Public Act 099-0779
 
HB4966 EnrolledLRB099 18099 SMS 42464 b

    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
    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 35.1 as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 505/35.1)  (from Ch. 23, par. 5035.1)
    Sec. 35.1. The case and clinical records of patients in
Department supervised facilities, wards of the Department,
children receiving or applying for child welfare services,
persons receiving or applying for other services of the
Department, and Department reports of injury or abuse to
children shall not be open to the general public. Such case and
clinical records and reports or the information contained
therein shall be disclosed by the Director of the Department to
juvenile authorities when necessary for the discharge of their
official duties who request information concerning the minor
and who certify in writing that the information will not be
disclosed to any other party except as provided under law or
order of court. For purposes of this Section, "juvenile
authorities" means: (i) a judge of the circuit court and
members of the staff of the court designated by the judge; (ii)
parties to the proceedings under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987
and their attorneys; (iii) probation officers and court
appointed advocates for the juvenile authorized by the judge
hearing the case; (iv) any individual, public or private agency
having custody of the child pursuant to court order or pursuant
to placement of the child by the Department; (v) any
individual, public or private agency providing education,
medical or mental health service to the child when the
requested information is needed to determine the appropriate
service or treatment for the minor; (vi) any potential
placement provider when such release is authorized by the court
for the limited purpose of determining the appropriateness of
the potential placement; (vii) law enforcement officers and
prosecutors; (viii) adult and juvenile prisoner review boards;
(ix) authorized military personnel; (x) individuals authorized
by court; (xi) the Illinois General Assembly or any committee
or commission thereof. This Section does not apply to the
Department's fiscal records, other records of a purely
administrative nature, or any forms, documents or other records
required of facilities subject to licensure by the Department
except as may otherwise be provided under the Child Care Act of
1969. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, upon
request, a guardian ad litem or attorney appointed to represent
a child who is the subject of an action pursuant to Article II
of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 may obtain a copy of foster
home licensing records, including all information related to
licensing complaints and investigations, regarding a home in
which the child is placed or regarding a home in which the
Department plans to place the child. Any information contained
in foster home licensing records that is protected from
disclosure by federal or State law may be obtained only in
compliance with that law. Nothing in this Section restricts the
authority of a court to order release of licensing records for
purposes of discovery or as otherwise authorized by law.
    Nothing contained in this Act prevents the sharing or
disclosure of information or records relating or pertaining to
juveniles subject to the provisions of the Serious Habitual
Offender Comprehensive Action Program when that information is
used to assist in the early identification and treatment of
habitual juvenile offenders.
    Nothing contained in this Act prevents the sharing or
disclosure of information or records relating or pertaining to
the death of a minor under the care of or receiving services
from the Department and under the jurisdiction of the juvenile
court with the juvenile court, the State's Attorney, and the
minor's attorney.
    Nothing contained in this Section prohibits or prevents any
individual dealing with or providing services to a minor from
sharing information with another individual dealing with or
providing services to a minor for the purpose of coordinating
efforts on behalf of the minor. The sharing of such information
is only for the purpose stated herein and is to be consistent
with the intent and purpose of the confidentiality provisions
of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. This provision does not
abrogate any recognized privilege. Sharing information does
not include copying of records, reports or case files unless
authorized herein.
    Nothing in this Section prohibits or prevents the
re-disclosure of records, reports, or other information that
reveals malfeasance or nonfeasance on the part of the
Department, its employees, or its agents. Nothing in this
Section prohibits or prevents the Department or a party in a
proceeding under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 from copying
records, reports, or case files for the purpose of sharing
those documents with other parties to the litigation.
(Source: P.A. 94-1010, eff. 10-1-06.)
 
    Section 10. The Child Care Act of 1969 is amended by
changing Sections 4, 6, and 7 and by adding Section 2.22a as
follows:
 
    (225 ILCS 10/2.22a new)
    Sec. 2.22a. Quality of care concerns applicant. "Quality of
care concerns applicant" means an applicant for a foster care
license or renewal of a foster care license where the applicant
or any person living in the applicant's household:
        (1) has had a license issued under this Act revoked;
        (2) has surrendered a license issued under this Act for
    cause;
        (3) has had a license issued under this Act expire or
    has surrendered a license, while either an abuse or neglect
    investigation or licensing investigation was pending or an
    involuntary placement hold was placed on the home;
        (4) has been the subject of allegations of abuse or
    neglect;
        (5) has an indicated report of abuse or neglect; or
        (6) has been the subject of certain types of
    involuntary placement holds or has been involved in certain
    types of substantiated licensing complaints, as specified
    and defined by Department rule.
