I. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Policy Guide is to inform DCFS and POS staff of the requirement to capture household income information of families as soon as possible when their children are placed in foster care.  In order to simplify this endeavor, the Department has revised the CFS 458-B, Relative Resources and Positive Supports Worksheet form.  The CFS 458-B form now has two parts.  Part I, Family Composition/Initial Family Finding/Household Income which includes the income recording tool, is to be completed as early as possible when children are placed in the care of the Department; and Part II, Relative Resources and Positive Supports Worksheet which is to be completed during family visits while children are in placement. 

One third of the Department’s budget comes directly from federal claiming.  Accurate and timely eligibility determinations directly affect the amount of reimbursement the Department receives via the Title IV-E program.  Title IV-E reimbursements directly affect the amount of money available for services.  Therefore, the prompt and thorough completion and submission of the CFS 458-B Part I is a critical task during the early life of a placement case.

II. PRIMARY USERS

The primary users of this Policy Guide are DCFS and POS, Child Protection, and Permanency Workers, their supervisors and managers; Eligibility Determination staff, and supervisors.

III. PROCEDURES

The CFS 458-B shall be completed in accordance to Procedures 315.60.  The Child Protection Specialist, Permanency Worker or Intact Family Worker placing the child (“Placing Worker”) shall ask the parent whether there is a non-custodial parent or if there are relatives that may be willing and able to serve as placement resources or positive supports for the child.  The placing worker shall also ask the parent to disclose their household income and the family composition information needed to thoroughly complete page 1 of the CFS 458-B Part I.  Once all pertinent financial information has been gathered, it must be e-mailed to the Federal Financial Participation Unit (FFP) at: DCFS.FAMILYCOMPOSITION-INITIALFAMILYFINDINGHOUSEHOLDINCOME@ILLINOIS.GOV.  

The first page of the CFS 458-B Part I must be completed and e-mailed to FFP as soon as possible but no later than 30 calendar days from the date that the child entered DCFS care.  Questions regarding the submission of the first page of the CFS 458-B Part I may be directed to the FFP via e-mail to the e-mail address above. 

Page 2 of the CFS 458-B Part I, shall be completed by the placing worker by asking the parent and/or child to identify grandparents and other relatives on both the maternal and paternal sides of the family, and list each relative on the CFS 458-B.  For each listed relative, the placing worker shall document: 

• who (e.g., parent, child) identified the relative as a possible resource/support and the date identified; 
• phone numbers, home and email addresses, if any; 
• the relationship of the listed person to the parent or child (e.g., non-custodial parent, maternal grandparent, godparent of child, next-door neighbor/fictive kin); and 
• if the parent/child thinks the relative might be a placement resource, visitation resource, or offer other types of support to the family. 

The placing worker shall document all identified relatives and shall not omit from this list anyone named by the parent or child. If all identified relatives do not fit on page 2 of the CFS 458-B Part I, the remaining relatives can be recorded on the CFS 458-B Part II. 

CFS 458-B Part I and Part II, Relative Resources and Positive Supports Worksheet forms are to be kept in the case file and the identified relatives and supports are to be entered into SACWIS.  Additional Part II forms are to be completed or updated during subsequent visits as additional resources are revealed.  Please see Procedures 315.60 for additional information and instructions for completion of the CFS 458-B Part II.   

Contacts made with the family including but not limited to the completion of the CFS 458B Part I and Part II shall be documented in SACWIS Contact Notes.

IV. CFS 458-B FORM COMPLETION GUIDELINES

• A CFS 458-B Part I form must be completed for each new foster care case that is opened. 
• The CFS 458-B Part I form should be completed based on the information in the file or via a conversation with the family. 
• An explanation of how the information was obtained must be documented in a SACWIS Contact Note. 

DETERMINATION OF INCOME 

List the monthly amount of each type of income for every household member. 

• If the household member does not have a particular type of income, list n/a. 
• If an exact amount is not known, list an approximation such as: 
  • Less than $100 
  • Less than $500
  • Less than $1,000 
• “Other Support” should only be used to list cash assistance from some other source.
  • For example, do not attach a monetary value if somebody is paying the rent, or paying the utilities, etc.

DETERMINATION OF ASSETS 

When determining assets, please consider the following: 

• Balances in any checking and/or savings accounts. 
• Value of any additional vehicles other than the primary vehicle. 
• Cash value of life insurance policies. 
• Value of any property other than the primary residence.
• Value of any stocks and/or bonds. 
• Value of contents of a safety deposit box. 
• Value of any settlements.
• Value of an inheritance. 

V. QUESTIONS

Questions regarding this Policy Guide may be directed to the Office of Child and Family Policy at 217-524-1983 or via Outlook at the “DCFS.Policy” – Mailbox.  Non-Outlook users may e-mail questions to DCFS.Policy@illinois.gov. 

VI. FILING INSTRUCTIONS 

Please file this Policy Guide immediately following page 8 of Procedures 315.60.