Public Act 095-0527
 
HB0617 Enrolled 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
recommendations under review and shall continue sending
updated reports until the corrective action is completed. 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
investigation 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 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 the DCFS Office of the 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 Inspector General shall submit proposed Error
Reduction Implementation Plans to the Director for review. The
Director may approve the plans submitted, or approve plans
amended by the Office of the Inspector General, taking into
consideration polices and procedures that govern the function
and performance of any affected frontline staff. The Director
shall document the basis for disapproval of any submitted or
amended plan. 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.
The teams shall work in the offices of the Department or of
agencies, or both, as required by the Error Reduction
Implementation Plans, 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 Plans, the
provisions of which shall be incorporated into the plan.
    (b) Quality Assurance shall prepare public reports
annually detailing the following: the substance of any Error
Reduction Implementation Plan approved; 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. Quality Assurance shall work with affected frontline
staff to implement provisions of the approved Error Reduction
Implementation Plans related to staff function and
performance.
    (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
Implementation Plan, the Team shall determine whether adequate
staff is available to fulfill the Error Reduction
Implementation 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. Error
Reduction Teams shall work with affected frontline staff to
ensure that provisions of the approved Error Reduction
Implementation Plans relating to staff functions and
performance are achieved to effect necessary reforms.
    (d) The OIG shall develop and submit new Error Reduction
Implementation Plans as necessary. To implement each Error
Reduction Implementation Plan, as approved by the Director, the
OIG shall work with Quality Assurance members of the 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 and with the child death
review teams 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 Implementation Plan.
Quality Assurance 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 Implementation Plan and alert the Director to
staffing needs or other needs to accomplish the goals of the
Error Reduction Implementation Plan. The report shall be
transmitted to the Director, the OIG, and all management staff
involved in the Error Reduction Implementation Plan.
    (e) The Director shall review quarterly Quality Assurance
reports and determine adherence to the Error Reduction
Implementation Plan using criteria and standards developed by
the Department.
 
    Section 10. The Child Death Review Team Act is amended by
changing Sections 15, 20, 25, and 40 and by adding Section 45
as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 515/15)
    Sec. 15. Child death review teams; establishment.
    (a) The Director, in consultation with the Executive
Council, law enforcement, and other professionals who work in
the field of investigating, treating, or preventing child abuse
or neglect in that subregion, shall appoint members to a child
death review team in each of the Department's administrative
subregions of the State outside Cook County and at least one
child death review team in Cook County. The members of a team
shall be appointed for 2-year terms and shall be eligible for
reappointment upon the expiration of the terms. The Director
must fill any vacancy in a team within 60 days after that
vacancy occurs.
    (b) Each child death review team shall consist of at least
one member from each of the following categories:
        (1) Pediatrician or other physician knowledgeable
    about child abuse and neglect.
        (2) Representative of the Department.
        (3) State's attorney or State's attorney's
    representative.
        (4) Representative of a local law enforcement agency.
        (5) Psychologist or psychiatrist.
        (6) Representative of a local health department.
        (7) Representative of a school district or other
    education or child care interests.
        (8) Coroner or forensic pathologist.
        (9) Representative of a child welfare agency or child
    advocacy organization.
        (10) Representative of a local hospital, trauma
    center, or provider of emergency medical services.
        (11) Representative of the Department of State Police.
    Each child death review team may make recommendations to
the Director concerning additional appointments.
    Each child death review team member must have demonstrated
experience and an interest in investigating, treating, or
preventing child abuse or neglect.
    (c) Each child death review team shall select a chairperson
from among its members. The chairperson shall also serve on the
Illinois Child Death Review Teams Executive Council.
    (d) The child death review teams shall be funded under a
separate line item in the Department's annual budget.
(Source: P.A. 92-468, eff. 8-22-01.)
 