 
    (225 ILCS 10/4)  (from Ch. 23, par. 2214)
    Sec. 4. License requirement; application; notice.
    (a) Any person, group of persons or corporation who or
which receives children or arranges for care or placement of
one or more children unrelated to the operator must apply for a
license to operate one of the types of facilities defined in
Sections 2.05 through 2.19 and in Section 2.22 of this Act. Any
relative, as defined in Section 2.17 of this Act, who receives
a child or children for placement by the Department on a
full-time basis may apply for a license to operate a foster
family home as defined in Section 2.17 of this Act.
    (a-5) Any agency, person, group of persons, association,
organization, corporation, institution, center, or group
providing adoption services must be licensed by the Department
as a child welfare agency as defined in Section 2.08 of this
Act. "Providing adoption services" as used in this Act,
includes facilitating or engaging in adoption services.
    (b) Application for a license to operate a child care
facility must be made to the Department in the manner and on
forms prescribed by it. An application to operate a foster
family home shall include, at a minimum: a completed written
form; written authorization by the applicant and all adult
members of the applicant's household to conduct a criminal
background investigation; medical evidence in the form of a
medical report, on forms prescribed by the Department, that the
applicant and all members of the household are free from
communicable diseases or physical and mental conditions that
affect their ability to provide care for the child or children;
the names and addresses of at least 3 persons not related to
the applicant who can attest to the applicant's moral
character; and fingerprints submitted by the applicant and all
adult members of the applicant's household.
    (b-5) Prior to submitting an application for a foster
family home license, a quality of care concerns applicant as
defined in Section 2.22a of this Act must submit a preliminary
application to the Department in the manner and on forms
prescribed by it. The Department shall explain to the quality
of care concerns applicant the grounds for requiring a
preliminary application. The preliminary application shall
include a list of (i) all children placed in the home by the
Department who were removed by the Department for reasons other
than returning to a parent and the circumstances under which
they were removed and (ii) all children placed by the
Department who were subsequently adopted by or placed in the
private guardianship of the quality of care concerns applicant
who are currently under 18 and who no longer reside in the home
and the reasons why they no longer reside in the home. The
preliminary application shall also include, if the quality of
care concerns applicant chooses to submit, (1) a response to
the quality of care concerns, including any reason the concerns
are invalid, have been addressed or ameliorated, or no longer
apply and (2) affirmative documentation demonstrating that the
quality of care concerns applicant's home does not pose a risk
to children and that the family will be able to meet the
physical and emotional needs of children. The Department shall
verify the information in the preliminary application and
review (i) information regarding any prior licensing
complaints, (ii) information regarding any prior child abuse or
neglect investigations, and (iii) information regarding any
involuntary foster home holds placed on the home by the
Department. Foster home applicants with quality of care
concerns are presumed unsuitable for future licensure.
    Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (b-5),
the Department may make an exception and issue a foster family
license to a quality of care concerns applicant if the
Department is satisfied that the foster family home does not
pose a risk to children and that the foster family will be able
to meet the physical and emotional needs of children. In making
this determination, the Department must obtain and carefully
review all relevant documents and shall obtain consultation
from its Clinical Division as appropriate and as prescribed by
Department rule and procedure. The Department has the authority
to deny a preliminary application based on the record of
quality of care concerns of the foster family home. In the
alternative, the Department may (i) approve the preliminary
application, (ii) approve the preliminary application subject
to obtaining additional information or assessments, or (iii)
approve the preliminary application for purposes of placing a
particular child or children only in the foster family home. If
the Department approves a preliminary application, the foster
family shall submit an application for licensure as described
in subsection (b) of this Section. The Department shall notify
the quality of care concerns applicant of its decision and the
basis for its decision in writing.
    (c) The Department shall notify the public when a child
care institution, maternity center, or group home licensed by
the Department undergoes a change in (i) the range of care or
services offered at the facility, (ii) the age or type of
children served, or (iii) the area within the facility used by
children. The Department shall notify the public of the change
in a newspaper of general circulation in the county or
municipality in which the applicant's facility is or is
proposed to be located.
