DCFS outlines rule updates, new case system and workforce priorities as foster-population declines

Tiffany Wright, director of the Division of Children and Family Services at the Department of Human Services, told the Senate Children and Youth Committee that DCFS has formalized increased monthly board payments for resource (foster) parents and updated agency rules to strengthen Safe Haven surrender protections.

Wright said the department increased board payment rates "by 10% in August of last year" and that the rule package clarifies mileage reimbursement and the process for requesting a special board rate. She also described changes intended to align agency rules with recent legislation and to protect parents who surrender infants under the Safe Haven Act: "if the identity of a parent or child is inadvertently released or made known to the department, that parent will still have the same protections, from criminal and civil liability as if an anonymous safe haven surrender was made," Wright said.

Why it matters: the rule clarifications affect how the state treats parents who use the Safe Haven surrender process and formalize supports intended to reduce costs for foster parents. Committee members pressed DCFS for practical details about implementation, contracting and cost impacts.

Key details and rollout

Wright described a multi-phase rollout of a new child-welfare case management system—referred to in the meeting as…