Section 315.50  Reasonable Efforts/Reasonable Progress

a)         The Department shall ensure and document that reasonable efforts were made to prevent or eliminate the need to remove a child from the child's home and to reunify the family when temporary placement of the child occurs.  However, it may be that, due to the individual circumstances of the family and the child's best interests, safety and well-being, no efforts reasonably can be made to maintain the child in the child's home or to reunify the family. Reasonable efforts shall not be required if there exists any of the grounds for termination of parental rights as described in 89 Ill. Adm. Code 309 (Adoption Services for Children for Whom the Department of Children and Family Services Is Legally Responsible).  Such a determination that no efforts reasonably can be made must be documented.  If no efforts reasonably can be made to safely prevent or eliminate the need for removal of the child, the child shall be taken into protective custody.  If no efforts reasonably can be made to reunify the family, the Department will seek alternative permanency planning that may involve termination of parental rights as described in 89 Ill. Adm. Code 309 (Adoption Services for Children For Whom the Department of Children and Family Services Is Legally Responsible).

b)         Efforts by the Department or purchase of service agency to prevent or eliminate the need for removal of a child or to reunify a family must be accompanied by reasonable progress on the part of the child's parents.  Reasonable progress by the parents is demonstrated by a change in the parental behaviors or circumstances that threaten the child's best interests, safety or well-being, and are the reasons why the Department is either considering removal of the child from the home or has removed the child from the home.  Examples of reasonable progress or lack of progress by the parents are described in Section 315.400 (Evaluating Whether Children in Placement Should Be Returned Home).  In the absence of such reasonable progress by the child's parents, it is not reasonable for the Department or purchase of service agency to continue efforts to preserve the family.