    (20 ILCS 515/20)
    Sec. 20. Reviews of child deaths.
    (a) Every child death shall be reviewed by the team in the
subregion which has primary case management responsibility.
The deceased child must be one of the following:
        (1) A ward of the Department.
        (2) The subject of an open service case maintained by
    the Department.
        (3) The subject of a pending child abuse or neglect
    investigation.
        (4) A child who was the subject of an abuse or neglect
    investigation at any time during the 12 months preceding
    the child's death.
        (5) Any other child whose death is reported to the
    State central register as a result of alleged child abuse
    or neglect which report is subsequently indicated.
    A child death review team may, at its discretion, review
other sudden, unexpected, or unexplained child deaths, and
cases of serious or fatal injuries to a child identified under
the Child Advocacy Center Act.
    (b) A child death review team's purpose in conducting
reviews of child deaths is to do the following:
        (1) Assist in determining the cause and manner of the
    child's death, when requested.
        (2) Evaluate means by which the death might have been
    prevented.
        (3) Report its findings to appropriate agencies and
    make recommendations that may help to reduce the number of
    child deaths caused by abuse or neglect.
        (4) Promote continuing education for professionals
    involved in investigating, treating, and preventing child
    abuse and neglect as a means of preventing child deaths due
    to abuse or neglect.
        (5) Make specific recommendations to the Director and
    the Inspector General of the Department concerning the
    prevention of child deaths due to abuse or neglect and the
    establishment of protocols for investigating child deaths.
    (c) A child death review team shall review a child death as
soon as practical and not later than 90 days following the
completion by the Department of the investigation of the death
under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. When there
has been no investigation by the Department, the child death
review team shall review a child's death within 90 days after
obtaining the information necessary to complete the review from
the coroner, pathologist, medical examiner, or law enforcement
agency, depending on the nature of the case. A child death
review team shall meet at least once in each calendar quarter.
    (d) The Director shall, within 90 days, review and reply to
recommendations made by a team under item (5) of subsection
(b). The Director shall implement recommendations as feasible
and appropriate and shall respond in writing to explain the
implementation or nonimplementation of the recommendations.
(Source: P.A. 90-239, eff. 7-28-97; 90-608, eff. 6-30-98.)
 
    (20 ILCS 515/25)
    Sec. 25. Team access to information.
    (a) The Department shall provide to a child death review
team, on the request of the team chairperson, all records and
information in the Department's possession that are relevant to
the team's review of a child death, including records and
information concerning previous reports or investigations of
suspected child abuse or neglect.
    (b) A child death review team shall have access to all
records and information that are relevant to its review of a
child death and in the possession of a State or local
governmental agency, including, but not limited to,
information gained through the Child Advocacy Center protocol
for cases of serious or fatal injury to a child. These records
and information include, without limitation, birth
certificates, all relevant medical and mental health records,
records of law enforcement agency investigations, records of
coroner or medical examiner investigations, records of the
Department of Corrections concerning a person's parole,
records of a probation and court services department, and
records of a social services agency that provided services to
the child or the child's family.
(Source: P.A. 91-812, eff. 6-13-00.)
 
