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The Illinois Permanency Enhancement Project (PEP) began in 2007 as a partnership between IDCFS, the African American Family Commission, the IDCFS African American Advisory Council and Illinois State University, School of Social Work/Center for Adoption Studies. The goal of the initiative is to improve permanency outcomes and reduce racial disproportionality within the child welfare system, through local, community-driven solutions . Community “Action Teams” made up of childwelfare service consumers, human service professionals, educators, judicial officers, and concerned citizens, meet on a monthly basis to develop programs, policies, and collaborative initiatives aimed at improving permanency outcomes for children.
In the first year of the initiative, stakeholders in the Central region of the State participated in focus groups (link report), examined local permanency achievement data (link report), and engaged in a Permanency Enhancement Symposium where they developed “location action plans” to address community level barriers to permanency for children.
Phase one of the project was completed in spring of 2007, when action teams and community stakeholders across the Central region participated in the first Permanency Enhancement Symposium. The morning session consisted of a review of the nature of the problem with an overview by DCFS Director Erwin McEwen. A discussion of the needs of African American families was facilitated by nationally known speaker Zena Oglesby of the Institute for Black Parenting. Illinois State University Center for Adoption Studies faculty members Dr. Jeanne Howard and Dr. Doris M. Houston presented data on permanency and disproportionality and findings from focus groups. In addition, a panel of judges, assistant state’s attorneys and a youth who graduated from foster care discussed the challenges of moving children more quickly to reunification or other permanency.
The session was telecast from Illinois State University to 5 additional sites across the region.
In the afternoon, participants divided into action teams to establish goals for their particular community. Each team had data specific to its county which presented 12 and 36 month permanency rates compared to the region as a whole and permanency rates by race. Action teams then set times to meet to continue planning to address goals they identified.
In Phase Two of the project, beginning in January of 2008, the initiative expanded to include every region within State of Illinois. University partnerships were also expanded to include Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Northern Illinois University. The University partners affiliated with each region of the state work with action teams to carefully define goals and objectives and to overcome barriers to action team progress. Additionally, the University Partners provide training, technical assistance, and evaluation services to community stakeholders and child welfare staff.
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
How do the skills, attitudes, beliefs and practices of court personnel promote or impede permanency for youth?
How do the skills, attitudes, beliefs and practices of DCFS staff promote or impede permanency outcomes for youth?
What family preservation and reunification services are available in Central Illinois?
What service gaps exists that may hamper family preservation and reunification efforts in Central Illinois?
What are the factors that DCFS involved families identify as promoting and/or impeding family stability?
At case initiation:
African American children are more likely than Caucasian children to be in care rather than served in intact families.
African American children consistently achieve permanency more slowly than white children.
Caucasian children were more likely to return home within 12 months than African American children.
A large percentage (34%) of children in care are teens with 17% over 18.
Almost 60% of the children 18 or over are African American.
African American children make up only 8 % of the population in Central region but are 43% of the children in care. Caucasian children make up 52%. Very few Hispanic children are in care in Central region.
For year 2006, the significant majority of children (79%) in care were in family foster care either traditional or kin.
African American children are considerably over represented (66%) among children in independent living.
Central region is more likely than the state as a whole to reunify children (permanency) within 12 months of their entry into care.
Reunifications are the most common type of permanency, followed by adoption. Subsidized guardianship in infrequently used in Central region.
In Central region, the median time in care for all children has gone up (from 14 to 21 months in 2004) since 1998.
African American children consistently have higher median months in care than Caucasian children. By 2004 the median length of care for them was 4 months longer than for white children.
[Updated September 7, 2009]
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