CDS Hair Care Initiative

This grant award will have an initial period of performance starting 10/1/2026 and ending 06/30/2027. Note for this FY27 application, a prorated 9-month budget should be submitted as part of the application.
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DESCRIPTION

Provider will deliver a comprehensive, trauma-informed haircare education and cultural care program designed to support full implementation of The Children and Family Services Act (20 ILCS 505/7.3b, The Foster Parent Law (20 ILCS 520/1-15 and 20) and The Foster Children’s Bill of Rights Act (20 ILCS 521/5 (a.k.a Hair Care Bill) statewide. The service will maintain and strengthen family functioning by equipping foster and adoptive caregivers with the practical skills, cultural knowledge, and tangible tools needed to meet the grooming and identity affirmation standards required under state law.

Services are delivered across core components including hands-on caregiver workshops that provide direct, skills-based haircare instruction tailored to diverse hair textures and types; training modules ensuring statewide access to consistent, quality education; individualized haircare plan consultations that help caregivers develop personalized routines aligned with each youth’s cultural identity and specific needs; and caregiver kit distribution providing households with the professional-grade products and tools necessary to implement proper care. Additionally, youth direct services support identity development and self-advocacy, while DCFS staff training builds internal agency capacity to monitor and support compliance with The Children and Family Services Act (20 ILCS 505/7.3b, The Foster Parent Law (20 ILCS 520/1-15 and 20) and The Foster Children’s Bill of Rights Act (20ILCS 521/5.

All services shall be delivered by licensed cosmetology professionals trained in multicultural haircare and trauma-informed practices. These services advance permanency and child wellbeing by safeguarding placement stability, preventing placement disruption, supporting family reunification readiness, and facilitating youth development through culturally affirming care — consistent with the core purposes of DCFS.
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PROOGRAM DETAILS

Provider will provide specialized, trauma-informed, and culturally competent haircare services tailored to the needs of foster and adoptive youth and their caregivers. Services include virtual individualized haircare assessments and written plan development; regional hands-on caregiver workshops covering shampoo day routines, detangling, protective styling, scalp health, and identity-affirming care aligned with statutory standards; virtual and on-demand training modules accessible statewide through an electronic portal; youth direct services including styling events and back-to-school haircare days supporting identity development and well-being; and cultural competency training for DCFS staff building awareness of multicultural haircare practices and statutory implementation across placement settings. All services are delivered by licensed cosmetology professionals trained in multicultural haircare and trauma-informed practices.

The Provider will distribute caregiver resource kits to foster and adoptive families as a required component of this award. Each kit must include culturally responsive haircare tools, products, and instructional materials appropriate for textured and multicultural hair, ensuring caregivers and youth have the necessary items and guidance to support healthy, affirming haircare practices.

The Provider will deliver services statewide using regional sites such as DCFS regional offices, educational facilities, and partner community centers. All service locations, primary and regional, will be selected to ensure full accessibility for all participants in compliance with applicable federal and state standards, and will be safe, adequately maintained, culturally welcoming, and conducive to a healing-centered approach to service delivery. Regional hands-on workshops will be held at accessible, suitable facilities across service regions statewide. For virtual services, including haircare plan consultations and on-demand training modules, the Provider will maintain a secure and reliable digital platform meeting applicable accessibility and privacy standards.

The Provider will offer a flexible, statewide menu of services for youth in DCFS care, their caregivers, and DCFS staff. Services must be delivered by licensed professionals trained in multicultural haircare and trauma-informed practices. All services must comply with DCFS laws, rules, regulations, procedures, protocols, and policy guides. Service delivery methods must include: (1) Regional Hands-On Workshops—in-person sessions (2–3 hours) covering textured haircare, protective styling, scalp health, hygiene standards, and product usage; (2) Virtual Training Modules—on-demand modules accessible statewide for caregivers with scheduling or transportation barriers; (3) Haircare Plan Consulting—individual consultations resulting in a written, culturally informed haircare plan for DCFS case documentation; (4) Caregiver Kit Distribution; (5) Youth Direct Services including styling events and confidence-building workshops; and (6) DCFS Staff Training including orientation and cultural competency modules.
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TARGET POPULATION

Client Capacity Under DCFS Agreement: 1,000 (stat-wide)
Client Capacity at Any Given Time: 40

Average Length of Services: TBD

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

Client: A “client” is defined as any youth in active DCFS foster care placement, a foster or adoptive caregiver, or DCFS staff member who receives services under the Hair Care Initiative pursuant to a DCFS referral.