    (d) If, upon examination of the facility and investigation
of persons responsible for care of children and, in the case of
a foster home, taking into account information obtained for
purposes of evaluating a preliminary application, if
applicable, the Department is satisfied that the facility and
responsible persons reasonably meet standards prescribed for
the type of facility for which application is made, it shall
issue a license in proper form, designating on that license the
type of child care facility and, except for a child welfare
agency, the number of children to be served at any one time.
    (e) The Department shall not issue or renew the license of
any child welfare agency providing adoption services, unless
the agency (i) is officially recognized by the United States
Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization
described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 (or any successor provision of federal tax law) and (ii)
is in compliance with all of the standards necessary to
maintain its status as an organization described in Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or any
successor provision of federal tax law). The Department shall
grant a grace period of 24 months from the effective date of
this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly for existing
child welfare agencies providing adoption services to obtain
501(c)(3) status. The Department shall permit an existing child
welfare agency that converts from its current structure in
order to be recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization as required
by this Section to either retain its current license or
transfer its current license to a newly formed entity, if the
creation of a new entity is required in order to comply with
this Section, provided that the child welfare agency
demonstrates that it continues to meet all other licensing
requirements and that the principal officers and directors and
programs of the converted child welfare agency or newly
organized child welfare agency are substantially the same as
the original. The Department shall have the sole discretion to
grant a one year extension to any agency unable to obtain
501(c)(3) status within the timeframe specified in this
subsection (e), provided that such agency has filed an
application for 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue
Service within the 2-year timeframe specified in this
subsection (e).
(Source: P.A. 98-804, eff. 1-1-15.)
 
    (225 ILCS 10/6)  (from Ch. 23, par. 2216)
    Sec. 6. (a) A licensed facility operating as a "child care
institution", "maternity center", "child welfare agency", "day
care agency" or "day care center" must apply for renewal of its
license held, the application to be made to the Department on
forms prescribed by it.
    (b) The Department, a duly licensed child welfare agency or
a suitable agency or person designated by the Department as its
agent to do so, must re-examine every child care facility for
renewal of license, including in that process the examination
of the premises and records of the facility as the Department
considers necessary to determine that minimum standards for
licensing continue to be met, and random surveys of parents or
legal guardians who are consumers of such facilities' services
to assess the quality of care at such facilities. In the case
of foster family homes, or day care homes under the supervision
of or otherwise required to be licensed by the Department, or
under supervision of a licensed child welfare agency or day
care agency, the examination shall be made by the Department,
or agency supervising such homes. If the Department is
satisfied that the facility continues to maintain minimum
standards which it prescribes and publishes, it shall renew the
license to operate the facility.
    (b-5) In the case of a quality of care concerns applicant
as defined in Section 2.22a of this Act, in addition to the
examination required in subsection (b) of this Section, the
Department shall not renew the license of a quality of care
concerns applicant unless the Department is satisfied that the
foster family home does not pose a risk to children and that
the foster family home will be able to meet the physical and
emotional needs of children. In making this determination, the
Department must obtain and carefully review all relevant
documents and shall obtain consultation from its Clinical
Division as appropriate and as prescribed by Department rule
and procedure. The Department has the authority to deny an
application for renewal based on a record of quality of care
concerns. In the alternative, the Department may (i) approve
the application for renewal subject to obtaining additional
information or assessments, (ii) approve the application for
renewal for purposes of placing or maintaining only a
particular child or children only in the foster home, or (iii)
approve the application for renewal. The Department shall
notify the quality of care concerns applicant of its decision
and the basis for its decision in writing.
    (c) If a child care facility's license, other than a
license for a foster family home, is revoked, or if the
Department refuses to renew a facility's license, the facility
may not reapply for a license before the expiration of 12
months following the Department's action; provided, however,
that the denial of a reapplication for a license pursuant to
this subsection must be supported by evidence that the prior
revocation renders the applicant unqualified or incapable of
satisfying the standards and rules promulgated by the
Department pursuant to this Act or maintaining a facility which
adheres to such standards and rules.
