HB0617eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB0617 Engrossed LRB095 05208 RCE 25282 b

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended by changing Section 35.5 and by adding Section 35.7 as follows:

(20 ILCS 505/35.5)

Sec. 35.5. Inspector General.

(a) The Governor shall appoint, and the Senate shall confirm, an Inspector General who shall have the authority to conduct investigations into allegations of or incidents of possible misconduct, misfeasance, malfeasance, or violations of rules, procedures, or laws by any employee, foster parent, service provider, or contractor of the Department of Children and Family Services. The Inspector General shall make recommendations to the Director of Children and Family Services concerning sanctions or disciplinary actions against Department employees or providers of service under contract to the Department. The Director of Children and Family Services shall provide the Inspector General with an implementation report on the status of any corrective actions taken on cases under review and shall continue sending updated reports until the corrective action is completed. The Inspector General may recommend to the Director sanctions to be imposed against agency staff for any actions taken, or not taken, that may have affected the outcome of the case, or jeopardized the protection of the child or children who were the subject of an investigation. The Director shall provide a written response to the Inspector General indicating the status of any sanctions or disciplinary actions against employees or providers of service involving any case subject to review. In any case, information included in the reports to the Inspector General and Department responses shall be subject to the public disclosure requirements of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Any investigation conducted by the Inspector General shall be independent and separate from the investigation mandated by the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. The Inspector General shall be appointed for a term of 4 years. The Inspector General shall function independently within the Department of Children and Family Services with respect to be independent of the operations of the Office of Inspector General, including the performance of investigations and issuance of findings and recommendations, Department and shall report to the Director of Children and Family Services and the Governor and perform other duties the Director may designate. The appropriation for the Office of Inspector General shall be separate from the overall appropriation for the Department of Children and Family Services. The Inspector General shall adopt rules as necessary to carry out the functions, purposes, and duties of the office of Inspector General in the Department of Children and Family Services, in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and any other applicable law.

(b) The Inspector General shall have access to all information and personnel necessary to perform the duties of the office. To minimize duplication of efforts, and to assure consistency and conformance with the requirements and procedures established in the B.H. v. Suter consent decree and to share resources when appropriate, the Inspector General shall coordinate his or her activities with the Bureau of Quality Assurance within the Department.

(c) The Inspector General shall be the primary liaison between the Department and the Department of State Police with regard to investigations conducted under the Inspector General's auspices. If the Inspector General determines that a possible criminal act has been committed, or that special expertise is required in the investigation, he or she shall immediately notify the Department of State Police. All investigations conducted by the Inspector General shall be conducted in a manner designed to ensure the preservation of evidence for possible use in a criminal prosecution.

(d) The Inspector General may recommend to the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Public Health, or any other appropriate agency, sanctions to be imposed against service providers under the jurisdiction of or under contract with the Department for the protection of children in the custody or under the guardianship of the Department who received services from those providers. The Inspector General may seek the assistance of the Attorney General or any of the several State's Attorneys in imposing sanctions.

(e) The Inspector General shall at all times be granted access to any foster home, facility, or program operated for or licensed or funded by the Department.

(f) Nothing in this Section shall limit investigations by the Department of Children and Family Services that may otherwise be required by law or that may be necessary in that Department's capacity as the central administrative authority for child welfare.

(g) The Inspector General shall have the power to subpoena witnesses and compel the production of books and papers pertinent to an investigation authorized by this Act. The power to subpoena or to compel the production of books and papers, however, shall not extend to the person or documents of a labor organization or its representatives insofar as the person or documents of a labor organization relate to the function of representing an employee subject to investigation under this Act. Any person who fails to appear in response to a subpoena or to answer any question or produce any books or papers pertinent to an investigation under this Act, except as otherwise provided in this Section, or who knowingly gives false testimony in relation to an investigation under this Act is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

(h) The Inspector General shall provide to the General Assembly and the Governor, no later than January 1 of each year, a summary of reports and investigations made under this Section for the prior fiscal year. The summaries shall detail the imposition of sanctions and the final disposition of those recommendations. The summaries shall not contain any confidential or identifying information concerning the subjects of the reports and investigations. The summaries also shall include detailed recommended administrative actions and matters for consideration by the General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 90-512, eff. 8-22-97.)

