(65 ILCS 5/11-1.5-20)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2029)

Sec. 11-1.5-20. Social workers.

(a) Unit social workers may be referred to as victim service specialists. Social workers are responsible for working as a team to provide trauma-informed crisis intervention, case management, advocacy, and ongoing emotional support to the victims of all crimes, with extra attention to crimes that cause a high level of victim trauma.

(b) Unit social workers involved in a case under adult investigations may perform the following responsibilities:

(1) Working with domestic violence investigators.

(2) Assisting victims with finding safe housing, transportation, and legal assistance.

(3) Providing other needed resources for victims and their families, including working with children who witness or experience domestic violence.

(4) Assisting victims and their children in setting up counseling.

(5) Helping reduce victims' chances of reentry into violent situations.

(c) Unit social workers involved in a case under juvenile investigations may perform the following responsibilities:

(1) Working with families that have habitual runaways and determining why the juveniles keep running away.

(2) Providing services to families where there have been domestic disturbances between the juveniles and their parents.

(3) Providing resources for parents to help their children who are struggling in school or need transportation to school.

(4) Providing guidance and advice to the families of a juvenile who has been arrested and what the next steps and options are in the process.

(5) Assisting a juvenile with station adjustments and creating a station adjustment program in a department.

(6) Providing services to juvenile victims and families where the Department of Children and Family Services either did not get involved or did not provide services.

(7) Assisting with overcoming feuds between groups of juveniles.

(8) Assisting in instances where the families are not cooperative with police.

(9) Discussing with families and juveniles options and solutions to prevent future arrest.

(10) Maintaining a list of families in need that the unit or department have had contact with for department or city special events.

(11) Helping facilitate or assist a department in community-oriented events, such as setting up an event where officers or unit personnel read books with younger children, talking about cyber crimes and social media, or having an officer or unit personnel visit a school for other activities.

(12) Helping reduce juvenile recidivism.

(Source: P.A. 102-756, eff. 5-10-22.)