Illinois Families Now and Forever

              2003 • Volume 5 Year End • Edition
FAMILIES
Now and
Forever
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services©
ILLINOIS
™
From the
DCFS Director
After a steady dose of
attention from politicians and
the media, I want our foster and adoptive
families to be clear on some basic facts
concerning Maryville.
First, the problems at Maryville’s Des-
Plaines campus are not new. Since 2001,
the Department has expressed concerns that
it did not provide services appropriate to the
type of children it received at that program.
Second, Maryville must fix its problems.
When the monitors and DCFS outlined
specific problems, in many instances
Maryville’s response was slow, incomplete
or nonexistent.
Third, Maryville did not create their
problems solely on their own. DCFS has to
own up to a past practice of using Maryville
as the “placement of last resort” and now
must commit to finding the most approp-riate
settings.
Lastly, and most importantly, we adults
found a solution that keeps the interest of
children at the forefront. Those children
with high-end needs were moved first so
they could get help immediately. The other
children will continue to stay while
transition plans are made. Maryville in Des
Plaines will change its focus to become an
academic enrichment center, which plays
on its strengths and meets a dire need for
our older youth. This plan was not perfect
in its inception. However, I do feel
everyone is finally pulling together in the
right direction.
Bryan Samuels
Families by Foster Care, Adoption and Guardianship
Statewide Council honors
top Implementation Plans
At a ceremony this Fall, the foster care programs with the
top five scores on
their Implementat-ion
Plans received
recognition from the
Statewide Foster
Care Advisory Coun-cil
and the Director’s
Office. The Foster
Parent Law requir-es
every private
agency with a foster
care program and
the six DCFS regions
to submit an annual
Implementation
Plan. The Foster Parent Law clearly lays out 14 rights and
17 responsibilities of foster parents so that they can know
what to expect from agencies and what agencies can expect
from them. These Implementation Plans describe how the
agencies will uphold the rights and responsibilities outlined
in the Law.
Congratulations for
receiving the five
highest scores among
all the state foster
care programs go to:
• Catholic Char-ities,
Diocese of
Chicago
• Children’s Home
Association of
Illinois in Peoria
Barbara Jones-Green, Ray Gates (DCFS),
Jackie Sharp, Daniel Fitzgerald (DCFS)
and Joanne Stiffic celebrate Lakeside
Community Committee’s second year
with a top scoring plan.
Daniel Fitzgerald (DCFS), Heidi Darville,
foster parent Osanyde Watson and Sylvia
Florie relish the first top five award for
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Chicago.