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| Public Act 100-0879 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning State government.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||
represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||
Strengthening the Child Welfare Workforce for Children and | ||||
Families Act. | ||||
Section 5. Purpose. It is the purpose of this Act to create | ||||
a task force to study the compensation and workload of child | ||||
welfare workers to determine the role that compensation and | ||||
workload play in the recruitment and retention of child welfare | ||||
workers, and to determine the role that staff turnover plays in | ||||
achieving safety and timely permanency for children. | ||||
Section 10. Task Force on Strengthening the Child Welfare | ||||
Workforce for Children and Families. | ||||
(a) As used in this Act: | ||||
"Child welfare workers" or "staff" means child welfare | ||||
caseworkers, child welfare specialists, and child welfare | ||||
specialist supervisors. | ||||
"Child welfare services job" mean an employment position as | ||||
a child welfare caseworker, child welfare specialist, or child | ||||
welfare specialist supervisor. | ||||
(b) The Task Force on Strengthening the Child Welfare | ||||
Workforce for Children and Families is created to do all of the | ||
following: | ||
(1) Perform a policy and literature review regarding: | ||
(i) compensation and caseload standards in the field of | ||
child welfare; (ii) staff turnover rates; and (iii) the | ||
impact compensation, caseload, and staff turnover have on | ||
achieving safety and timely permanency for children. | ||
(2) Survey employers in the public and private sector | ||
to determine: | ||
(A) how many child welfare service jobs exist;
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(B) the compensation paid to child welfare | ||
workers; | ||
(C) how many child welfare service jobs are filled | ||
and how many are vacant; | ||
(D) how many child welfare service jobs are filled | ||
by persons who have at least 18 months in the position; | ||
(E) the rate of turnover for child welfare workers; | ||
and | ||
(F) the causes of turnover for child welfare | ||
workers. | ||
(3) Conduct a detailed time log analysis for child | ||
welfare workers to determine how much time is available to | ||
complete each administrative task and how much time is | ||
actually spent to complete each administrative task. The | ||
time log analysis shall expressly ask child welfare workers | ||
the following question for each administrative task, "Is | ||
this task duplicative of one that you have already | ||
completed?". | ||
(4) Develop recommendations on how to (i) improve the | ||
recruitment and retention of child welfare workers; and | ||
(ii) reduce the turnover rates for child welfare workers. | ||
(c) Members of the Task Force shall include: | ||
(1) 2 members appointed by the Governor; | ||
(2) 2 legislative members appointed by the Speaker of | ||
the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be | ||
designated as Co-Chairperson; | ||
(3) 2 legislative members appointed by the Minority | ||
Leader of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall | ||
be designated as Co-Chairperson; | ||
(4) 2 legislative members appointed by the President of | ||
the Senate, one of whom shall be designated as | ||
Co-Chairperson; | ||
(5) 2 legislative members appointed by the Senate | ||
Minority Leader, one of whom shall be designated as | ||
Co-Chairperson; | ||
(6) the Director of the Illinois Criminal Justice | ||
Information Authority, or his or her designee; | ||
(7) the Director of Children and Family Services, or | ||
his or her designee; | ||
(8) the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, | ||
or his or her designee; | ||
(9) the Principal Investigator for the Child | ||
Protection Training Academy at the University of Illinois; | ||
(10) a person appointed by a labor union that | ||
represents State employees; | ||
(11) a current private sector employee appointed by the | ||
Speaker of the House of Representatives; and | ||
(12) a person representing a non-profit, statewide | ||
organization that represents private sector child welfare | ||
providers. | ||
(d) The Children and Family Research Center of the | ||
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shall provide | ||
administrative and other support to the Task Force. | ||
(e) The Department of Children and Family Services shall | ||
engage the services of a university-based consultant to aid in | ||
the collection, cataloguing, and analysis of child welfare data | ||
and whose services shall conclude when the Task Force submits | ||
its final report to the General Assembly and the Governor as | ||
required under subsection (h). | ||
(f) The Task Force shall consider contracting with a | ||
qualified company, university, or other entity with | ||
demonstrated experience studying and improving human resources | ||
management. | ||
(g) The Task Force shall meet no less than 6 times. | ||
(h) The Task Force shall submit a preliminary report to the | ||
General Assembly and the Governor no later than October 1, | ||
2019, and a final electronic report, along with recommendations | ||
and any proposed legislation, to the General Assembly and the | ||
Governor by January 1, 2020. | ||
The reports to the General Assembly shall be filed with the | ||
Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the | ||
Senate in electronic form only, in the manner that the Clerk | ||
and the Secretary shall direct. | ||
(i) The Task Force is dissolved on January 1, 2021.
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Section 15. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1, | ||
2021. | ||
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||
becoming law. | ||