The target population is Youth in foster care placement with Illinois DCFS who have textured, natural, or multicultural hair requiring culturally competent haircare support, and the foster/adoptive caregivers and DCFS staff responsible for their care.

Inclusions:
• Youth in Care, including children in non-relative and relative (kinship) foster placements, group home settings, and transitional living programs, who have textured, multicultural, or otherwise specialized haircare needs requiring culturally competent caregiver support.
• Foster and adoptive caregivers who are responsible for maintaining individualized haircare plans for youth in their care, as required under The Children and Family Services Act (20 ILCS 505/7.3b, The Foster Parent Law (20 ILCS 520/1-15 and 20) and The Foster Children’s Bill of Rights Act (20 ILCS 521/5.
• DCFS caseworkers and staff requiring orientation and cultural competency training on The Children and Family Services Act (20 ILCS 505/7.3b, The Foster Parent Law (20 ILCS 520/1-15 and 20) and The Foster Children’s Bill of Rights Act (20 ILCS 521/5 haircare assessment and plan implementation.

Exclusions:
Youth who are no longer in active DCFS placement or who have been discharged from foster care without an active case. Families not involved in the DCFS system unless specifically referred by the DCFS Program Administrator or designee.
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REFERRAL AND ADMISSION PROCEDURES

The Provider must maintain a reliable, secure, and continuously accessible online referral portal approved by the Department. The system must allow DCFS caseworkers and authorized liaisons to submit referrals, upload required documentation and receive confirmation of referral receipt. The Provider is responsible for ensuring the system operates without interruption, except for planned maintenance communicated in advance.

All referrals must be submitted exclusively through the Provider’s designated online portal. Each referral must identify the referring caseworker, referral date, client identifier, and any required supporting information. The Department retains full authority over referral decisions. The Provider does not determine eligibility or make admission decisions under this Agreement.

The Department will identify and refer eligible youth and caregivers to the Initiative as appropriate based on active DCFS placement and statutory compliance requirements. The Department will provide the Provider with relevant case information necessary to complete a haircare assessment, including the youth’s name, age, placement type, and referring caseworker contact information. The Department will ensure that all referrals are submitted exclusively through the Initiative online portal and that referring case workers have been provided access and orientation to the portal prior to submitting referrals. The Department will review monthly activity reports submitted and communicate any concerns, discrepancies, or follow-up needs to the designated program contact in a timely manner. The Department will participate in program evaluations, quality assurance review, or data reporting activities required under this agreement in a timely and cooperative manner.

Client Contacts: Contacts can be either virtual or in person as outlined in the individualized plan for each youth. Session may be individual or groups based on client needs. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TREATMENT GOALS/SERVICE PLANS

Client treatment plans will comply with the structure and goals set forth by the Children and Family Services Act (20 ILCS 505/7.3b, The Foster Parent Law (20 ILCS 520/1-15 and 20) and The Foster Children’s Bill of Rights Act (20 ILCS 521/5 (a.k.a Hair Care Bill) statewide.

Individualized Haircare Assessments and Written Plan Requirements:
• The Provider must complete an individualized haircare assessment for each referred youth. The assessment must identify the youth’s specific haircare needs, current practices, cultural considerations, and any barriers to maintaining healthy hair and scalp condition. Assessments must be conducted within ten (10) business days of referral acceptance, unless otherwise agreed upon with the referring DCFS worker.
• Following the assessment, the Provider must develop a written haircare plan tailored to the youth’s needs. The plan must include a range of recommended products, tools, care routines, protective styles, maintenance schedules, and any professional services required to support minimum healthy grooming, cultural identity, and well‑being. Written plans must be prepared in a format that can be incorporated directly into the youth’s DCFS case plan.
• Completed haircare plans shall be provided to the referring DCFS caseworker and, when appropriate, to the youth’s caregiver. The Provider shall document the assessment, the completed haircare plan, and the date of delivery within the Provider’s designated service portal to ensure continuity of care and compliance with statutory requirements. Plans must be updated as the youth’s needs evolve or as directed by the referring DCFS worker.
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STAFFING QUALIFICATIONS

Individuals must pass all background checks prior to beginning employment. Conditional employment is not permitted.

DIRECT SERVICE:
Direct service staff must hold an active Illinois cosmetology, natural hair braiding, or barbering license and have a minimum of 2 years of experience working with textured and multicultural hair. Staff must also complete a DCFS agency approved, trauma-informed care orientation prior to providing services.

