Adoption
Adoption Information Center of Illinois (AICI)
800-572-2390
M-F 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Voicemail available 24-hours
- Information: adoption process and adoption agencies
- Adoption Listing Service: descriptions and photos of waiting children
- Refer prospective adoptive families to an agency for a home study
- Foster families interested in adopting children already in the home, or another child, should contact their supervising agency.
Adoption Support Line
855-548-5505
8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. (Monday through Thursday) and
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Fridays
Staff with high-level experience in adoption can help adoptive and guardianship families with:
- requests for numbers to field offices, replacement Medicaid cards;
- questions about subsidy agreements;
- obtaining services covered in the subsidy agreement; and
- handling family situations that may require Adoption Preservation Services.
Advocacy
DCFS Advocacy Office for Children and Families
800-232-3798
217-524-2029 (if calling from out of state)
M-F 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. /Voicemail
Help or information for foster caregivers, workers, parents, and the public in:
- understanding/verifying DCFS rule, policy, and procedure;
- obtaining services for children in foster care, adoption or subsidized guardianship homes;
- understanding what can be appealed through the DCFS Service Appeal system or in filing a service appeal with DCFS, including emergency appeals; and
- parental inquiries and referrals.
Callers should have this information ready:
- child's name, birth date, identification number; and
- caseworker and supervisor's name and phone numbers.
Appeals/Mediation
DCFS Administrative Hearings Unit
312-814-5540
M-F 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- information about filing a service or licensing appeal; and
- how to file an appeal through DCFS.
See Section 8: pages 27-29.
Attorney
For caregivers who are involved in legal actions as a result of being a foster caregiver.
See Section 8: page 16.
Behavior/Mental Health
Crisis and Referral Entry System (CARES) Helpline
800-345-9049
24 Hours
System of Care (SOC) community and outreach-based service system to stabilize children whose placements are at risk due to emotional or behavioral issues.
Provides assessments, 24-hour crisis intervention, Child & Family Team meeting facilitation and wraparound planning, individual and family counseling/therapy, linkage to community resources and assistance in obtaining services/goods (as necessary) that will help stabilize the placement.
See Section 5: pages 16-17 for available services.
Board Payments
See Payments While Children are in Foster Care, Section 9: pages 1-3.
Child Abuse/Neglect
DCFS Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline
800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873)
TTY: 800-358-5117
For mandated reporters and the public to report suspected cases of abuse or neglect. Foster caregivers are mandated to report suspected abuse or neglect of children placed with them.
See Section 8: pages 32-34.
Child Development and Health
General Resources for ALL Illinois Children HELP-ME-GROW and WIC information
800-323-4769
Referral to ALL Illinois programs which directly impact children, including Early Intervention programs for children 0-3 and programs related to disabilities and Women, Infants and Children.
Claims: Damages to Property or
Bodily Injury Caused by a Child in Foster Care
Foster Child Damage Reimbursement Program 312-814-7294
(Formerly the Foster Parent Reimbursement Program) M-F 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Call for information about filing a claim for damages to your property or the property of someone else, or for bodily injury to you, a member of your family, or someone else caused by a child in foster care.
See Section 9: pages 13-14 for what is covered, claim limits, and how to make a claim.
CRISIS: Help in an Unexpected Crisis
With a Child in Foster Care
Crisis and Referral Entry System (CARES) Hotline
800-345-9049 Hotline
24 Hours
Call if a child’s unexpected behavior threatens his or her safety or placement with your family. A crisis worker can come to your home within 60 minutes (city) or 90 minutes (rural) if you request.
- Community-based agencies provide mental health Screening, Assessment and Support Services (SASS) for children who appear to be ready to harm themselves or others.
- Call if a child's unexpected behavior threatens his or her placement with your family. If a SASS evaluation indicates that the child should be hospitalized, the child will be admitted for inpatient treatment.
See Section 5: pages 16-17.
Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)
Cook County Only
312-433-4928
Outside Cook County
To find your local CASA program, call the
CASA Statewide Office: 217-528-0275 or illinoiscasa.org
Judges may appoint a CASA volunteer, who is a specially trained advocate, to work with all parties and to give an opinion to the court as to the reason/s for case delays. Caregivers may want to discuss the possibility of a CASA worker being requested with the child's Guardian ad litem if CASA intervention may help the child find a permanent family more quickly. CASA volunteers are always needed.
Deaf Services
DCFS Deaf Services Coordinator
Relay Voice Operator: 800-526-0857
Ask for 312-814-4117; TTY: 800-526-0844
Call to find services for children who are deaf or hearing impaired, or to identify your family as a possible foster family for a child with a hearing impairment. If you or someone in your family knows sign language for the deaf, foster families with this capability are needed.
Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)
General Information and Referral/Case Tracking
773-371-6161
- Caseworker's names and location, DCFS divisions or personnel
- Screening and case tracking
DCFS Offices
See Section 1: pages 7-8 for office phone/fax list
Emergencies After Business Hours
Statewide: 800-252-2873 Cook County: 312-989-3450
Rules, Policy, Procedures
See website: www.DCFS.illinois.gov
Questions of rule, policy or procedure
Advocacy Office: 800-232-3798
To read online
See website: www.DCFS.illinois.gov
Dental Care
Checkups
Dentaquest Dental of Illinois
888-286-2447
Referral to an Orthodontist - Your child's regular dentist must make a referral to an orthodontist who takes the Medicaid card.
Education
DCFS/NIU Education Advisors 312-814-5959
DCFS Bureau of Operations, Youth and Family Development
Education advisors, located in the DCFS regions:
- provide caregivers with advocating for a child's school needs, meeting with school personnel and developing education plans; and
- support foster families in DCFS-supervised homes. Homes supervised by private agencies have Education Liaisons at the agency to address school concerns.
Legal Assistance Regarding Special Education and Discipline
Help and advice for foster parents in understanding legal options in advocating for your foster child's rights. See Section 6: page 7.
Services
Educational services may be provided through the school district where the child attends school, your agency, or DCFS. See Section 6, Educational Services. Your child's caseworker, the supervisor, and/or the agency is responsible for helping you determine how to meet your child's educational needs or need for special educational services.
Early Intervention Programs
Early Intervention Programs for children 0-3 related to developmental delays and disabilities.
See Section 6: pages 11-12. Call Help-Me-Grow 800-323-4769 for referral statewide.
Emergencies
In any emergency with a child, do what is necessary first, and then contact the child's caseworker and the agency. Private agency caregivers should have an emergency aft er-hours number to contact their agency in case of emergency. DCFS-supervised caregivers should obtain emergency numbers from their foster parent support specialist or DCFS region.
Abuse/Neglect
800-25-ABUSE (252-2873)
Report suspected abuse/neglect of a child to the DCFS Hotline
Behavioral Crisis: CARES Hotline
800-345-9049
24 Hours
Life-Threatening Behavior
Call the police. Contact your agency.
Medical Emergency
Call 911 or go to your local hospital emergency room. Contact your supervising agency or DCFS region.
Poison Hotline: Illinois Poison Center
800-222-1222
To obtain immediate instructions for saving the life of an adult or child who has taken poison. Have the product container handy, if possible, to read specific contents to the specialist answering the hotline.
Runaway
866-503-0184
DCFS Child Location Services
Toll-free, 24 Hours
If the child runs away, make a police report. Contact your agency or DCFS foster care program.
Foster Parent Organizations
Foster Parent Support/Networking Groups
There are numerous foster parent associations, advisory councils and support groups to serve families across the state. To find local organizations caregivers can:
- contact the local DCFS office where the foster parent support specialists can connect caregivers to regionally-based groups;
- contact the private agency that supervises the foster home license for information about groups sponsored by that agency; and
- check the Foster Parent Appreciation issue of the newsletter each May for an updated listing of groups and associations that serve foster/adoptive families.