    (d) If a foster family home license (i) is revoked, (ii) is
surrendered for cause, or (iii) expires or is surrendered with
either certain types of involuntary placement holds in place or
while a licensing or child abuse or neglect investigation is
pending, or if the Department refuses to renew a foster home
license, the foster home may not reapply for a license before
the expiration of 5 years following the Department's action or
following the expiration or surrender of the license.
(Source: P.A. 86-554.)
 
    (225 ILCS 10/7)  (from Ch. 23, par. 2217)
    Sec. 7. (a) The Department must prescribe and publish
minimum standards for licensing that apply to the various types
of facilities for child care defined in this Act and that are
equally applicable to like institutions under the control of
the Department and to foster family homes used by and under the
direct supervision of the Department. The Department shall seek
the advice and assistance of persons representative of the
various types of child care facilities in establishing such
standards. The standards prescribed and published under this
Act take effect as provided in the Illinois Administrative
Procedure Act, and are restricted to regulations pertaining to
the following matters and to any rules and regulations required
or permitted by any other Section of this Act:
        (1) The operation and conduct of the facility and
    responsibility it assumes for child care;
        (2) The character, suitability and qualifications of
    the applicant and other persons directly responsible for
    the care and welfare of children served. All child day care
    center licensees and employees who are required to report
    child abuse or neglect under the Abused and Neglected Child
    Reporting Act shall be required to attend training on
    recognizing child abuse and neglect, as prescribed by
    Department rules;
        (3) The general financial ability and competence of the
    applicant to provide necessary care for children and to
    maintain prescribed standards;
        (4) The number of individuals or staff required to
    insure adequate supervision and care of the children
    received. The standards shall provide that each child care
    institution, maternity center, day care center, group
    home, day care home, and group day care home shall have on
    its premises during its hours of operation at least one
    staff member certified in first aid, in the Heimlich
    maneuver and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation by the
    American Red Cross or other organization approved by rule
    of the Department. Child welfare agencies shall not be
    subject to such a staffing requirement. The Department may
    offer, or arrange for the offering, on a periodic basis in
    each community in this State in cooperation with the
    American Red Cross, the American Heart Association or other
    appropriate organization, voluntary programs to train
    operators of foster family homes and day care homes in
    first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation;
        (5) The appropriateness, safety, cleanliness and
    general adequacy of the premises, including maintenance of
    adequate fire prevention and health standards conforming
    to State laws and municipal codes to provide for the
    physical comfort, care and well-being of children
    received;
        (6) Provisions for food, clothing, educational
    opportunities, program, equipment and individual supplies
    to assure the healthy physical, mental and spiritual
    development of children served;
        (7) Provisions to safeguard the legal rights of
    children served;
        (8) Maintenance of records pertaining to the
    admission, progress, health and discharge of children,
    including, for day care centers and day care homes, records
    indicating each child has been immunized as required by
    State regulations. The Department shall require proof that
    children enrolled in a facility have been immunized against
    Haemophilus Influenzae B (HIB);
        (9) Filing of reports with the Department;
        (10) Discipline of children;
        (11) Protection and fostering of the particular
    religious faith of the children served;
        (12) Provisions prohibiting firearms on day care
    center premises except in the possession of peace officers;
        (13) Provisions prohibiting handguns on day care home
    premises except in the possession of peace officers or
    other adults who must possess a handgun as a condition of
    employment and who reside on the premises of a day care
    home;
        (14) Provisions requiring that any firearm permitted
    on day care home premises, except handguns in the
    possession of peace officers, shall be kept in a
    disassembled state, without ammunition, in locked storage,
    inaccessible to children and that ammunition permitted on
    day care home premises shall be kept in locked storage
    separate from that of disassembled firearms, inaccessible
    to children;
        (15) Provisions requiring notification of parents or
    guardians enrolling children at a day care home of the
    presence in the day care home of any firearms and
    ammunition and of the arrangements for the separate, locked
    storage of such firearms and ammunition; and
        (16) Provisions requiring all licensed child care
    facility employees who care for newborns and infants to
    complete training every 3 years on the nature of sudden
    unexpected infant death (SUID), sudden infant death
    syndrome (SIDS), and the safe sleep recommendations of the
    American Academy of Pediatrics.
        (17) With respect to foster family homes, provisions
    requiring the Department to review quality of care concerns
    and to consider those concerns in determining whether a
    foster family home is qualified to care for children.
