APS Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation Services Program – Cook County

This grant award will have an initial period of performance starting in FY27 (07/01/2026 (or upon execution of the agreement) through 06/30/2029). A budget should be submitted for FY27 only.
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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation Services Program shall provide intensive, family-centered intervention to empower and strengthen families to become self-sufficient in their communities. The interventions provided shall include a broad assessment of the families’ issues, needs and strengths, developing a plan of service, and providing therapy, parent coaching, groups, case management, support and advocacy services. Post adoption and guardianship services shall be pro-active and preventative, providing support as early as at the time of adoption finalization or guardianship transfer through subsidized guardianship. Services shall also be provided when families are experiencing more challenging issues as well as in times of crisis.

Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation Services Program Providers shall help to prepare the members of the adoption or guardianship triad in obtaining information about each other (provided all parties involved agree to release such information) and navigating their connections to one another.

The primary purpose of post adoption and guardianship services is to support the permanency of adoption or guardianship. Services are to promote permanency by maintaining, strengthening and safeguarding the functioning of families to (1) prevent substitute care placement, (2) promote family reunification, (3) stabilize foster care
placements, (4) facilitate youth development, and (5) ensure the safety, permanency and wellbeing of children.
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PROGRAM DETAILS

The Provider shall ensure services are provided in the primary language or method of communication of each youth and, as applicable, to the youth’s parent(s), guardian(s) and/or other significant persons involved with the youth.

Core components:
1) Comprehensive Assessment: When a referral which meets the eligibility requirements is received, adoption and
guardianship support and preservation staff must respond by phone within 24 hours (excluding business days and holidays). When the request requires crisis/emergency service, a worker must contact the family and arrange an in-home meeting between the therapist and the family within 3 business days.

2) The Crisis intervention/assessment services may differ depending on the nature of the referral (e.g. Adoptive or guardianship family requesting intervention resulting from a crisis with their child’s behavior; adoptive or guardianship family requesting assistance with out-of-home placement; or assessment required as a result of the death or disability of the adoptive or guardianship family.) In all cases, families must be asked to sign consents for release of information to current and past treatment providers, to agencies with pertinent records, and, to other service providers. Family members will participate in assessing their own strengths and needs and in developing treatment goals. The therapist is expected to complete a written assessment form and family treatment plan within 30 days of the family’s referral into the program, but this time can be lengthened depending on participation, level of functioning and other ongoing needs of the participant as assessed by the clinician and the clinician’s supervisor.

3) Clinical Services: The therapist conducting the assessment of the family must provide clinical services (relating to the adoption
or guardianship issue) to the family in the form of individual and family therapy if prescribed by the treatment plan that is
developed. Treatment plans must be reviewed and evaluated quarterly (or sooner if the need arises) to accommodate treatment needs that were not initially evident. They must be knowledgeable about normal developmental stages and in issues that are specifically related to trauma, adoption and guardianship.

4) START: START services and designed to allow for quick assessment and more immediate services for families that are requesting less intensive and more preventative services. The initial assessment is done at the point of referral to ensure that the client is in need of prevention verses a more detailed assessment. Additionally, the treatment planning process is purposely brief but also very broad, in order to capture strengths and areas of development. The START philosophy revolves around the idea of providing support 24/7. Thus, there are 24 areas of foci within 7 Domains to examine during this assessment process. The broad assessment is meant to last just a few sessions to allow for services to begin more quickly. Services that fall within the START program are not the traditional therapy services, but rather short-term interventions such as biofeedback, Safe and Sound Protocol,
Neuro-feedback, psycho-educational or affect regulation programming, trauma-informed parenting approaches such as Trust Based Relational Intervention and Mind-up. Case management is another important piece of START services, as connection to community-based resources assist in developing family resiliency. Families are encouraged to participate in local support groups and respite, as well as any services available within the community. Families who access these services are able to switch into the services as usual whenever a need for more intensive therapy is identified. START services must meet all of the same contractual requirements of ASAP and are considered an imbedded program.

5) Group Services/Support Groups: The Provider shall offer support groups for both parents and children/teenagers at times and locations that meet the needs of the participants. The group structure may be either an open-ended model (where sessions are ongoing, and individuals may enter or exit the group at any time); or a support group series (such as 8-week sessions.) The
Provider must ensure that there are sufficient groups operating to allow for client participation during the client’s service period.
In addition, the Provider may provide educational groups for the parents/children that may or may not be open to the general
public.

