From the Pritzker Administration:
Gov. Pritzker Signs the Kinship in Demand (“KIND”) Act
HB4781 expands support for relative caregivers
SPRINGFIELD- Today, Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 4781, the Kinship in Demand (“KIND”) Act, into law, allowing the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to develop more flexible standards to certify grandparents and other relatives who are able to safely care for youth in DCFS’s care.
The bill also creates a path for more youth in care to find permanent homes through guardianship.
Studies show that when youth-in-care are able to remain with relatives in stable and familiar homes they often experience better outcomes, a stronger sense of identity and connection, and greater well-being.
“Staying in a familiar place and seeing a comforting face every day can make all the difference in the life of a child-in-care,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The KIND Act enhances family finding efforts to ensure we are doing everything we can to identify relatives who can care for and maintain ongoing, supportive connections with our youth. Just as importantly, it holds us accountable to incorporate the voices of youth and families in decisions that have a lasting impact on their lives. Thank you to the General Assembly, the Illinois ACLU, and my state government partners for helping make this important legislation possible.”
Today, 9,300 children and youth in DCFS are living with relatives and many do not receive the same benefits as licensed foster caregivers due to outdated requirements. Relative caregivers are typically extended family members, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins, responsible for the safety, care, and supervision of the child or youth. ? Licensed caregivers are foster parents who have met DCFS requirements and obtained a license to care for a child or youth in the child welfare system. The provisions of the KIND Act will allow for increased financial support to relative caregivers.
Through the KIND Act, DCFS will develop more flexible certification standards for relative caregivers while maintaining essential safety and welfare standards. Unlike the traditional licensing process – initially designed for foster parents who may be unfamiliar to the child – certification allows for a less burdensome path for relatives to receive financial support. DCFS is currently drafting rules outlining the standards for relative caregiver homes and will adopt them in the coming months.
As a result of certification, increased financial support and an enhanced network of supports for relative caregivers, more children and youth in Illinois will have the opportunity to grow up living with extended family members who they already know and love when reunification with their parents is not an immediate option.
“Children are more likely to thrive if they remain connected to their loved ones and community,” said Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Director Heidi E. Mueller.
“The KIND Act recognizes the significant role that families and communities play in the lives of children and youth and helps to equalize the cost of raising a child. The KIND Act is a firm example of our commitment to center our policies, practices and procedures on what is best for children and families, and we are grateful to Governor Pritzker, the Illinois legislature, and the ACLU for recognizing the importance of supporting our youth in care by supporting their families.”
The KIND Act will enhance the child welfare system and improve support for relatives raising children and youth by:
- equalizing payments to relatives with the rate provided to traditional foster parents,
- helping youth-in-care maintain connections with their families,
- tailoring services and supports to kinship families,
- engaging youth, their families, and kinship caregivers in permanency planning to materially improve their overall experiences,
- making certain the wishes of youth and their families are taken into account when planning for the youth’s future, and
- treating adoption and guardianship as equally viable options when reunification with parents is not possible.