    (20 ILCS 515/40)
    Sec. 40. Illinois Child Death Review Teams Executive
Council.
    (a) The Illinois Child Death Review Teams Executive
Council, consisting of the chairpersons of the 9 child death
review teams in Illinois, is the coordinating and oversight
body for child death review teams and activities in Illinois.
The vice-chairperson of a child death review team, as
designated by the chairperson, may serve as a back-up member or
an alternate member of the Executive Council, if the
chairperson of the child death review team is unavailable to
serve on the Executive Council. The Inspector General of the
Department, ex officio, is a non-voting member of the Executive
Council. The Director may appoint to the Executive Council any
ex-officio members deemed necessary. Persons with expertise
needed by the Executive Council may be invited to meetings. The
Executive Council must select from its members a chairperson
and a vice-chairperson, each to serve a 2-year, renewable term.
    The Executive Council must meet at least 4 times during
each calendar year.
    (b) The Department must provide or arrange for the staff
support necessary for the Executive Council to carry out its
duties. The Director, in cooperation and consultation with the
Executive Council, shall appoint, reappoint, and remove team
members. From funds available, the Director may select from a
list of 2 or more candidates recommended by the Executive
Council to serve as the Child Death Review Teams Executive
Director. The Child Death Review Teams Executive Director shall
oversee the operations of the child death review teams and
shall report directly to the Executive Council.
    (c) The Executive Council has, but is not limited to, the
following duties:
        (1) To serve as the voice of child death review teams
    in Illinois.
        (2) To oversee the regional teams in order to ensure
    that the teams' work is coordinated and in compliance with
    the statutes and the operating protocol.
        (3) To ensure that the data, results, findings, and
    recommendations of the teams are adequately used to make
    any necessary changes in the policies, procedures, and
    statutes in order to protect children in a timely manner.
        (4) To collaborate with the General Assembly, the
    Department, and others in order to develop any legislation
    needed to prevent child fatalities and to protect children.
        (5) To assist in the development of quarterly and
    annual reports based on the work and the findings of the
    teams.
        (6) To ensure that the regional teams' review processes
    are standardized in order to convey data, findings, and
    recommendations in a usable format.
        (7) To serve as a link with child death review teams
    throughout the country and to participate in national child
    death review team activities.
        (8) To develop an annual statewide symposium to update
    the knowledge and skills of child death review team members
    and to promote the exchange of information between teams.
        (9) To provide the child death review teams with the
    most current information and practices concerning child
    death review and related topics.
        (10) To perform any other functions necessary to
    enhance the capability of the child death review teams to
    reduce and prevent child injuries and fatalities.
    (d) In any instance when a child death review team does not
operate in accordance with established protocol, the Director,
in consultation and cooperation with the Executive Council,
must take any necessary actions to bring the team into
compliance with the protocol.
(Source: P.A. 92-468, eff. 8-22-01.)
 
    (20 ILCS 515/45 new)
    Sec. 45. Child Death Investigation Task Force; pilot
program. The Child Death Review Teams Executive Council may,
from funds appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly to the
Department and provided to the Child Death Review Teams
Executive Council for this purpose, or from funds that may
otherwise be provided for this purpose from other public or
private sources, establish a 3-year pilot program in the
Southern Region of the State, as designated by the Department,
under which a special Child Death Investigation Task Force will
be created by the Child Death Review Teams Executive Council to
develop and implement a plan for the investigation of sudden,
unexpected, or unexplained deaths of children under 18 years of
age occurring within that region. The plan shall include a
protocol to be followed by child death review teams in the
review of child deaths authorized under paragraph (a)(5) of
Section 20 of this Act. The plan must include provisions for
local or State law enforcement agencies, hospitals, or coroners
to promptly notify the Task Force of a death or serious
life-threatening injury to a child, and for the Child Death
Investigation Task Force to review the death and submit a
report containing findings and recommendations to the Child
Death Review Teams Executive Council, the Director, the
Department of Children and Family Services Inspector General,
the appropriate State's Attorney, and the State Representative
and State Senator in whose legislative districts the case
arose. The plan may include coordination with any investigation
conducted under the Children's Advocacy Center Act. By January
1, 2010, the Child Death Review Teams Executive Council shall
submit a report to the Director, the General Assembly, and the
Governor summarizing the results of the pilot program together
with any recommendations for statewide implementation of a
protocol for the investigating all sudden, unexpected, or
unexplained child deaths.
 
    Section 15. The Children's Advocacy Center Act is amended
by changing Sections 3 and 4 as follows:
 
