OCFP

Office

of Child and Family Policy

 

Department of Children and Family Services

 

Index No: 2000.12

 

Issuance Date:  July 7, 2000

 

Origin of Request:  Regional Resource Staff 

 

Distribution:  Licensing Staff, Administrative Staff, Office of Child and Family Policy (A,L,P)

 

Key Words:  89 IAC 402, Licensing Standards For Foster Family Homes.

 

Approved by:

 

Interpretation

 

Question:                   Are relative caregivers that were licensed or in the process of being licensed before March 27, 2000, required to take PRIDE or equivalent training to retain their license or for license renewal?

 

Applicable To:           Licensing Standards for Foster Family Homes

                                   

Policy Citation:          Section 402.2  Definitions

EMERGENCY

 

            “Approved training" means:

 

-     foster parent conferences sponsored by the Department or statewide foster parent organizations;

-          training provided under the auspices of a licensed child welfare agency when the agency’s foster care program has been accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children, Inc., 520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 2202B, New York, NY 10018;

-          surrogate parent training sponsored or approved by the Illinois State Board of Education;

-          training toward first-aid, Heimlich maneuver, and/or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification by the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association; or

-          other training approved in writing by the  Division of Training and Development Services of the Department of Children and Family Services.

 

                                    Pre-service Training

 

Foster PRIDE/Adopt PRIDE pre-service training or a pre-service foster parent training curriculum approved by the Division of Training and Development Services (DTDS) and Educational Advocacy training.

(Source:  Emergency amendment at 24 Ill. Reg. 6417, effective March 27, 2000 for a maximum of 150 days.)

 

Section 402.12  Qualifications of Foster Family

                                    EMERGENCY

 

j)                    As a condition of initial licensure, each foster parent shall participate and complete Foster PRIDE/Adopt PRIDE or an equivalent pre-service foster parent training that has been approved by the Division of Training and Development Services.

 

k)         In addition, each foster parent shall complete, as a condition of license renewal, approved in-service training in accordance with the schedule below.  Child welfare agencies may require foster families under their supervision to complete additional training as a condition of continued supervision by the agency.

 

          License Renewal Due In Year:                         Clock Hours of Approved Training Required

 

1998                                                                4.0

1999                                                                8.0

2000                                                                12.0

                                    2001 or thereafter                                           16.0

  

(Source:  Emergency amendment at 24 Ill. Reg. 6417, effective March 27, 2000, for a maximum of 150 days.)

 

                                    Section 402.12

 

Discussion:                The intent of these emergency amendments is to ensure that new relative and non-relative foster parents have the same pre-service training. 

 

These amendments pertain only to foster family home applications made on or after March 27, 2000.  Homes already licensed or in the process of being licensed before March 27, 2000 are only required to complete the training requirements in effect before that date to be licensed.  For licensing renewal, these homes are only required to complete the in-service training required in 402.12(k), not the additional training requirements in 402.2 and 402.12(j).   

 

Response:                 Relative caregivers that were licensed or in the process of being licensed before March 27, 2000, are not required to take PRIDE or equivalent training to retain their license or for license renewal.