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92_HB4208
LRB9214880REpk
1 AN ACT in relation to children.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is
5 amended by adding Section 7.4 as follows:
6 (20 ILCS 505/7.4 new)
7 Sec. 7.4. Placement of siblings.
8 (a) When a child is in need of an adoptive placement,
9 the Department shall examine its files and other available
10 resources and attempt to determine whether any biological
11 sibling of the child has been adopted. If the Department
12 determines that a biological sibling of the child has been
13 adopted, the Department shall make a good faith effort to
14 locate the adoptive parents of the sibling and inform them of
15 the availability of the child for adoption.
16 (b) If the adoptive parents of a biological sibling of a
17 child available for adoption apply to adopt that child, the
18 Department shall consider them as adoptive applicants for the
19 adoption of the child. The Department's final decision,
20 however, shall be based upon the welfare and best interest of
21 the child. In arriving at its decision, the Department shall
22 consider all relevant factors, including but not limited to:
23 (1) the wishes of the child;
24 (2) the interaction and interrelationship of the
25 child with the applicant to adopt the child;
26 (3) the child's need for stability and continuity
27 of relationship with parent figures;
28 (4) the child's adjustment to his or her present
29 home, school, and community;
30 (5) the mental and physical health of all
31 individuals involved;
-2- LRB9214880REpk
1 (6) the family ties between the child and the
2 child's relatives, including siblings;
3 (7) the background, age, and living arrangements of
4 the applicant to adopt the child;
5 (8) a criminal background report of the applicant
6 to adopt the child.
7 (c) The Department may refuse to inform the adoptive
8 parents of a biological sibling of a child that the child is
9 available for adoption, as required under subsection (a),
10 only for a reason permitted under criteria adopted by the
11 Department by rule.
12 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
13 becoming law.