    (55 ILCS 80/3)  (from Ch. 23, par. 1803)
    Sec. 3. Child Advocacy Advisory Board.
    (a) Each county in the State of Illinois shall establish a
Child Advocacy Advisory Board ("Advisory Board").
    Each of the following county officers or State agencies
shall designate a representative to serve on the Advisory
Board: the sheriff, the Illinois Department of Children and
Family Services, the State's attorney, and the county mental
health department, and the Department of State Police.
    The chairman may appoint additional members of the Advisory
Board as is deemed necessary to accomplish the purposes of this
Act, the additional members to include but not be limited to
representatives of local law enforcement agencies, and the
Circuit Courts.
    (b) The Advisory Board shall organize itself and elect from
among its members a chairman and such other officers as are
deemed necessary. Until a chairman is so elected, the State's
attorney shall serve as interim chairman.
    (c) The Advisory Board shall adopt, by a majority of the
members, a written child sexual abuse protocol within one year
after the effective date of this Act. An Advisory Board
adopting a protocol after the effective date of this amendatory
Act of 1996 shall, prior to finalization, submit its draft to
the Illinois Child Advocacy Commission for review and comments.
After considering the comments of the Illinois Child Advocacy
Commission and upon finalization of its protocol, the Advisory
Board shall file the protocol with the Department of Children
and Family Services. A copy shall be furnished to the Illinois
Child Advocacy Commission and to each agency in the county or
counties which has any involvement with the cases of sexually
abused children.
    The Illinois Child Advocacy Commission shall consist of the
Attorney General and the Directors of the Illinois State Police
and the Department of Children and Family Services or their
designees. Additional members may be appointed to the Illinois
Child Advocacy Commission as deemed necessary by the Attorney
General and the Directors of the Illinois State Police and the
Department of Children and Family Services. The Illinois Child
Advocacy Commission may also provide technical assistance and
guidance to the Advisory Boards.
    (d) The purpose of the protocol shall be to ensure
coordination and cooperation among all agencies involved in
child sexual abuse cases so as to increase the efficiency and
effectiveness of those agencies, to minimize the stress created
for the child and his or her family by the investigatory and
judicial process, and to ensure that more effective treatment
is provided for the child and his or her family.
    (e) The protocol shall be a written document outlining in
detail the procedures to be used in investigating and
prosecuting cases arising from alleged child sexual abuse and
in coordinating treatment referrals for the child and his or
her family. In preparing the written protocol, the Advisory
Board shall consider the following:
        (1) An interdisciplinary, coordinated systems approach
    to the investigation of child sexual abuse which shall
    include, at a minimum;
            (i) an interagency notification procedure;
            (ii) a dispute resolution process between the
        involved agencies when a conflict arises on how to
        proceed with the investigation of a case;
            (iii) a policy on interagency decision-making; and
            (iv) a description of the role each agency has in
        the investigation of the case;
        (2) A safe, separate space with assigned personnel
    designated for the investigation and coordination of child
    sexual abuse cases;
        (3) An interdisciplinary case review process for
    purposes of decision-making, problem solving, systems
    coordination, and information sharing;
        (4) A comprehensive tracking system to receive and
    coordinate information concerning child sexual abuse cases
    from each participating agency;
        (5) Interdisciplinary specialized training for all
    professionals involved with the victims and families of
    child sexual abuse cases; and
        (6) A process for evaluating the implementation and
    effectiveness of the protocol.
    (f) The Advisory Board shall evaluate the implementation
and effectiveness of the protocol required under subsection (c)
of this Section on an annual basis, and shall propose
appropriate modifications to the protocol to maximize its
effectiveness. A report of the Advisory Board's review, along
with proposed modifications, shall be submitted to the Illinois
Child Advocacy Commission for its review and comments. After
considering the comments of the Illinois Child Advocacy
Commission and adopting modifications, the Advisory Board
shall file its amended protocol with the Department of Children
and Family Services. A copy of the Advisory Board's review and
amended protocol shall be furnished to the Illinois Child
Advocacy Commission and to each agency in the county or
counties having any involvement with the cases covered by the
protocol.
    (g) The Advisory Board shall may adopt, by a majority of
the members, a written protocol for coordinating cases of
serious or fatal injury to a child physical abuse cases,
following the procedures and purposes described in subsections
(c), (d), (e), and (f) of this Section. The protocol shall be a
written document outlining in detail the procedures that will
be used by all of the agencies involved in investigating and
prosecuting cases arising from alleged cases of serious or
fatal injury to a child physical abuse and in coordinating
treatment referrals for the child and his or her family.
(Source: P.A. 89-543, eff. 1-1-97.)
 
