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| Public Act 103-0259 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning children.
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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 changing Section 4a as follows:
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(20 ILCS 505/4a) (from Ch. 23, par. 5004a)
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Sec. 4a.
(a) To administer child abuse prevention shelters | ||||
and service
programs for abused and neglected children, or | ||||
provide for their administration
by not-for-profit | ||||
corporations, community-based organizations or units of
local | ||||
government.
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The Department is hereby designated the single State | ||||
agency for
planning and coordination of child abuse and | ||||
neglect prevention programs
and services. On or before the | ||||
first Friday in October of each year, the
Department shall | ||||
submit to the Governor and the General Assembly a State
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comprehensive child abuse and neglect prevention plan. The | ||||
plan shall:
identify priorities, goals and objectives; | ||||
identify the resources necessary
to implement the plan, | ||||
including estimates of resources needed to
investigate or | ||||
otherwise process reports of suspected child abuse or
neglect | ||||
and to provide necessary follow-up services for child | ||||
protection,
family preservation and family reunification in | ||||
"indicated" cases as
determined under the Abused and Neglected | ||
Child Reporting Act; make
proposals for the most effective use | ||
of existing resources to implement the
plan, including | ||
recommendations for the optimum use of private, local
public, | ||
State and federal resources; and propose strategies for the
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development of additional resources to meet the goal of | ||
reducing the
incidence of child abuse and neglect and reducing | ||
the number of
reports of suspected child abuse and neglect | ||
made to the Department.
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(b) The administration of child abuse prevention, shelters | ||
and service
programs under subsection (a) shall be funded in | ||
part by
appropriations made from the Child Abuse Prevention | ||
Fund, which is hereby
created in the State Treasury, and in | ||
part by appropriations from the
General Revenue Fund. All | ||
interest earned on monies in the Child Abuse
Prevention Fund | ||
shall remain in such fund. The Department and the State
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Treasurer may accept funds as provided by Sections 507 and 508 | ||
of the
Illinois Income Tax Act and unsolicited private | ||
donations for deposit into
the Child Abuse Prevention Fund. | ||
Annual requests for appropriations for the
purpose of | ||
providing child abuse and neglect prevention programs and
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services under this Section shall be made in separate and | ||
distinct
line-items. In setting priorities for the direction | ||
and
scope of such programs, the Director shall be advised by | ||
the State-wide
Citizen's Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect.
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(c) Where the Department contracts with outside agencies | ||
to operate the
shelters or programs, such outside agencies may | ||
receive funding from the
Department, except that the shelters | ||
must certify a 20% financial match
for operating expenses of | ||
their programs. In
selecting the outside agencies to | ||
administer child shelters and service
programs, and in | ||
allocating funds for such agencies, the Department shall
give | ||
priority to new and existing shelters or programs offering the
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broadest range of services to the community served.
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(d) The Department shall have the power to make grants of | ||
monies to fund
comprehensive community-based services to | ||
reduce the incidence of family
dysfunction typified by child | ||
abuse and neglect; to diminish those
factors found to increase | ||
family dysfunction; and to measure the effectiveness
and costs | ||
of such services.
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(e) For implementing such intergovernmental cooperation | ||
and
involvement, units of local government and public and | ||
private agencies may
apply for and receive federal or State | ||
funds from the Department under this
Act or seek and receive | ||
gifts from local philanthropic or other private
local sources | ||
in order to augment any State funds appropriated for the
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purposes of this Act.
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(e-5) The Department may establish and maintain locally | ||
held funds to be individually known as the Youth in Care | ||
Support Fund. Moneys in these funds shall be used for | ||
purchases for the immediate needs of youth in care or for the | ||
immediate support needs of youth, families, and caregivers | ||
served by the Department. Moneys paid into funds shall be from | ||
appropriations made to the DCFS Children's Services Fund. | ||
Funds remaining in any Youth in Care Support Fund must be | ||
returned to the DCFS Children's Services Fund upon | ||
dissolution. Any warrant for payment to a vendor for the same | ||
product or service for a youth in care shall be payable to the | ||
Department to reimburse the immediate payment from the Youth | ||
in Care Support Fund. | ||
(f) For the purposes of this Section:
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(1) The terms "abused child" and "neglected child" | ||
have meanings ascribed
to them in Section 3 of the Abused | ||
and Neglected Child Reporting Act.
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(2) "Shelter" has the meaning ascribed to it in | ||
Section 1-3
of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987.
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(Source: P.A. 97-20, eff. 6-28-11.)
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