Workshop facilitators must hold an active cosmetology educator or instructor license and have demonstrated experience delivering culturally competent haircare training to adult learners.

SUPERVISORY:
Supervisory staff are responsible for monitoring overall program performance, adherence to contractual requirements, timely documentation, staff support, and resolution of operational issues as they arise. The Provider must ensure that qualified supervisory personnel provide guidance and oversight to program staff and any subrecipients to maintain consistent, compliant, and high‑quality service delivery.

Program Director must hold an active Illinois cosmetology educator license with a minimum of 5 years of experience in the beauty education field, including demonstrated experience supervising licensed cosmetology professionals. Prior experience working with child welfare populations, foster care systems, or youth-serving organizations is preferred. The Director is responsible for ensuring all direct service staff and facilitators maintain current licensure in compliance with IDFPR requirements, complete required program orientations, and deliver services consistent with the standards established under this Agreement. The Director must also have demonstrated experience in program coordination, staff oversight, and data or case documentation, with the ability to prepare and submit monthly activity reports to DCFS and respond to compliance inquiries in a timely manner.

MINIMUM STAFFING EXPECTATIONS

At minimum, the Provider will maintain a program coordinator, with an active Illinois cosmetology, natural hair braiding, or barbering license, responsible for scheduling and client coordination, one or more licensed cosmetology educators or instructors to deliver caregiver training and DCFS staff orientation, and one or more licensed cosmetologists or natural hair specialists to deliver direct services and haircare plan consultations. Staffing levels will be adjusted to reflect the volume of active referrals and regional service demand.
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PROGRAM OUTCOMES AND METRICS

1) Caregivers improve their ability to provide culturally competent, trauma‑informed haircare aligned with statutory requirements.
2) Youth receive individualized, culturally affirming haircare support that promotes identity development and well‑being.
3) DCFS staff build increased capacity to monitor, reinforce, and support compliance with the Hair Care Bill and related statutes.
4) Statewide accessibility to quality multicultural haircare education is strengthened.
5) Implementation of statutory haircare obligations becomes more consistent across placement settings.
6) Families are equipped with the tools required to follow proper textured‑hair routines.

PERFORMANCE METRICS

Caregiver Training & Skill Development
• Number of caregivers trained (monthly/quarterly/annual).
• Percentage of caregivers completing both a workshop and at least one virtual module.
• Caregiver self‑reported confidence score increases (pre/post).

Individualized Haircare Plans
• Number of individualized haircare assessments completed within required timeframes.
• Number of written haircare plans completed and submitted to DCFS caseworkers.
• Percentage of plans incorporated into DCFS case documentation.
• Percentage of plans updated when youth needs evolve.

Youth Direct Services
• Number of youth receiving direct styling or identity‑affirming sessions.
• Youth satisfaction scores (short post‑session surveys).
• Reduction in caseworker‑reported haircare concerns for participating youth.

Caregiver Resource Kits
• Number of kits assembled and distributed.
• Percentage of caregivers reporting correct use of products/tools (via brief follow‑up survey).
• Caregiver kit distribution coverage across all regions.

DCFS Staff Training
• Number and percentage of DCFS staff completing cultural competency training.
• Percentage of DCFS staff demonstrating increased knowledge (pre/post quiz).
• Number of regional offices receiving in‑person staff training.

Service Accessibility & Reach
• Number of regional workshops held.
• Percentage of workshops held in compliance with accessibility standards.
• Number of virtual training module completions statewide.
• Geographic distribution of participants (to ensure statewide reach).

Referral Processing & Timeliness
• Percentage of referrals acknowledged within 2 business days.
• Percentage of referrals accepted within 5 business days.
• Percentage of clients contacted within 7 business days of referral acceptance.
• Referral rejection rate (should remain low; tracked only for approved reasons such as capacity).

Quality & Satisfaction
• Quarterly participant satisfaction scores (youth, caregivers, DCFS workers).
• Number of customer-service or complaint resolutions.
• Percentage of workshop attendees rating training as “helpful” or “very helpful.”

Capacity Management
• Number of active cases at any given time (target: 40).
• Total number of service units delivered annually (caregiver workshop, youth styling, haircare plan consult, virtual module completion).
• Percentage of service units documented correctly and on time.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Administered by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services via the Illinois GATA Catalog of State Financial Assistance (CSFA 418-00-4117).