Legislation changing the way the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) approaches foster care placement is heading for the governor’s desk.
The Kinship in Demand, or “KIND”, Act, requires foster care professionals to prioritize placing children with family and relatives. The bill calls it an adoption of a “kin-first approach.” The act also requires documentation of reasoning if the department fails to find a relative placement after a “reasonable effort.”
“We’re already really doing a good job of locating family, and we already placed quite a few of our youth in care with relatives and family members,” said Michelle Hayes, director of the foster care program at Children’s Home Association of Illinois. “So, I think this act just backs up what Children’s Home has already been prioritizing for youth over the last couple of years.”
Children’s Home works consistently within the foster care system. The organization’s Peoria campus recently announced a two-building expansion to provide transitional living for children aging out of foster care.
In general, Hayes says outcomes for foster care children improve when placed with relatives.
“We find that the relationship with the parents stay stronger when they’re placed with relatives or with familiar people, because they can visit with their parents more,” she said. “The caregiver might be more supportive of the parents, just really keeping them connected to what they’ve known and what they’ll know moving forward.”
Hayes says that permanency, or the hearing for the final decision of whether a foster child can be returned to their parents or begin the process for adoption, happens faster when youth are placed with relatives or someone known to them in their community.
There are common barriers to placing foster children with relatives. Hayes says the biggest one is getting relatives in contact with resources for foster families, finding a way to overcome whatever financial strain is caused by a placement.
“Coming into foster care is extremely traumatizing,” said Hayes. “So the more we can keep these youths connected to who they know and their blood relatives, the better outcomes we see.”
The bill includes provisions that will allow for DCFS to pursue more federal funding to assist with relative placements and barrier issues. Hayes says, under current law, the funds available for a relative is less than what’s available for a licensed foster parent. The bill also includes programs to make it easier for relatives to get licensed as foster parents themselves.
Hayes encourages family members or relatives of a child headed into foster care to take action while this legislation is in the pipeline.
“Make sure they’re reaching out to DCFS to offer their support as well,” she said. “It’s helpful.”
The legislative changes come after several years of turmoil in the Illinois DCFS. Former director Marc Smith announced his resignation in late 2023, after years of controversy. Smith was the 13th director of the organization in ten years.
Since then, lawmakers have continuously approved increased budgets, shoring up staff and programming for the department.
After passing the House unanimously and avoiding a second run through the entire legislative process, the KIND Act only needs Governor JB Pritzker’s signature to become law. The governor has previously spoken in support of the changes.
