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92nd General Assembly

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Public Act 92-0192

HB1911 Enrolled                               LRB9206585TAtmA

    AN ACT concerning children.

    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 7 as follows:

    (20 ILCS 505/7) (from Ch. 23, par. 5007)
    Sec. 7.  Placement of children; considerations.
    (a)  In placing any child under this Act, the  Department
shall  place  such child, as far as possible, in the care and
custody of some individual holding the same religious  belief
as the parents of the child, or with some child care facility
which  is  operated by persons of like religious faith as the
parents of such child.
    (b)  In placing a child under this  Act,  the  Department
may  place  a  child  with  a  relative if the Department has
reason  to  believe  that  the  relative  will  be  able   to
adequately  provide  for  the child's safety and welfare. The
Department may not place a child with a  relative,  with  the
exception  of  certain  circumstances  which may be waived as
defined by the Department in rules, if the results of a check
of the Law Enforcement Agency Data System (LEADS)  identifies
a  prior  criminal  conviction  of  the relative or any adult
member of the relative's household for any of  the  following
offenses under the Criminal Code of 1961:
         (1)  murder;
         (1.1)  solicitation of murder;
         (1.2)  solicitation of murder for hire;
         (1.3)  intentional homicide of an unborn child;
         (1.4)  voluntary manslaughter of an unborn child;
         (1.5)  involuntary manslaughter;
         (1.6)  reckless homicide;
         (1.7)  concealment of a homicidal death;
         (1.8)  involuntary manslaughter of an unborn child;
         (1.9)  reckless homicide of an unborn child;
         (1.10)  drug-induced homicide;
         (2)  a sex offense under Article 11, except offenses
    described in Sections 11-7, 11-8, 11-12, and 11-13;
         (3)  kidnapping;
         (3.1)  aggravated unlawful restraint;
         (3.2)  forcible detention;
         (3.3)  aiding and abetting child abduction;
         (4)  aggravated kidnapping;
         (5)  child abduction;
         (6)  aggravated battery of a child;
         (7)  criminal sexual assault;
         (8)  aggravated criminal sexual assault;
         (8.1)  predatory criminal sexual assault of a child;
         (9)  criminal sexual abuse;
         (10)  aggravated sexual abuse;
         (11)  heinous battery;
         (12)  aggravated battery with a firearm;
         (13)  tampering with food, drugs, or cosmetics;
         (14)  drug-induced infliction of great bodily harm;
         (15)  aggravated stalking;
         (16)  home invasion;
         (17)  vehicular invasion;
         (18)  criminal transmission of HIV;
         (19)  criminal  neglect  of  an  elderly or disabled
    person;
         (20)  child abandonment;
         (21)  endangering the life or health of a child;
         (22)  ritual mutilation;
         (23)  ritualized abuse of a child;
         (24)  an offense in any other state the elements  of
    which  are similar and bear a substantial relationship to
    any of the foregoing offenses.
For the purpose of this subsection, "relative" shall  include
any  person,  21 years of age or over, other than the parent,
who (i) is currently related to  the  child  in  any  of  the
following  ways  by  blood or adoption: grandparent, sibling,
great-grandparent, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, first  cousin,
second cousin, godparent, great-uncle, or great-aunt; or (ii)
is  the  spouse  of  such a relative; or (iii) is the child's
step-father,   step-mother,   or   adult   step-brother    or
step-sister; "relative" also includes a person related in any
of  the  foregoing  ways to a sibling of a child, even though
the person is not related to the child, when  the  child  and
its sibling are placed together with that person.  A relative
with  whom a child is placed pursuant to this subsection may,
but is not required to,  apply  for  licensure  as  a  foster
family home pursuant to the Child Care Act of 1969; provided,
however,  that as of July 1, 1995, foster care payments shall
be made only to licensed foster family homes pursuant to  the
terms of Section 5 of this Act.
    (c)  In  placing  a  child under this Act, the Department
shall ensure  that  the  child's  health,  safety,  and  best
interests  are  met in making a family foster care placement.
The Department shall consider the  individual  needs  of  the
child  and the capacity of the prospective foster or adoptive
parents to meet the needs of the child.  The Department shall
make  special  efforts  for  the  diligent   recruitment   of
potential  foster  and  adoptive  families  that  reflect the
ethnic and racial diversity of the children for  whom  foster
and  adoptive  homes  are  needed.   "Special  efforts" shall
include contacting and working with  community  organizations
and  religious organizations and may include contracting with
those organizations, utilizing local media  and  other  local
resources, and conducting outreach activities.
    (c-1)  At  the  time  of  placement, the Department shall
consider concurrent  planning,  as  described  in  subsection
(l-1)  of  Section  5,  so  that  permanency may occur at the
earliest opportunity.  Consideration should be given so  that
if  reunification  fails or is delayed, the placement made is
the best available placement to provide  permanency  for  the
child.
    (d)  The  Department  may accept gifts, grants, offers of
services, and other contributions to use  in  making  special
recruitment efforts.
    (e)  The  Department  in  placing children in adoptive or
foster care homes may not, in any policy or practice relating
to the placement of children for  adoption  or  foster  care,
discriminate  against  any  child  or prospective adoptive or
foster parent on the basis of race.
(Source:  P.A.  89-21,  eff.  7-1-95;  89-422;  89-428,  eff.
12-13-95; 89-462, eff. 5-29-96; 89-626, eff.  8-9-96;  90-27,
eff. 1-1-98; 90-28, eff. 1-1-98; 90-608, eff. 6-30-98.)
    Passed in the General Assembly May 10, 2001.
    Approved August 01, 2001.

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