Bill Text: IL HB2995 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Engrossed

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Bill Title: Amends the Foster Parent Law. Provides that foster parents have a right to receive an initial payment of $480 per child to be made within 24 hours of a permanent placement. Provides that if the final monthly payment for a child amounts to $480 or more, the amount of $480 shall be deducted from the final monthly payment. Provides that if the final monthly payment amounts to less than $480, the final monthly payment shall not be made.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 21-10)

Status: (Engrossed) 2023-05-05 - Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments [HB2995 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB2995-Engrossed.html

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AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Foster Parent Law is amended by changing
Section 1-15 as follows:
(20 ILCS 520/1-15)
Sec. 1-15. Foster parent rights. A foster parent's rights
include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) The right to be treated with dignity, respect, and
consideration as a professional member of the child
welfare team.
(2) The right to be given standardized pre-service
training and appropriate ongoing training to meet mutually
assessed needs and improve the foster parent's skills.
(3) The right to be informed as to how to contact the
appropriate child placement agency in order to receive
information and assistance to access supportive services
for children in the foster parent's care.
(4) The right to receive timely financial
reimbursement commensurate with the care needs of the
child as specified in the service plan. This shall include
an initial payment of $480 per child to be made within 21
days of a permanent placement. If the final monthly

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payment for a child amounts to $480 or more, the amount of
$480 shall be deducted from the final monthly payment. If
the final monthly payment amounts to less than $480, the
final monthly payment shall not be made.
(5) The right to be provided a clear, written
understanding of a placement agency's plan concerning the
placement of a child in the foster parent's home. Inherent
in this right is the foster parent's responsibility to
support activities that will promote the child's right to
relationships with his or her own family and cultural
heritage.
(6) The right to be provided a fair, timely, and
impartial investigation of complaints concerning the
foster parent's licensure, to be provided the opportunity
to have a person of the foster parent's choosing present
during the investigation, and to be provided due process
during the investigation; the right to be provided the
opportunity to request and receive mediation or an
administrative review of decisions that affect licensing
parameters, or both mediation and an administrative
review; and the right to have decisions concerning a
licensing corrective action plan specifically explained
and tied to the licensing standards violated.
(7) The right, at any time during which a child is
placed with the foster parent, to receive additional or
necessary information that is relevant to the care of the

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child.
(7.5) The right to be given information concerning a
child (i) from the Department as required under subsection
(u) of Section 5 of the Children and Family Services Act
and (ii) from a child welfare agency as required under
subsection (c-5) of Section 7.4 of the Child Care Act of
1969.
(8) The right to be notified of scheduled meetings and
staffings concerning the foster child in order to actively
participate in the case planning and decision-making
process regarding the child, including individual service
planning meetings, administrative case reviews,
interdisciplinary staffings, and individual educational
planning meetings; the right to be informed of decisions
made by the courts or the child welfare agency concerning
the child; the right to provide input concerning the plan
of services for the child and to have that input given full
consideration in the same manner as information presented
by any other professional on the team; and the right to
communicate with other professionals who work with the
foster child within the context of the team, including
therapists, physicians, attending health care
professionals, and teachers.
(9) The right to be given, in a timely and consistent
manner, any information a case worker has regarding the
child and the child's family which is pertinent to the

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care and needs of the child and to the making of a
permanency plan for the child. Disclosure of information
concerning the child's family shall be limited to that
information that is essential for understanding the needs
of and providing care to the child in order to protect the
rights of the child's family. When a positive relationship
exists between the foster parent and the child's family,
the child's family may consent to disclosure of additional
information.
(10) The right to be given reasonable written notice
of (i) any change in a child's case plan, (ii) plans to
terminate the placement of the child with the foster
parent, and (iii) the reasons for the change or
termination in placement. The notice shall be waived only
in cases of a court order or when the child is determined
to be at imminent risk of harm.
(11) The right to be notified in a timely and complete
manner of all court hearings, including notice of the date
and time of the court hearing, the name of the judge or
hearing officer hearing the case, the location of the
hearing, and the court docket number of the case; and the
right to intervene in court proceedings or to seek
mandamus under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987.
(12) The right to be considered as a placement option
when a foster child who was formerly placed with the
foster parent is to be re-entered into foster care, if

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that placement is consistent with the best interest of the
child and other children in the foster parent's home.
(13) The right to have timely access to the child
placement agency's existing appeals process and the right
to be free from acts of harassment and retaliation by any
other party when exercising the right to appeal.
(14) The right to be informed of the Foster Parent
Hotline established under Section 35.6 of the Children and
Family Services Act and all of the rights accorded to
foster parents concerning reports of misconduct by
Department employees, service providers, or contractors,
confidential handling of those reports, and investigation
by the Inspector General appointed under Section 35.5 of
the Children and Family Services Act.
(Source: P.A. 99-581, eff. 1-1-17.)