Illinois HR 905: KIND ACT IMPLEMENTATION

Bill Text

Full Text of HR0905 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Illinois General Assembly

 ILGA.GOV 

 HR0905 - 104th General Assembly 

HR0905LRB104 21908 RMO 37797 r

1HOUSE RESOLUTION

2 WHEREAS, The Kinship in Demand (KIND) Act, Public Act 

3103-1061, was signed into law on February 5, 2025 with all 

4provisions going into effect on July 1, 2025; and

5 WHEREAS, The KIND Act requires the Illinois Department of 

6Children and Family Services (DCFS) to adopt a kin-first 

7approach to the child welfare system, including, but not 

8limited to, improving access to guardianship as a permanency 

9goal for children in the DCFS's care, identifying and engaging 

10relatives throughout the duration of a case for extended 

11support and placement resources, and strengthening the level 

12and quality of support provided to relative caregivers to make 

13relative placements available to more children; and

14 WHEREAS, The KIND Act was created and passed to ensure 

15better outcomes for children, maintaining and strengthening 

16family connections and cultural ties through relative 

17placement and support opportunities; pursuant to this law, 

18DCFS must make continual efforts to identify and engage with 

19family members who could serve as caregivers or sources of 

20support in a child's life, and the courts must provide 

21oversight of DCFS's obligations; and

22 WHEREAS, Multiple studies have shown that sustained family 

HR0905- 2 -LRB104 21908 RMO 37797 r

1connection provides a level of relational permanence that 

2cannot be replaced, presenting a myriad of benefits for 

3children, which include, but are not limited to, reduced 

4trauma, improved mental health outcomes, fewer behavioral 

5problems, better social outcomes and educational stability, 

6greater placement stability, higher levels of permanency, 

7stronger ties to the child's family of origin, greater 

8placement satisfaction for children, including feelings of 

9love and belonging, and enhanced connections to cultural, 

10ethnic, racial, and traditional communities of origin; and

11 WHEREAS, Research findings from the Annie E. Casey 

12Foundation, among other organizations, have continually shown 

13that kinship care results in better outcomes for children; the 

14United States Congress has prioritized kinship care for 

15decades, enacting various laws to provide funding and national 

16standards to support a relative-focused foster care system 

17nationwide; and

18 WHEREAS, The role of family members in a child's life 

19extends beyond placement; relatives can contribute in other 

20meaningful ways, such as providing assistance with visitation, 

21transportation, and respite care, or simply as positive role 

22models with whom a child interacts regularly, providing 

23multiple points of connection and support; and

HR0905- 3 -LRB104 21908 RMO 37797 r

1 WHEREAS, Initial family-finding efforts and consistent 

2relative engagement throughout the duration of a child's case 

3are crucial to securing meaningful family support and 

4connections, requiring DCFS to be both a partner and resource 

5to families throughout the process; and

6 WHEREAS, Accordingly, one goal of the KIND Act is to 

7increase the number of children achieving permanency through 

8subsidized guardianship, to decrease the length of stays in 

9care, and to provide overall stability and sustained family 

10structure; guardianship has consistently proven to be the best 

11option for many families because it respects family 

12relationships when reunification is not available, and the 

13KIND Act has provided resources and requirements to make 

14kinship care and guardianship more viable options for 

15relatives; and

16 WHEREAS, Judges are gatekeepers of parents' and children's 

17rights to family integrity; judges make inquiries, enter 

18findings, and provide essential oversight to ensure DCFS meets 

19its obligations to children and families under the KIND Act, 

20including to continuously and meaningfully engage children's 

21extended network of kin, thereby securing relational 

22permanence for children regardless of where they are placed; 

23and

HR0905- 4 -LRB104 21908 RMO 37797 r

1 WHEREAS, The KIND Act supports the ongoing reforms 

2required by the B.H. v. Mueller consent decree to improve the 

3safety of thousands of children in DCFS's care, to lessen the 

4length of time taken for a child to achieve permanency, and to 

5improve the well-being of children in care and the quality of 

6service provided by DCFS; and

7 WHEREAS, DCFS staggered implementation of the KIND Act 

8with the first provisions taking effect on February 6, 2025, 

9which remove barriers to guardianship by providing additional 

10resources and supporting and prioritizing family finding, 

11relative engagement, and placement through enhanced caseworker 

12requirements, recognizing that federal law requires states to 

13engage and prioritiz