(20 ILCS 505/35.7 new)

Sec. 35.7. Error Reduction Implementations Plans; Inspector General.

(a) The Inspector General of the Department of Children and Family Services shall develop Error Reduction Implementation Plans, as necessary, to remedy patterns of errors or problematic practices that compromise or threaten the safety of children as identified in DCFS Office of Inspector General (OIG) death or serious injury investigations and Child Death Review Teams recommendations. The Error Reduction Implementation Plans shall include both training and on-site components. The Department shall deploy Error Reduction Safety Teams to implement the Error Reduction Implementation Plans. The Error Reduction Safety Teams shall be composed of Quality Assurance and Division of Training staff to implement hands-on training and Error Reduction Implementation Plans in targeted offices where the Inspector General has determined that serious or lethal errors have occurred or offices at risk for errors to occur. The teams shall work in the offices or agencies as required by the Error Reduction Implementation Plan and shall work to ensure that systems are in place to continue reform efforts after the departure of the teams. The Director shall develop a method to ensure consistent compliance with any Error Reduction Implementation Plan. The training curricula shall be determined by the Inspector General with advice from the Child Death Review Team Executive Council.

(b) Quality Assurance shall prepare public reports annually detailing the following: the substance of any Error Reduction Implementation Plan developed; any deviations from the Error Reduction Plan; whether adequate staff was available to perform functions necessary to the Error Reduction Implementation Plan, including identification and reporting of any staff needs; other problems noted or barriers to implementing the Error Reduction Implementation Plan; and recommendations for additional training, amendments to rules and procedures, or other systemic reform identified by the teams.

(c) The Error Reduction Teams shall implement training and reform protocols through incubating change in each region, Department office, or purchase of service office, as required. The teams shall administer hands-on assistance, supervision, and management while ensuring that the office, region, or agency develops the skills and systems necessary to incorporate changes on a permanent basis. For each Error Reduction Plan, the Team shall determine whether adequate staff is available to fulfill the Error Reduction Plan, provide case-by-case supervision to ensure that the plan is implemented, and ensure that management puts systems in place to enable the reforms to continue.

(d) The OIG shall develop new Error Reduction Plans as necessary. To implement each Error Reduction Plan, the OIG shall work with Error Reduction Teams designated by the Department. The teams shall be comprised of staff from Quality Assurance and Training. Training shall work with the OIG to develop a curriculum to address errors identified that compromise the safety of children. Following the training roll-out, the Teams shall work on-site in identified offices. The Teams shall review and supervise all work relevant to the Error Reduction Plan. Quality Assurance, in conjunction with the OIG, shall identify outcome measures and track compliance with the training curriculum. Each quarter, Quality Assurance shall prepare a report detailing compliance with the Error Reduction Plan and alert the Director to staffing needs or other needs to accomplish the goals of the Error Reduction Plan. The report shall be transmitted to the Director, the OIG, and all management staff involved in the Error Reduction Plan.

(e) The Director shall review quarterly Quality Assurance reports and shall ensure that supervisors' and managers' performance evaluations (objectives evaluation) are based on adherence to the Error Reduction Plan using criteria developed by the Department.

(f) Quality Assurance shall prepare public reports annually detailing the following: the substance of any Error Reduction Plan developed; any deviations from the Error Reduction Plan; whether adequate staff was available to perform functions necessary to the Error Reduction Plan, including identification and reporting of any staff needs; other problems noted or barriers to implementing the Error Reduction Plan; and any recommendations for additional training needs or systemic change or reform of Rules and Procedures.