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1 | AN ACT concerning services for children.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | by adding Sections
5f,
34.13, and 34.14 as follows:
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6 | (20 ILCS 505/5f new)
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7 | Sec. 5f. Qualifications for direct child welfare service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | employees.
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9 | (a) After July 1, 2004, a person shall not be hired as a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | direct child
welfare
service employee or an independent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | contractor for direct child welfare services
unless that person | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | has (i) a master's degree from an accredited or
State-approved | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | graduate school in social work or social welfare, marriage,
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14 | family, and child counseling, child psychology, child | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | development, or child
counseling psychology or (ii) the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | equivalent education and experience, as
determined by the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | Department. If a person who is, on the effective date of
this | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, a direct child | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | welfare service employee or an
independent contractor who | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | provides direct child welfare services does not
possess the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | qualifications required by this Section by July 1, 2007, that
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22 | person's employment or contract shall be terminated.
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23 | (b) In addition to the requirements of subsection (a), | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | after July 1, 2004, a
person shall not be hired as a direct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | child welfare service employee or an
independent contractor for | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | direct child welfare services unless that person has
all of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | following:
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28 | (1) At least 3 semester units or 100 days of field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
29 | practice or
experience at the master's level in a public or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | private social service agency
setting.
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31 | (2) At least 9 semester units of course work related to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
32 | children and
families or 18 months experience in working |
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1 | with children and families.
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2 | (3) At least 3 semester units in working with minority | ||||||
3 | populations, 6
months of experience with minority | ||||||
4 | populations, or 6 months in-service training
in working | ||||||
5 | with minority populations within the first year of | ||||||
6 | employment as a
condition of employment.
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7 | (4) At least 3 semester units in child welfare or 2 | ||||||
8 | years of experience
in
a public or private child welfare | ||||||
9 | social service setting.
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10 | (c) As used in this Section, "direct child welfare service | ||||||
11 | employee" means a
public or private employee who provides | ||||||
12 | investigative services, foster care
services, or family | ||||||
13 | preservation services by or through the Department.
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14 | (20 ILCS 505/34.13 new)
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15 | Sec. 34.13. Children's Services Commission.
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16 | (a) There is established within the Department of Children | ||||||
17 | and Family
Services the Children's Services Commission. The | ||||||
18 | Commission shall be composed
of the following members:
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19 | (1) The Director or Deputy Director of:
the Department | ||||||
20 | of
Children and Family Services, the Department of Public | ||||||
21 | Aid, the Department of
State Police, and the Department of | ||||||
22 | Public Health; and the Secretary or
Assistant Secretary of | ||||||
23 | Human
Services.
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24 | (2) The State Superintendent of Education.
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25 | (3) One judge of a juvenile court, appointed by the | ||||||
26 | Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court.
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27 | (4) Four members of the House of Representatives, 2 of | ||||||
28 | whom shall be
appointed by the Speaker of the House of | ||||||
29 | Representatives and 2 of whom shall be
appointed by the | ||||||
30 | Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
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31 | (5) Four members of the Senate, 2 of whom shall be | ||||||
32 | appointed by the
President of the Senate and 2 of whom | ||||||
33 | shall be appointed by the Minority Leader
of the Senate.
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34 | (b) The Commission shall:
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35 | (1) Make recommendations on how to encourage greater |
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1 | inter-agency
coordination and cooperation, to provide for | ||||||
2 | more effective utilization of
existing resources, and to | ||||||
3 | eliminate duplication of efforts in activities of
State
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4 | agencies that affect the legal rights and well-being of | ||||||
5 | children in Illinois.
These recommendations shall include | ||||||
6 | recommendations for (i) the abolition of
existing boards, | ||||||
7 | committees, and commissions created under this Act or the
| ||||||
8 | Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act and other State | ||||||
9 | boards, committees,
and commissions that deal with child | ||||||
10 | welfare issues and (ii) the consolidation
of the powers and | ||||||
11 | duties of those boards, committees, and commissions into a
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12 | single board, committee, or commission.
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13 | (2) Develop a plan, to be phased in over a 3-year | ||||||
14 | period, for an
integrated system for providing child | ||||||
15 | welfare and child care services to
children in this State | ||||||
16 | through State programs.
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17 | (3) Develop a plan to improve the quality of child | ||||||
18 | welfare programs
Statewide. This plan shall include, but | ||||||
19 | not be limited to:
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20 | (A) Methods for making these programs available to | ||||||
21 | those children and
families who need them regardless of | ||||||
22 | their geographic location in the State or
their | ||||||
23 | financial limitations.
| ||||||
24 | (B) Program recommendations for child welfare | ||||||
25 | services that include
child development, education, | ||||||
26 | supervision, health, and social services.
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27 | (C) Recommendations to address all federal | ||||||
28 | mandates concerning State
child welfare programs.
