On February 18, Governor Rauner announced his intention to craft a state budget that protects our most “vulnerable” youth. To accomplish this goal, however, he seeks to eliminate all funding and services for a uniquely vulnerable population: foster youth ages 18 to 21. These are critical ages in development, and a period when adolescents need our support in preparing for a full and productive adulthood. The undersigned have long advocated for this vulnerable age group. Ending essential supports for this population is morally unconscionable and fiscally irresponsible. It also would violate Illinois' laws, federal and state court consent decrees, and accepted best practices.

There is increasing consensus that 18-21 year-olds require continuing support. Foster youth, in particular, have experienced traumas that can impact their adolescence. In addition, they face hurdles - notably the absence of a safety net - that makes transition to independence even more challenging.

Foster youth forced into premature “independence” fare worse by every measure and at great cost to their own development. Without adult guidance and support, they are less likely to attain educational and employment goals. The odds then rise that they will require public assistance, face homelessness, have a harder time accessing health care and mental health services when needed, and become involved in our criminal justice system.(1) The problems also come at great expense to the state, because the costs will significantly exceed any short-term savings. Along with these cuts, the Governor’s budget also cuts social services these youth might otherwise turn to, including support for higher education, childcare, homeless supports, community health programs, and community substance abuse treatment programs.

In line with the recognition that foster youth in this age group are an at-risk population, both the federal (2) and state (3) governments have moved to extend, rather than reduce, services, providing college scholarship, transitional and independent living options, mental health counseling, and supports for pregnant and parenting teens. Governor Rauner’s proposal to turn foster youth out onto the streets is contrary to our laws and the consensus of social science researchers, and is financially reckless.

We urge legislators and advocates to demand the continuation of services for foster youth up to age 21, and existing supports for qualifying youth pursuing college degrees, to truly prepare them for the independence and adulthood that all our citizens deserve. Illinois was a leader in extending services to youth up to age 21 who are not yet prepared to live on their own. Instead of cutting these services, we should work to leverage federal dollars, strengthen programs to prepare our youth for success, and protect these vulnerable young adults.
 

(1) Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth; http://www.chapinhall.org/research/report/midwest-evaluation-adult-functioning-former-foster-youth (2) The federal government significantly expanded its support for this population through the passage of both the Chafee Foster Care Independence program in 1999 and the Fostering Connections Act in 2008 (3) Illinois extended care in 1987. Since then, the majority of states have followed. Most recently, Alaska (2012), California (2012) and Florida (2014) enacted legislative changes extending state responsibility for abused and neglected minors to the age of 21.

Coalition to Support the Future of Our Youth

(in formation)

 
For more information, contact Anita Weinberg, Civitas ChildLaw Center, Loyola University Chicago School of Law aweinbe@luc.edu

With thousands of children in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and terrifying documentation of mistreatment and neglect, U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Alonso approved an agreed interim plan presented by the Department and the ACLU of Illinois to help insure the safety and quality of care for wards of the state while longer-term reforms are pursued.

Specifically, the interim plan identifies independent monitors from the University of Illinois Chicago’s Department of Psychiatry, who will oversee a review of the residential treatment centers housing wards of the state.  The monitors will evaluate each program’s conditions and services and recommend alternatives for children should the centers be found unacceptable. After many years of a successful independent monitoring program, DCFS abandon this process in favor of internal reviewers -- a process that was an abject failure.  As recent media reports have made clear, thousands of children either missing or mistreated as a result of inadequate oversight.  The independent monitors will begin their work even as the ACLU meets with the new acting director of DCFS, George Sheldon, to devise other policies to improve operations within the agency.

“We want experts to help shape the long-term strategy of the DCFS,” ACLU of Illinois Associate Legal Director Benjamin Wolf told the court

This effort is complicated by the fact that Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner recently outlined significant cuts to DCFS as a part of his budget proposal. In spite of these fiscal challenges, the ACLU of Illinois is insisting on additional reforms that will meet the needs of the children who rely on DCFS services and placements, as well as safeguards to prevent mistreatment from taking place again. What is critical, in the ACLU's view, is that these changes are implemented under court supervision, in order to hold the State accountable.

The parties will return to court on March 26^th. 
Coverage from the federal court hearing:

• Chicago Tribune
• WBEZ
• Associated Press

As part of an ongoing legal battle to reform the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS), a federal judge ordered an evaluation of agency facilities, the Chicago Tribune reports. Independent monitors will be sent into the most troubled facilities in order to protect the youth that are housed there.

The Chicago Tribune's investigative series, "Harsh Treatment" exposed how many of the children under DCFS' care endure assault and abuse in facilities that lack adequate staff and services. The ACLU of Illinois has monitored DCFS under a consent decree aimed at reforming the agency, despite a revolving door of leadership within the Department. This week's ruling comes as a result of the ACLU going back to court in an effort to jump-start reforms. The Chicago Tribune spoke with ACLU of Illinois associate legal director Ben Wolf:

"As (we) know from the Tribune, some of (the centers) have been permitted to deteriorate quite a bit in recent years," said Ben Wolf, the ACLU chapter's associate legal director. "The first steps are to start to look at the most troubled residential treatment centers and to figure out if we need to close them, if we can provide technical assistance to fix them and, if we can't, where the kids will go."

Read the entire article.