6) Case Management/Advocacy Services: The Provider must provide case management/advocacy services to families who
can benefit from such services. The need for case management and advocacy must be addressed in each family’s treatment plan and reviewed quarterly (or sooner if the need arises). Examples of case management services include the Provider’s assistance to a family in accessing camp, after-school services, etc. Advocacy services may include assisting the family in coordinating with the child’s school to ensure that all applicable services are received, or referral of the family to the DCFS Educational Advocate serving their region for more complex educational issues; and linkage with other service providers to ensure that families are able to receive specific services, etc. Prior to termination of services, provisions will be made for families to continue to receive any necessary advocacy services within their local communities.

7) Children’s Mental Health Advocacy Services: The Provider must provide these services to families who can benefit from case management and advocacy service due to the significant and/or complex mental health needs of their child(ren). The Mental Health Advocate will primarily interact with the following individuals and assist with applications to access the following services: DCFS
regional clinical manager; Family Support Program; application to the local LANs to access WRAP services; SASS (Screening
Assessment and Support Services); Family Stabilization, SACY assessments and services; and other public or private agencies with applicable services. Provisions must be made for the continuation of any necessary advocacy services within local communities prior to termination of services under this Contract.

NOTE: The Case Management/Advocacy Services and the Children’s Mental Health Advocacy Services noted above are
supplemental to the other core services available through the preservation program and are not meant to be the intense case
management services available through DCFS when the child is under the guardianship of the Department and has an assigned worker to perform all case management services required.

8) Cash Assistance: The Provider may provide cash assistance payments for a family who faces economic hardships that
jeopardize the placement or may purchase specialized services for which no other resource is available. The family may request up to $500 per fiscal year as funding allows. The Provider shall maintain records of the cash assistance amounts expended and the reasons for each of the expenditures.

9) Other support services: The Provider may provide other types of support services (which cannot be provided utilizing the $500
Cash Assistance) at their discretion. Such services would include respite, homemaker service, camping experiences,
weekend retreats, aftercare services, etc. Funding for such additional services would be covered by the Provider through existing funding sources available to the Provider. Funding for other support services as described here cannot be counted as an additional billable unit through the Adoption and Guardianship Preservation Contract.
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REFERRAL AND ADMISSION PROCEDURES

Referral Decision-Making Criteria: Referrals for this program can come from the Subsidy Support Unit, community or self-referrals. Referrals and admissions to the Adoption and Guardianship Support & Preservation Program require that an assessment has been done by an Adoption and Guardianship Preservation Program Intake Worker. The family must be contacted with 24 hours (considering business days) of receipt of referral. The assessment must result in a determination that Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation Services are appropriate services and can meet the needs of the family. The Adoption and Guardianship Preservation Program Intake Worker must gather preliminary information to determine the appropriateness of the referral for the program.

Once the preliminary assessment is completed, if the referral is not appropriate for the services provided by the program, a referral must be made to other appropriate resources to meet the needs of families who are not accepted for this program where services are available.
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STAFFING QUALIFICATIONS

DIRECT SERVICE:
Professional Staff Delivering Clinical Services: Professional staff who deliver clinical services, including but not limited to
counseling and therapy, shall possess a minimum of a Master’s degree in Counseling or Social Work from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited program or a Master’s Degree in a field related to social work or counseling from an accredited college or university plus three years of subsequent work as a therapist. If a staff member is not licensed at the time of employment, he/she shall be supervised by a licensed employee and be actively working toward licensure. Clinical service staff shall also possess
knowledge of normal developmental stages and issues that are specifically related to adoption and guardianship. Examples include
knowledge of child welfare adoptions where abuse, neglect or dependency may have a significant impact on the intervention;
knowledge of separation and attachment; and knowledge of the resurfacing of issues that may have been resolved at an earlier time.

Professional Staff Delivering Other Services: Professional staff who deliver services other than clinical services (i.e. case management, advocacy, and support group co-leader) shall possess a bachelor’s degree in social work from a CSWE accredited program plus two years of subsequent experience in social work; or bachelor’s degree in a field related to social work from an accredited college or university with three years of subsequent experience in social work. Staff shall possess knowledge of normal developmental stages and issues that are specifically related to adoption and guardianship. Staff that provide case management, advocacy and support group services shall be knowledge of services available in the community they serve; and shall demonstrate the ability to establish good relationships and networking capabilities with other agencies providing services to families in the communities they serve. Support group co-leaders may only co-lead when the supervising therapist is present.

SUPERVISORY:
All Supervisory staff must possess a Master’s Degree in social work, psychology, counseling or related field from an accredited school and at least three years experience in social work, or administration. A license such as LCSW, LCPC or other clinical license is required.