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29 | (4) Evaluate the Commission's success in fulfilling | ||||||
30 | its duties under this
Section.
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31 | (5) Submit a report to the General Assembly by February | ||||||
32 | 1 of each year
detailing the Commission's activities and | ||||||
33 | setting forth its recommendations.
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34 | (c) The Commission shall have an executive director, | ||||||
35 | appointed by the
Director of Children and Family Services, and | ||||||
36 | 5 staff members who shall be
provided by the Department of |
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1 | Children and Family Services. The costs of the
Commission shall | ||||||
2 | be paid from appropriations to the Department of Children and
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3 | Family Services for that purpose.
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4 | (20 ILCS 505/34.14 new)
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5 | Sec. 34.14. Accreditation of services for children.
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6 | (a) There is established within the Department of Children | ||||||
7 | and Family
Services the Task Force on Accreditation of Services | ||||||
8 | for Children. The Governor
shall convene a meeting of that body | ||||||
9 | on or before July 1, 2004.
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10 | (b) The Governor shall appoint a minimum of 15 members to | ||||||
11 | the Task Force.
Membership of the Task Force shall include, but | ||||||
12 | not be limited to, the
following:
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13 | (1) A representative from the Department of Children | ||||||
14 | and Family Services,
the Department of Public Aid, the
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15 | Department of Public Health, and the Department of Human | ||||||
16 | Services.
| ||||||
17 | (2) A representative from the State Board of Education.
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18 | (3) Four representatives from university research | ||||||
19 | schools with expertise
in children's services and, | ||||||
20 | specifically, standards of care.
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21 | (4) Three professionals in the field of child welfare | ||||||
22 | service delivery who
have at least 5 years of direct child | ||||||
23 | welfare service experience and who have a
minimum of a | ||||||
24 | Master's level degree in graduate studies related to child | ||||||
25 | welfare
service delivery.
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26 | (5) Two pediatric physicians, at least one of whom is a | ||||||
27 | pediatric
psychiatrist, with at least 5 years of direct | ||||||
28 | child welfare servicing
experience.
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29 | (6) One representative with experience in | ||||||
30 | accreditation of agencies
serving children.
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31 | (c) No member serving on the Task Force shall be under | ||||||
32 | contract with the
State of Illinois.
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33 | (d) Members of the Task Force shall receive no compensation | ||||||
34 | related to their
service on the Task Force with the exception | ||||||
35 | of departmental employees.
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1 | (e) The Task Force may consult with additional persons, | ||||||
2 | advisory entities,
and governmental agencies, as the Task Force | ||||||
3 | determines necessary.
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4 | (f) The Task Force shall develop a 2-year plan for | ||||||
5 | mandatory accreditation
of
all facilities for children in | ||||||
6 | substitute care, including group homes, foster
family | ||||||
7 | agencies, foster family homes, and community treatment | ||||||
8 | facilities, in
order to achieve the maximum quality of | ||||||
9 | residential services for children.
Accreditation standards | ||||||
10 | shall also be developed for child welfare service
personnel who | ||||||
11 | are employed by or are under contract with child welfare
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12 | agencies.
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13 | (g) The plan shall include, but not be limited to, all of | ||||||
14 | the following:
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15 | (1) Proof that the standards of accreditation have been | ||||||
16 | written with the
participation of a diverse group of | ||||||
17 | service providers, advocacy organizations,
and placement | ||||||
18 | agency personnel.
| ||||||
19 | (2) A draft that sets forth accreditation standards | ||||||
20 | that are comprehensive
and detailed, are concerned with | ||||||
21 | optimal achievement rather than minimal
quality, and | ||||||
22 | provide for continuing and objective evaluation of | ||||||
23 | services.
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24 | (3) A recommended schedule for implementation of | ||||||
25 | accreditation of
residential facilities for children, and | ||||||
26 | a fiscal incentive strategy for
programs that become | ||||||
27 | accredited.
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28 | The Task Force shall report its plan to the Governor and | ||||||
29 | the General Assembly
by December 31, 2004.
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30 | Section 10. The Illinois Procurement Code is amended by | ||||||
31 | adding Section 35-17 as follows: | ||||||
32 | (30 ILCS 500/35-17 new)
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33 | Sec. 35-17. Prequalification for child welfare services. | ||||||
34 | The Department of Children and Family Services shall require
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1 | prospective contractors for child welfare services, including | ||||||
2 | those
contracts involving professional skills, to be | ||||||
3 | prequalified to determine their
responsibility and competency | ||||||
4 | to perform the prospective contract. Contractors,
including | ||||||
5 | the principals, officers, or directors of a corporation, who | ||||||
6 | engage
in
political activity to influence the bidding selection | ||||||
7 | process or make political
contributions to political office | ||||||
8 | holders who may influence the bidding
selection process, are | ||||||
9 | automatically excluded from the bidding process.
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10 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on July | ||||||
11 | 1, 2004.
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