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1
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 140

 
2    WHEREAS, The Department of Children and Family Services is
3required by the Children and Family Services Act (20 ILCS
4505/7) to place children in its care in safe and adequate
5placements consistent with each child's health, safety and best
6interests; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Department of Children and Family Services has
8adopted rules, entitled "Placement Selection Criteria", (89
9Ill. Adm. Code Part 301.60) that provide that "all placement
10decisions will be made consistent with the safety, best
11interests and special needs of the child" and that
12consideration shall be given to "the least restrictive setting
13appropriate for the child which most closely approximates a
14family"; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Department of Children and Family Services has
16adopted procedures, entitled "Psychiatric Hospitalization,
17Basic Premises Regarding Psychiatric Hospitalization" (DCFS
18Procedures 301.110(b)), that provide that "a psychiatric
19hospitalization is not a placement" and that "discharge and
20placement planning shall begin from the moment of admission";
21and
 
22    WHEREAS, The Department of Children and Family Services is

 

 

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1the party to a federal court consent decree (B.H. et al., 88 C
25599, N.D. ILL) that provides that emergency shelter placements
3"shall be limited to 30 days"; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
5ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Auditor General is
6directed to conduct a performance audit of the Department of
7Children and Family Services' compliance with its obligations
8to place children in its care in placements consistent with
9their best interests; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That the audit include, but not be limited to,
11the following determinations as they pertain to children (up to
12the age of 21) in the care of the Department of Children and
13Family Services in calendar years 2014 and 2015:    
 
14        (1) The number of children who remain psychiatrically
15    hospitalized beyond the time when they are clinically ready
16    for discharge or beyond medical necessity for
17    hospitalization, whichever is sooner, the reason they
18    remain hospitalized, the length of time they remain
19    hospitalized, the type of recommended placement, the
20    barriers to timely placement, and whether they were placed
21    in the recommended placement type after leaving the
22    hospital;
 

 

 

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1        (2) The number of children who remain in emergency
2    shelters beyond 30 days, the reason they remain in an
3    emergency shelter, the length of time they remain in an
4    emergency shelter, the type of recommended placement, the
5    barriers to timely placement, and whether they were placed
6    in the recommended placement type after they were moved
7    from the shelter;
 
8        (3) The number of children who remain in a detention
9    center or Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) facility
10    solely because the Department cannot locate a placement for
11    the child, the length of time they remain in a detention
12    center or DJJ facility, the type of recommended placement,
13    the barriers to timely placement, and whether they were
14    placed in the recommended placement type after being
15    released from detention or from the DJJ facility; and
 
16        (4) For each child meeting the criteria in subsection
17    (1), (2), or (3) the following information: who was
18    subsequently placed, how long it took the child to be
19    placed, and whether the child was placed consistent with
20    clinical recommendations; and be it further
 
21    RESOLVED, That the Department of Children and Family
22Services shall cooperate fully and promptly with the Auditor
23General's Office in conducting this audit; and be it

 

 

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1further    
 
2    RESOLVED, That the Auditor General commence this audit as
3soon as possible and distribute the report upon completion in
4accordance with Section 3-14 of the Illinois State Auditing
5Act.