MINIMUM STAFFING EXPECTATIONS

Clients served: The estimated number of Clients to be served per year per full time employee (FTE) must be consistent with a ratio of 1 full time equivalent direct service staff to 8-12 client families per service period depending on the area covered by the Provider. The staffing will be based on the contract funding level. Client capacity: The number of staff determines the Client capacity
at any one time. The ratio of staff to client is 1 FTE to 8-12 families depending on the intensity of service required by the families served.

Provider must plan to have at least one Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) certified therapist.
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TARGET POPULATION
DCFS Client Capacity Under DCFS Agreement: TBD
DCFS Client Capacity at Any Given Time: TBD
Agency Client Capacity Under Program: TBD
Agency Client Capacity at Any Given Time: TBD

Average Length of Services: The average length of long-term services is between 12 to 15 months but may extend up to two years with a n approved Request for Extension. For Start early, Trauma- informed, Attachment-focused, Resiliency-building, Therapeutic (START) services, the average length of time is 3-6 months. If additional services are needed, they may be extended as noted above.

The Provider must obtain prior authorization from DCFS to service clients outside of the program plan parameters.

CLIENT: A family with youth who have an open Illinois DCFS subsidy case. An Illinois subsidy case may stay open up to age 21. The Provider must check with the DCFS Subsidy staff to determine if the case is still open after age 18. The Provider may service a family whose child was privately adopted or adopted through another state and is under the age of 18. The client for the case can either be identified as the child, as noted above, or as the family unit. Youth must also fit the following criteria:

• resides in the home at the time of referral; lives in another home as part of an informal care giving arrangement; is planning to transition back into the home (e.g. a child in a psychiatric placement);
• permanency was disrupted either because of the death or disability of the adoptive parent or guardian and who is residing in the home of an adult who expresses interest in becoming the adoptive parent or guardian at the time of the referral; or
• the family is requesting a comprehensive assessment for the purpose of determining the need for out-of-home placement.

A waiting list shall be maintained for those families who qualify for service but for whom an opening is not available at the time. A triage model shall be utilized with the families on the waiting list. This shall include providing families with information on other possible resources, offering group services to the family while they wait for an opening; and maintaining periodic contact to let them know of their status on the waiting list.

Inclusions:
Illinois Families meeting the definition of client and eligibility criteria must be accepted on a no decline basis unless services are
deemed to be inappropriate based on Client needs and family participation. To be served, a family must have either a child who was adopted (either through DCFS or privately) or for whom they are named as the subsidized guardian through DCFS, and the family must either accept the service or express a willingness to begin receiving services. The following, although not exhaustive, provides examples of the types of problems that would be appropriate for adoption/guardianship support and preservation services:

– Child or children experiencing significant emotional or behavioral issues such as: chronic lying and/or stealing, aggression, eating or sleeping disturbances, fire-setting, sexual acting-out, and ADHD that are symptomatic of the adoption/guardianship placement, or placement history;
– Child experiencing loss/grief/separation issues:
– Medical/organic/neurological disabilities, e.g. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/effects, Mood Disorders, Attachment Disorders, and other psychiatric diagnoses; and
– Adjustment issues relating to adoption/guardianship.

Exclusions:
Any family may be excluded based on non-cooperation of the adoptive or guardianship parent(s) or children. The following are conditions within the family, which may cause exclusions from the program:
– A child who is a chronic runaway, is on the run at the time of the referral for service, and whereabouts are unknown;
– A child who is involved in criminal or gang activity and there are known or suspected safety issues (the Provider can make assessments at the time of the referral on possible safety issues or if services can be served in a different environment or virtually
– Severe cognitive impairment of parent or child resulting in their inability to benefit from service;
– Parent or guardian is no longer willing to parent and has ruled out any services to stabilize the placement; or
– Substance abuse of parent/child, when referral to a substance abuse program has been refused and which results in their inability to benefit from service.
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PROGRAM OUTCOMES AND METRICS

– Provider shall increase accessibility of services for 100% adoptive and guardianship families served by the program.
– Provider shall increase the use of community-based services to support families, where appropriate, and prevent the out-of-home placement of children, for at least 95% of families served by the program.
– Provider shall prevent the entry/re-entry of a child into the child welfare system for at least 95% of the children served by the program.

TREATMENT GOALS

– Establish a range of services that address the needs of an adoptive or guardianship family, while responding to their immediate needs, for at least 95% of families served by the program.
– Increase the family’s level of functioning in at least 80% of families served by the program.
– Maintain the child in the adoptive home, or when placement outside the home is appropriate and necessary, maintain parent/child relationship in at least 85% of families.
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GEOGRAPHIC/SERVICE PROVISION AREA(S)

Cook County Federal Assistance Listing: 93.556. Administered by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services via the Illinois GATA Catalog of State Financial Assistance (CSFA 418-00-0062).