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              Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
FFY 2011 Annual Progress and Services Report
287
Coach is always on call during evenings, weekends, and holidays to address emergencies as
they may arise. In Cook County, Recovery Coaches also have access to Outreach/Tracker staff
that specializes in identifying and engaging hard to reach parents. Each team of Recovery
Coaches is assigned a Tracker.
Case Management
Proactive case management with and on behalf of the parent is a priority of the Recovery
Coach. Case management activities are intended to remove any barriers to a parent engaging in
AODA treatment, retaining a parent in treatment, and re-engaging parents who may have
dropped out of treatment. A Recovery Coach is assigned to a parent throughout and beyond the
treatment process to help ensure a parent is actively engaged in aftercare services in their
community and in recovery support activities. The range of support from the Recovery Coach
extends through the time period after children have been returned to a parent’s
custody. Recovery Coaches stay involved with a family through this potentially stressful time,
as it has been identified as a vulnerable time for parents often correlated with relapse.
In addition to working directly with the parent, the Recovery Coach’s case management
responsibilities include regular contact with the AODA treatment agency and child welfare
worker. This includes attending or preparing reports for child and family team meetings, joint
and interagency staffings, and administrative case reviews and court appearances.
Drug Testing
Through the DCFS contract with TASC, Recovery Coaches have access to random urine
toxicology testing to monitor a parent’s compliance with program requirements. Recovery
Coaches are able to obtain toxicology samples at their offices or in parent’s homes as
necessary. Results are typically available the next day and can be readily available and
communicated to the caseworker and/or the courts.
Reporting
Recovery Coaches provide a written report to the child welfare caseworker regarding the
parent’s progress in AODA treatment and recovery on a monthly basis. This report to the
caseworker helps ensure that the necessary information from AODA treatment is provided to
the courts and other involved agencies.
Permanency Assessment and Recommendations
In addition to the regular monthly progress reports to the child welfare caseworker, Recovery
Coaches also prepare a Permanency Assessment and Recommendation report for the
caseworker. This comprehensive report assesses the parent’s progress in treatment and recovery
as well as other areas identified in the service plan. The report also provides a recommendation
to the caseworker regarding the safety of the child if custody is returned to the parent. The
caseworker can then incorporate the permanency assessment and recommendation into their
report to the court at the permanency hearing.
Quarterly Meetings with Caseworkers
Based on a recommendation from the DCFS Inspector General, the Recovery Coach and
caseworker meet quarterly to discuss progress and clinical decisions in each case.