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              Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
FFY 2012 Annual Progress and Services Report
184
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 staffing, 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.
Clinical Program Enhancements: Beginning in January of 2007, The IV-E AODA Project
integrated additional key enhancements to increase the Recovery Coach program’s efficacy and
client service delivery capacity. Program partners have used client outcomes and feedback as
opportunities to identify ways in which the project can improve service delivery and provide the
most effective service(s) possible. As evidenced in the final report from the independent
evaluator, there are three principal areas in which enhancement of service delivery should have a
positive impact on permanency and reunification rates: 1) housing, 2) mental health, and 3)
domestic violence.
Recovery Coaches are able to access substance abuse treatment for parents, communicate with
treatment providers and relay information from treatment providers to interested parties. Yet, it
had been found that when a client had additional service needs such as mental health, domestic
violence or housing, the likelihood of reunification decreased. For the first five years of the
program design, Recovery Coaches identified these issues and made recommendations to the
caseworker and the court. At times delays in linking clients to these services had occurred, and