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Public Act 102-0080
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| SB0136 Enrolled | LRB102 13154 CMG 18497 b |
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AN ACT concerning education.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended |
by adding Section 44 as follows:
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(20 ILCS 505/44 new) |
Sec. 44. Pat McGuire Child Welfare Education Fellowship |
Pilot Program. |
(a) The General Assembly makes all of the following |
findings: |
(1) The Department of Children and Family Services is |
the sole State agency for the planning and coordination of |
programs and services for the prevention of child abuse |
and neglect. The Department also provides social services |
to children and their families, operates children's |
institutions, and provides certain other rehabilitative |
and residential services. The Department contracts with |
many purchase of service agencies for the administration |
of these programs. |
(2) Due to numerous factors, including the rate of |
pay, purchase of service agencies have a high employee
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turnover rate and struggle to maintain consistent |
employment levels. This high turnover is disruptive to the |
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delivery of direct child welfare services to families and |
youth in care. |
(3) A number of public institutions of higher |
education in this State offer child welfare social work |
programs that are designed to train and prepare students |
for employment in the child welfare social work field, |
including, but not limited to, employment at purchase of |
service agencies that provide direct child welfare |
services to families and youth in care. |
(4) The Department and public institutions of higher |
education have a mutual interest in providing greater |
access to child welfare social work education for a |
professional workforce that is responsive to the work of |
the Department through purchase of service agencies. |
(b) As used in this Section: |
"Department" means the Department of Children and Family |
Services. |
"Direct service" means a position in foster care services, |
intact services, foster care licensing, adoption, or |
permanency or a supervisory position in the practice area. |
"Eligible applicant" means a student who is enrolled in a |
social work program of study at a participating institution of |
higher education and who meets all of the qualifications as |
determined by the Department. |
"Participating institution" means a public university in |
this State that is a party to an
intergovernmental agreement |
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entered into with the Department in order to participate in |
the program established under this Section. |
"Tuition, university fees, and books" includes the |
customary charge for instruction and books or course material |
and the additional fixed fees charged for specified purposes |
that are required generally of students who are not program |
applicants under this Section for each academic year for which |
a program applicant under this Section actually enrolls, but |
does not include room and board, transportation fees, fees |
payable only once, breakage fees, and other contingent |
deposits that are refundable in whole or in part. The |
Department may adopt, by rule not inconsistent with this |
Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of |
tuition, university fees, and books. |
(c) Beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year and |
continuing for a period of 6 academic years, the Department |
shall establish and administer the Pat McGuire Child Welfare |
Education Fellowship Pilot Program to provide financial |
assistance to eligible students who commit to seek and |
maintain employment at a purchase of service agency that |
contracts with the Department upon graduation from a |
participating institution with a degree in social work. The |
goal of the program is to develop and support an effective and |
stable direct service child welfare workforce. Pursuant to the |
Intergovernmental Cooperation Act, each participating |
institution shall enter into and adhere to all of the |
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provisions of an
intergovernmental agreement between the |
Department and the participating institution. Subject to |
appropriation, the stipend program shall be available to |
eligible applicants in this State pursuing either a Bachelor |
of Social Work or a Master of Social Work degree at a |
participating institution. The Department may award a stipend |
of up to $10,000 each academic year for a maximum of 2 academic |
years, up to a maximum total of $20,000 in stipends for the 2 |
academic years combined, to a student under this Section if |
the participating institution and the Department find that the |
applicant meets all criteria established by the Department. |
(d) Each participating institution and the Department |
shall determine renewal criteria for assistance consistent |
with the requirements of this Section. |
(e) Each participating institution shall post on its |
Internet website the criteria and eligibility requirements to |
receive a stipend award of funds under this Section and must |
identify that the stipend awards are up to a maximum of $10,000 |
per student per academic year for a maximum of 2 academic |
years, with the total amount of stipends awarded to an |
eligible applicant or student not to exceed $20,000 for the |
duration of the eligible applicant's or student's |
participation in the program. This information must also be |
reported to the Department and the Board of Higher Education, |
and the Department and the Board shall post the information on |
their respective Internet websites. |
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(f) Prior to receiving a stipend for any academic year, an |
eligible applicant under this Section shall be required by the |
participating institution to sign an agreement with the |
Department under which the stipend recipient pledges that, |
within 6 months from the date of the stipend recipient's |
graduation from the participating institution with a Bachelor |
of Social Work or a Master of Social Work degree for which |
stipend funds were paid by the Department, the stipend |
recipient must search for, apply to, and accept full-time |
employment in a direct service position at a Department |
purchase of service agency located anywhere in this State. The |
stipend recipient must remain as a full-time employee in a |
direct service position at a Department purchase of service |
agency located anywhere in this State for at least 18 months |
for each academic year the stipend recipient received a |
stipend from the Department under the program. |
(g) If the recipient of a stipend award under this Section |
fails to search for, apply to, and accept full-time employment |
in a direct service position at a Department purchase of |
service agency located anywhere in this State within 6 months |
following the stipend recipient's graduation from a social |
work program at a participating institution, the Department |
shall require the stipend recipient to begin to repay the |
total amount of the stipend received within 90 calendar days |
after the end of the 6-month period or as agreed to by the |
Department. The repayment amount shall be prorated according |
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to the fraction of the employment obligation not completed, at |
a rate of interest equal to 5%, and, if applicable, reasonable |
attorney's and collection fees. All repayments collected under |
this Section shall be forwarded to the State Comptroller for |
deposit into the fund from which the stipend awards were paid. |
(h) A stipend recipient under this Section must |
immediately notify the participating institution and the |
Department of any changes to the stipend recipient's |
enrollment status or if the stipend recipient withdraws from |
the social work program for which the recipient was awarded a |
stipend under the program. |
(i) If a stipend recipient's qualified employment is |
terminated for any reason other than for cause, a stipend |
recipient must search for, apply to, and accept new, |
qualified, full-time employment in a direct service position |
at a Department purchase of service agency located anywhere in |
this State within 90 calendar days from the stipend |
recipient's termination of full-time employment, otherwise the |
stipend recipient is subject to the repayment of stipend funds |
to the Department. |
(j) If a stipend recipient's qualified employment is |
terminated for cause prior to the completion of the program's |
employment requirement, the stipend recipient shall repay the |
total amount of stipends received under the program within 90 |
calendar days from termination or as agreed to by the |
Department. The amount of repayment owed by the recipient |
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shall be prorated based on the amount of the employment |
requirement that has been satisfied. |
(k) On or before October 1, 2023 and each October 1 |
thereafter during the Pat McGuire Child Welfare Education |
Fellowship Pilot Program, the Department shall provide a |
report and evaluation of the results of the program at each |
participating institution to the General Assembly and the |
Office of the Governor. Each participating institution shall |
track a student's eligibility under the program, the |
completion of educational requirements, the costs of each |
student's tuition, university fees, and books, and the |
application of the recipient's stipends during the recipient's |
enrollment at the participating institution. The report shall |
also include the location in this State where each stipend |
recipient was hired and shall identify the purchase of service |
agency, the duration of the recipient's employment, and the |
termination date of the recipient's employment. |
(l) The sharing and reporting of student data under |
subsection (k) shall be in accordance with the federal Family |
Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and the Illinois |
School Student Records Act. All parties under this Section |
must preserve the confidentiality of information as required |
by law. The names of stipend recipients under this Section are |
not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information |
Act. |
(m) The Department is authorized to adopt rules to |