    (b) If, in a facility for general child care, there are
children diagnosed as mentally ill or children diagnosed as
having an intellectual or physical disability, who are
determined to be in need of special mental treatment or of
nursing care, or both mental treatment and nursing care, the
Department shall seek the advice and recommendation of the
Department of Human Services, the Department of Public Health,
or both Departments regarding the residential treatment and
nursing care provided by the institution.
    (c) The Department shall investigate any person applying to
be licensed as a foster parent to determine whether there is
any evidence of current drug or alcohol abuse in the
prospective foster family. The Department shall not license a
person as a foster parent if drug or alcohol abuse has been
identified in the foster family or if a reasonable suspicion of
such abuse exists, except that the Department may grant a
foster parent license to an applicant identified with an
alcohol or drug problem if the applicant has successfully
participated in an alcohol or drug treatment program, self-help
group, or other suitable activities and if the Department
determines that the foster family home can provide a safe,
appropriate environment and meet the physical and emotional
needs of children.
    (d) The Department, in applying standards prescribed and
published, as herein provided, shall offer consultation
through employed staff or other qualified persons to assist
applicants and licensees in meeting and maintaining minimum
requirements for a license and to help them otherwise to
achieve programs of excellence related to the care of children
served. Such consultation shall include providing information
concerning education and training in early childhood
development to providers of day care home services. The
Department may provide or arrange for such education and
training for those providers who request such assistance.
    (e) The Department shall distribute copies of licensing
standards to all licensees and applicants for a license. Each
licensee or holder of a permit shall distribute copies of the
appropriate licensing standards and any other information
required by the Department to child care facilities under its
supervision. Each licensee or holder of a permit shall maintain
appropriate documentation of the distribution of the
standards. Such documentation shall be part of the records of
the facility and subject to inspection by authorized
representatives of the Department.
    (f) The Department shall prepare summaries of day care
licensing standards. Each licensee or holder of a permit for a
day care facility shall distribute a copy of the appropriate
summary and any other information required by the Department,
to the legal guardian of each child cared for in that facility
at the time when the child is enrolled or initially placed in
the facility. The licensee or holder of a permit for a day care
facility shall secure appropriate documentation of the
distribution of the summary and brochure. Such documentation
shall be a part of the records of the facility and subject to
inspection by an authorized representative of the Department.
    (g) The Department shall distribute to each licensee and
holder of a permit copies of the licensing or permit standards
applicable to such person's facility. Each licensee or holder
of a permit shall make available by posting at all times in a
common or otherwise accessible area a complete and current set
of licensing standards in order that all employees of the
facility may have unrestricted access to such standards. All
employees of the facility shall have reviewed the standards and
any subsequent changes. Each licensee or holder of a permit
shall maintain appropriate documentation of the current review
of licensing standards by all employees. Such records shall be
part of the records of the facility and subject to inspection
by authorized representatives of the Department.
    (h) Any standards involving physical examinations,
immunization, or medical treatment shall include appropriate
exemptions for children whose parents object thereto on the
grounds that they conflict with the tenets and practices of a
recognized church or religious organization, of which the
parent is an adherent or member, and for children who should
not be subjected to immunization for clinical reasons.
    (i) The Department, in cooperation with the Department of
Public Health, shall work to increase immunization awareness
and participation among parents of children enrolled in day
care centers and day care homes by publishing on the
Department's website information about the benefits of
immunization against vaccine preventable diseases, including
influenza and pertussis. The information for vaccine
preventable diseases shall include the incidence and severity
of the diseases, the availability of vaccines, and the
importance of immunizing children and persons who frequently
have close contact with children. The website content shall be
reviewed annually in collaboration with the Department of
Public Health to reflect the most current recommendations of
the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The
Department shall work with day care centers and day care homes
licensed under this Act to ensure that the information is
annually distributed to parents in August or September.
    (j) Any standard adopted by the Department that requires an
applicant for a license to operate a day care home to include a
copy of a high school diploma or equivalent certificate with
his or her application shall be deemed to be satisfied if the
applicant includes a copy of a high school diploma or
equivalent certificate or a copy of a degree from an accredited
institution of higher education or vocational institution or
equivalent certificate.
(Source: P.A. 98-817, eff. 1-1-15; 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
1, 2017.