(225 ILCS 10/7.3)
Sec. 7.3. Children placed by private child welfare agency.
(a) Before placing a child who is a ward of the Department in a foster family home, a private child welfare agency must ascertain (i) whether any other children who are wards of the Department have been placed in that home and (ii) whether every such child who has been placed in that home continues to reside in that home, unless the child has been transferred to another placement or is no longer a ward of the Department. The agency must keep a record of every other child welfare agency that has placed such a child in that foster family home; the record must include the name and telephone number of a contact person at each such agency.
(b) At least once every 30 days, a private child welfare agency that places wards of the Department in foster family homes must make a site visit to every such home where it has placed a ward. The purpose of the site visit is to verify that the child continues to reside in that home and to verify the child's safety and well-being. The agency must document the verification in its records. If a private child welfare agency fails to comply with the requirements of this subsection, the Department must suspend all payments to the agency until the agency complies.
(c) The Department must periodically (but no less often than once every 6 months) review the child placement records of each private child welfare agency that places wards of the Department.
(d) If a child placed in a foster family home is missing, the foster parent must promptly report that fact to the Department or to the child welfare agency that placed the child in the home. If the foster parent fails to make such a report, the Department shall put the home on hold for the placement of other children and initiate corrective action that may include revocation of the foster parent's license to operate the foster family home. A foster parent who knowingly and willfully fails to report a missing foster child under this subsection is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
(e) If a private child welfare agency determines that a ward of the Department whom it has placed in a foster family home no longer resides in that home, the agency must promptly report that fact to the Department. If the agency fails to make such a report, the Department shall put the agency on hold for the placement of other children and initiate corrective action that may include revocation of the agency's license.
(f) When a child is missing from a foster home, the Department or private agency in charge of case management shall report regularly to the foster parent concerning efforts to locate the missing child.
(g) The Department must strive to account for the status and whereabouts of every one of its wards who it determines is not residing in the authorized placement in which he or she was placed.
(Source: P.A. 93-343, eff. 7-24-03.)
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Last modified: February 18, 2015