DCFS to have clearer role in checking in on children with out-of-state guardians under new law by Pacione-Zayas

CHICAGO – To help clarify the Department of Children and Family Services’ role in assessing the living situations of children placed with parents out of state, State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago) spearheaded a law signed Friday that lays out clear guidelines for when DCFS can assess these living arrangements.  

“We have a clear duty to children who are or have been in state care, and it can’t be hindered by confusion over geographical lines,” Pacione-Zayas said. “This legislation will fill help fill in the gaps in current policy and make it easier for DCFS to do its job and protect our state’s children.”

Currently, the Interstate Compact of Placement, which is a statutory agreement between every state that governs the placement of children from one state into another state, is unclear regarding two specific situations in which a child is placed in care in a different state: situations where a child is being placed back with parents living outside Illinois, and situations where the department must assess a child’s well-being with a guardian who lives out of state when another party (usually the child’s parent) seeks to vacate the guardianship order.

In the event that the Interstate Compact of the Placement of Children declines to assess a child's living arrangement for either of these matters, the law allows Illinois courts to order DCFS to assess a child's living arrangement.

House Bill 3595 was signed Friday and is effective immediately.