Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) The
initial application for license as a child welfare agency shall be completed by
the officers of the governing body of the child welfare agency on forms
prescribed and furnished by the Department.
b) For the initial application for a license
to be complete, the following shall be attached to the application:
1) Agencies not providing adoption services
shall include the agency's articles of incorporation and by-laws, indicating
that the agency's corporate status is in good standing with the Illinois
Secretary of State and, if a not-for-profit corporation under Section 501 of
the Internal Revenue Code ( 26 USCA 501), a copy of the Internal Revenue
Service ruling on the agency's exemption status from Federal income tax and
registration with the Charitable Trust Bureau of the Attorney General's office
(if applicable);
2) Agencies not
providing adoption services shall include a list of owners, officers, board
members, and principal shareholders owning more than 5% of the stock of the
corporation and each person's attestation that he or she has not been convicted
of a felony or indicated as a perpetrator of child abuse or child neglect, as
defined in Appendix B of 89 Ill. Adm. Code 300 (Reports of Child Abuse and
Neglect). This includes any or all of the above persons who reside outside the
State of Illinois. The board list shall include the board chair's name, home
address and telephone number that is in addition to the agency's telephone
number; the names of the other officers of the board; names of the other board
members; and committees of the governing body;
3) Agencies providing adoption services shall
attach to the initial application:
A) A
current copy of the Internal Revenue Service's ruling showing that the agency
is officially recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a
tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 (
26 USC
501);
B) A current copy of registration with the
Charitable Trust Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General's office;
C) Copies of 990 reports filed with the
Internal Revenue Service in the preceding 3 years (if applicable);
D) Articles of incorporation and by-laws,
indicating that the agency's corporate status is in good standing with the
Illinois Secretary of State; and
E)
A list of officers, board members, and each person's attestation that he or she
has not been convicted of a felony or indicated as a perpetrator of child abuse
or child neglect, as defined in Appendix B of 89 Ill. Adm. Code 300 (Reports of
Child Abuse and Neglect). This includes any or all of the above persons who
reside outside the State of Illinois. The board list shall include the board
chair's name, home address and telephone number that is in addition to the
agency's telephone number; the names of the other officers of the board; names
of the board other members; and committees of the governing body;
4) A mission statement or
statement of purpose including services to be provided and the types of child
care facilities to be operated and supervised by the agency, including a plan
for recruiting foster family and adoptive homes, as required to fulfill the
agency's mission or purpose;
5)
Proposed operating budget for the first two years of operation;
6) Range of services to be provided within
the first two years of operation; and
7) A comprehensive staffing plan which
includes job descriptions and the qualifications of the staff for all child
welfare programs to be provided by the agency. If the child welfare agency
operates within a multi-service agency, those staff positions that perform no
functions for the child welfare agency do not need to be included in the
staffing plan. If the child welfare agency intends to operate branch offices,
the address, telephone number and staffing plan for each of the branch offices
is to be included in the initial application (if known) or reported to the
Department within 30 days after the location for a branch office is
secured.
c) In addition,
the license applicant shall have the following items available for review when
the licensing worker visits the agency headquarters.
1) A list of current employees of the child
welfare agency, persons the agency has made a commitment to hire and:
A) Certified transcripts of each employee's
educational credentials (if obtained from a foreign school or university, the
credentials must be translated into English and include a statement of
equivalency in the United States educational system);
B) Verification of prior work history, when
the work history is required to qualify for the current position;
C) Copy of current professional license or
registration, if required. (See Appendix G for a list of professionals commonly
used by a licensed child welfare agency who must be licensed or registered.);
and
D) If the individual is subject
to the background check requirements of 89 Ill. Adm. Code 385 (Background
Checks) a copy of each employee's complete, signed authorization to conduct a
background check.
2) The
agency's written personnel policies, including written compensation policies
and salary levels.
3) The agency's
written service delivery policies.
4) The agency's risk management plan
developed in accordance with Appendix D of this Part.
5) The agency's documentation of current
public liability insurance as required by Section
401.220(g).
6) The agency's code of ethics which has been
adopted by the governing body which must be at least as stringent as the Code
of Ethics for Child Welfare Professionals (published by the Office of
Communications, Department of Children and Family Services, 406 East Monroe,
Station #65, Springfield, Illinois 62701 (May 1996) or found on the
Department's website at
www.state.il.us/dcfs).
7) The agency's financial management
policies.
d) If the
corporate status or ownership of the child welfare agency changes, the new
corporate entity must file an initial application for a child welfare agency
license as the new corporation.
e)
A new application for a child welfare agency license shall be filed when:
1) An application for license as a child
welfare agency has been withdrawn before a decision was made on the application
and the agency seeks to reapply; or
2) The applicant had been licensed previously
as a child welfare agency, but voluntarily surrendered the license, and any
waiting period agreed to when the voluntary surrender was accepted has expired;
or
3) The applicant had been
licensed as a child welfare agency, but the Department revoked or refused to
renew the license and the requirements of subsection (f) of this Section have
been fulfilled.
f) A new
application may be submitted at any time when a license, permit or application
has been voluntarily surrendered or withdrawn by the applicant unless the
applicant has signed an agreement with the Department not to reapply for a
license for a specified period of time. Once an investigation of the facility
has been commenced, the license may be voluntarily surrendered only with the
signed, written agreement of the regional licensing administrator on the form
prescribed in Appendix F.
g) If the
Department has revoked or refused to renew the license of a child welfare
agency and the agency seeks to reapply for a license, it may do so if at least
12 months have passed since the effective date of the revocation or refusal to
renew. If a new license is granted to the applicant, the Department shall issue
a provisional license to the applicant for a period not to exceed two years.
The denial of a reapplication for a license pursuant to this subsection must be
supported by evidence that the prior revocation renders the applicant
unqualified or incapable of satisfying the standards and rules promulgated by
the Department pursuant to the Child Care Act of 1969, or maintaining a
facility which adheres to such standards and rules. [225 ILCS
10/6(c)]
h) The applicant shall submit an original and
one copy of the application for license and all required
documentation.
