch. 23, par. 1804)
10     Sec. 4. Children's Advocacy Center.
11     (a) A Children's Advocacy Center ("Center") may be
12 established to coordinate the activities of the various
13 agencies involved in the investigation, prosecution and
14 treatment referral of child sexual abuse. The Advisory Board
15 shall serve as the governing board for the Center. The
16 operation of the Center may be funded through grants,
17 contracts, or any other available sources. In counties in which
18 a referendum has been adopted under Section 5 of this Act, the
19 Advisory Board, by the majority vote of its members, shall
20 submit a proposed annual budget for the operation of the Center
21 to the county board, which shall appropriate funds and levy a
22 tax sufficient to operate the Center. The county board in each
23 county in which a referendum has been adopted shall establish a
24 Children's Advocacy Center Fund and shall deposit the net
25 proceeds of the tax authorized by Section 6 of this Act in that

 

 

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1 Fund, which shall be kept separate from all other county funds
2 and shall only be used for the purposes of this Act.
3     (b) The Advisory Board shall pay from the Children's
4 Advocacy Center Fund or from other available funds the salaries
5 of all employees of the Center and the expenses of acquiring a
6 physical plant for the Center by construction or lease and
7 maintaining the Center, including the expenses of
8 administering the coordination of the investigation,
9 prosecution and treatment referral of child sexual abuse under
10 the provisions of the protocol adopted pursuant to this Act.
11     (c) Every Center shall include at least the following
12 components:
13         (1) An interdisciplinary, coordinated systems approach
14     to the investigation of child sexual abuse which shall
15     include, at a minimum;
16             (i) an interagency notification procedure;
17             (ii) a dispute resolution process between the
18         involved agencies when a conflict arises on how to
19         proceed with the investigation of a case;
20             (iii) a policy on interagency decision-making; and
21             (iv) a description of the role each agency has in
22         the investigation of the case;
23         (2) A safe, separate space with assigned personnel
24     designated for the investigation and coordination of child
25     sexual abuse cases;
26         (3) An interdisciplinary case review process for

 

 

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1     purposes of decision-making, problem solving, systems
2     coordination, and information sharing;
3         (4) A comprehensive tracking system to receive and
4     coordinate information concerning child sexual abuse cases
5     from each participating agency;
6         (5) Interdisciplinary specialized training for all
7     professionals involved with the victims and families of
8     child sexual abuse cases; and
9         (6) A process for evaluating the effectiveness of the
10     Center and its operations.
11     (d) In the event that a Center has been established as
12 provided in this Section, the Advisory Board of that Center
13 may, by a majority of the members, authorize the Center to
14 coordinate the activities of the various agencies involved in
15 the investigation, prosecution, and treatment referral in
16 cases of serious or fatal injury to a child physical abuse
17 cases. The Advisory Board shall provide for the financial
18 support of these activities in a manner similar to that set out
19 in subsections (a) and (b) of this Section and shall be allowed
20 to submit a budget that includes support for physical abuse and
21 neglect activities to the County Board, which shall appropriate
22 funds that may be available under Section 5 of this Act. In
23 cooperation with the Department of Children and Family Services
24 Child Death Review Teams, the Department of Children and Family
25 Services Office of the Inspector General, the Department of
26 State Police, and other stakeholders, this protocol must be

 

 

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1 initially implemented in selected counties to the extent that
2 State appropriations or funds from other sources for this
3 purpose allow.
4     (e) The Illinois Child Advocacy Commission may also provide
5 technical assistance and guidance to the Advisory Boards and
6 shall make a single annual grant for the purpose of providing
7 technical support and assistance for advocacy center
8 development in Illinois whenever an appropriation is made by
9 the General Assembly specifically for that purpose. The grant
10 may be made only to an Illinois not-for-profit corporation that
11 qualifies for tax treatment under Section 501(c)(3) of the
12 Internal Revenue Code and that has a voting membership
13 consisting of children's advocacy centers. The grant may be
14 spent on staff, office space, equipment, and other expenses
15 necessary for the development of resource materials and other
16 forms of technical support and assistance. The grantee shall
17 report to the Commission on the specific uses of grant funds by
18 no later than October 1 of each year and shall retain
19 supporting documentation for a period of at least 5 years after
20 the corresponding report is filed.
21 (Source: P.A. 91-158, eff. 7-16-99; 92-785, eff. 8-6-02.)".