SPRINGFIELD — A bill soon heading to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk would direct foster care officials in Illinois to prioritize placing children with relatives. The House voted unanimously on Monday to pass the Kindship in Demand Act, or KIND Act.
puts an obligation on the Department of Children and Family Services to use a “kin-first approach” when placing children in foster care settings. Lawmakers and advocates said it’s better for children to be placed with a family member or another person close to the child when possible. “If we can stabilize 10 or 12 kids, we’re going to change somebody’s community,” Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, told the House Adoption and Child Welfare Committee on Sunday. Pritzker previously voiced support for the idea at a news conference in December. The approach ultimately will allow the state more access to federal funds, Nora Collins-Mandeville from the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois told the committee Sunday. Currently, the state reimburses family members for care costs, but once they become certified under the new bill, the state can get more federal funding to cover those expenses. Like most other state agencies, DCFS faced challenges during a two-year budget impasse that ended in 2017 and strained the system’s funding and ability to promptly place children in care settings. The Pritzker administration has ramped up funding for the agency, but former DCFS director Marc Smith was found by a Cook County judge in