DCFS Regional Foster Care Advisory Council
Each DCFS region sponsors an advisory council to keep caregivers informed of DCFS policy and to address local issues. Call the nearest regional office or the DCFS foster parent aupport apecialists for details.
Illinois Foster and Adoptive Parent Association
773-720-0669
Gladys Boyd, President
This is the Illinois affiliate of the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA). Call for information on membership, scholarships for children, IFPA training conferences held in Illinois, or to find your local IFPA-affiliated foster parent support group.
National Foster Parent Association (NFPA)
800-557-5238
The only national organization whose members are primarily foster parent members. Call the National Foster Parent Association office shown for information on: membership, scholarships for your children or foster children, or the NFPA annual training conference held in various locations in the U.S.
Statewide Foster Care Advisory Council
The Statewide Foster Care Advisory Council is mandated by law. Its primary functions are to advise DCFS on foster care and to ensure that caregivers’ rights and responsibilities under the Foster Parent Law are followed in everyday operation of child welfare agencies and DCFS foster care programs. Contact Caregiver and Parent Support at 217-524-2422.
Foster Child Damage Reimbursement Program
See Section 9: pages 13-14.
Immigration Services, DCFS Office of
312-814-8600
Caregivers of foreign-born children under DCFS care with questions about the child's legal resident status should discuss the issue with the child's case manager. Case managers are responsible for verifying the child's citizenship or legal residency and then contacting the Office of Immigration Services for assistance when needed.
Inspector General
800-722-9124
M-F 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m./Voicemail
Call to report misconduct, illegal, or unethical acts or behavior by DCFS or private agency staff or others providing services to children in care and/or foster families.
Media: TV/Radio/Newspaper/Other
DCFS Communications Office
312-814-6847
M-F 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Permission for publicity, interviews, or photos of a child in foster care. See Section 8: page 22.
Medical Card
If you have lost the child's state medical card, or have questions, call 800-228- 6533.
Medical Care
Cook County
800-KID-4345
Outside Cook County
Call your local HeathWorks agency listed in Section 5: page 3
For referral to a HealthWorks primary health care physician.
Newsletter
312-814-6800
The Illinois Families Now and Forever® newsletter is published six times a year to serve families raising children who are or were involved with the DCFS child welfare system.
- all issues are posted on the DCFS website with archives back to 2003; and
- the newsletter is mailed to homes, or caregivers can request the digital version.
Payments
Payment Line (DCFS)
800-525-0499 / 24 Hours
See Section 9: page 17.
DCFS-supervised foster homes: Pre-recorded information about foster care payment check mailing schedule. Private agency foster homes: Because your agency sends you your foster care payment check, contact your agency about the distribution schedule. Payment problems? First, private agency families should contact the caseworker or other agency staff.
DCFS-supervised families should contact their caseworker or foster parent support specialist first and then the payment line.
Public Assistance
Public Assistance Hotline
888-893-5327
M-F 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
For the general public – answers to questions about public assistance and service.
Public Guardian
Guardian ad litem (GAL)
Cook County ONLY:
312-433-4300
Outside Cook County:
Call the juvenile court
To find your child's GAL to: enlist help in obtaining needed services for your child; report key facts; or discuss your testimony prior to court. See Section 2: pages 3-4.
Scholarships
DCFS-sponsored: College (See Section 7: page 25)
217-557-2689
Needs-based financial aid: Free Application for Federal Student Aid
FAFSA.com
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits
Children eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) may have "excess funds" in their DCFS account which may be used for certain allowable expenses. See Section 9: pages 16-17 of this section to determine how to inquire about existence and allowable uses of excess SSI funds.
Teens: Programs and Services
312-814-5959
Training
Virtual Training Center
www.DCFStraining.org (24 hours)
877-800-3393 (regular business hours)
The DCFS Office of Professional Development, Caregiver and Parent Support develops and presents Foster PRIDE pre-service and in-service training modules and other courses in locations across the state. In addition to classroom courses, caregivers can also take advantage of videos, books and online training. See Section 4: pages 21-22 for details.
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