HB 4306

Abstract

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that all youth in care shall be assigned a mental health provider to manage their mental health care needs. Requires a youth's mental health provider to visit the youth and conduct a well-being assessment within 30 days after the youth is removed from his or her home and placed in the temporary custody or guardianship of the Department of Children and Family Services. Provides that additional follow-up visits and well-being checks shall be scheduled and conducted until the youth is no longer under the custody or guardianship of the Department. Provides that any mental health care services provided to the youth shall be in addition to any care or services the youth receives from his or her primary care provider. Grants the Department rulemaking authority. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Creates the Holistic Mental Health Care for Youth in Care Task Force. Requires the Task Force to review and make recommendations regarding mental health and wellness services provided to youth in care, including a program of holistic mental health services provided 30 days after the date upon which a youth is placed in foster care, in order to determine how to best meet the mental health needs of youth in care. Provides that the Task Force shall also assess the capacity of State licensed mental health professionals to provide preventive mental health care to youth in care; review the current payment rates for mental health providers serving the youth in care population; evaluate the recruitment and retention of mental health providers who are persons of color to serve the youth in care population; and perform other specified duties. Provides that the Task Force shall consist of 9 members and that members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Requires the Task Force to meet at least once each month beginning no later than July 1, 2022 and at other times as determined by the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force may hold electronic meetings and a member of the Task Force shall be deemed present for the purposes of establishing a quorum and voting. Provides that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, in conjunction with the Department of Children and Family Services, shall provide the Task Force with administrative support. Requires the Task Force to prepare and submit to the Governor and the General Assembly at the end of each quarter a report that summarizes its work and makes recommendations resulting from its study. Effective immediately. Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 1 (Dept. of Children & Family Services) There is no material cost to this legislation. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the engrossed bill with the following changes: Provides that the Task Force shall include: (i) a member appointed by the Governor from the Office of the Governor who has a focus on mental health issues, (rather than a member from the Office of the Governor who has a focus on mental health issues); (ii) one member who is a former youth in care, appointed by the Governor (rather than one member who is a former youth in care recommended by the Illinois Chapter of the Foster Care Alumni of America); and (iii) one representative from the managed care entity managing the YouthCare program, appointed by (rather than recommended by) the Director of Healthcare and Family Services. Requires the Task Force to submit its final report to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than December 31, 2024. Provides that upon submission of its final report, the Task Force is dissolved.