    (55 ILCS 80/4)  (from Ch. 23, par. 1804)
    Sec. 4. Children's Advocacy Center.
    (a) A Children's Advocacy Center ("Center") may be
established to coordinate the activities of the various
agencies involved in the investigation, prosecution and
treatment referral of child sexual abuse. The Advisory Board
shall serve as the governing board for the Center. The
operation of the Center may be funded through grants,
contracts, or any other available sources. In counties in which
a referendum has been adopted under Section 5 of this Act, the
Advisory Board, by the majority vote of its members, shall
submit a proposed annual budget for the operation of the Center
to the county board, which shall appropriate funds and levy a
tax sufficient to operate the Center. The county board in each
county in which a referendum has been adopted shall establish a
Children's Advocacy Center Fund and shall deposit the net
proceeds of the tax authorized by Section 6 of this Act in that
Fund, which shall be kept separate from all other county funds
and shall only be used for the purposes of this Act.
    (b) The Advisory Board shall pay from the Children's
Advocacy Center Fund or from other available funds the salaries
of all employees of the Center and the expenses of acquiring a
physical plant for the Center by construction or lease and
maintaining the Center, including the expenses of
administering the coordination of the investigation,
prosecution and treatment referral of child sexual abuse under
the provisions of the protocol adopted pursuant to this Act.
    (c) Every Center shall include at least the following
components:
        (1) An interdisciplinary, coordinated systems approach
    to the investigation of child sexual abuse which shall
    include, at a minimum;
            (i) an interagency notification procedure;
            (ii) a dispute resolution process between the
        involved agencies when a conflict arises on how to
        proceed with the investigation of a case;
            (iii) a policy on interagency decision-making; and
            (iv) a description of the role each agency has in
        the investigation of the case;
        (2) A safe, separate space with assigned personnel
    designated for the investigation and coordination of child
    sexual abuse cases;
        (3) An interdisciplinary case review process for
    purposes of decision-making, problem solving, systems
    coordination, and information sharing;
        (4) A comprehensive tracking system to receive and
    coordinate information concerning child sexual abuse cases
    from each participating agency;
        (5) Interdisciplinary specialized training for all
    professionals involved with the victims and families of
    child sexual abuse cases; and
        (6) A process for evaluating the effectiveness of the
    Center and its operations.
    (d) In the event that a Center has been established as
provided in this Section, the Advisory Board of that Center
may, by a majority of the members, authorize the Center to
coordinate the activities of the various agencies involved in
the investigation, prosecution, and treatment referral in
cases of serious or fatal injury to a child physical abuse
cases. The Advisory Board shall provide for the financial
support of these activities in a manner similar to that set out
in subsections (a) and (b) of this Section and shall be allowed
to submit a budget that includes support for physical abuse and
neglect activities to the County Board, which shall appropriate
funds that may be available under Section 5 of this Act. In
cooperation with the Department of Children and Family Services
Child Death Review Teams, the Department of Children and Family
Services Office of the Inspector General, the Department of
State Police, and other stakeholders, this protocol must be
initially implemented in selected counties to the extent that
State appropriations or funds from other sources for this
purpose allow.
    (e) The Illinois Child Advocacy Commission may also provide
technical assistance and guidance to the Advisory Boards and
shall make a single annual grant for the purpose of providing
technical support and assistance for advocacy center
development in Illinois whenever an appropriation is made by
the General Assembly specifically for that purpose. The grant
may be made only to an Illinois not-for-profit corporation that
qualifies for tax treatment under Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code and that has a voting membership
consisting of children's advocacy centers. The grant may be
spent on staff, office space, equipment, and other expenses
necessary for the development of resource materials and other
forms of technical support and assistance. The grantee shall
report to the Commission on the specific uses of grant funds by
no later than October 1 of each year and shall retain
supporting documentation for a period of at least 5 years after
the corresponding report is filed.
(Source: P.A. 91-158, eff. 7-16-99; 92-785, eff. 8-6-02.)