Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
FFY 2011 Annual Progress and Services Report
427
The Department has concluded statewide training in Psychological First Aid for front line and
supervisory staff of the Department and contracted providers. Trauma Systems Therapy
principles and approaches have been incorporated into the Department's advanced, case-focused
Trauma Training Curriculum, Trauma 201. The Trauma Informed Practice Program
(TIPP) has also completed statewide training in Trauma 201, and is currently providing training
in the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) instrument, version 2.0. This
version is an expansion of the previous trauma-sensitive CANS and enhances the roles of
caregivers, early childhood issues, and reunification. TIPP will next address using the CANS
in assessment and treatment planning, during Phase IV of its training roll out. The Department
is investigating different approaches to training its workforce in the evidence-based, trauma-informed
treatment models it piloted, i.e., Parent Child Psychotherapy, Trauma-focused
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to
Chronic Stress, as future components of TIPP in FY11.
The Department concluded its partnership with the Domestic Violence Mental Health
Partnership Initiative (DVMHPI) at the end of SFY 06, with a core trauma curriculum having
been developed. The core curriculum has been modified by the DCFS Division of Professional
Education and Training. Training has been provided to Department supervisory staff, and with
the implementation of TIPP, all future training of this curriculum will be undertaken by
Chicago State University. A modification of this curriculum is under development for
residential providers, and an advanced curriculum is also being developed.
The core trauma curriculum (Trauma 101) has been incorporated into the Department's
foundation training program for all new hires in both the Department and its contract providers.
Also, training in a revised version for residential providers was offered. The TIPP program
created and trained frontline and supervisory workers in Trauma 201, which is a case-focused
advanced trauma curriculum. Trauma 201 builds upon the foundation of Trauma 101 and it is
anticipated that it will become an integral part of the Department's training programs.
The Alternative Schools Network Project New Futures is a program that provides pre and post
graduation transition services for DCFS youth in the Alternative School Network Youth
Scholars, Skills and Service (YS3) Program. Project New Futures provides transitional support
to (YS3) graduates into employment, vocational training and/or college. Participants are
tracked for three years by the Alternative Schools Network staff.
The Project New Futures program, collaboration described earlier in this report, had it’s
funding by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) end on
June 30th, 2009. The Casey Family Programs funding for the Project New Future program
ended on September 30th, 2009. This is due to the Casey Family Programs endowment being
reduced drastically by the stock market.
The Office of Education and Transition Services worked in collaboration with the Illinois
Community College Board (ICCB) to identify community colleges that have TRIO Programs.
The Programs are intended to offer additional assistance for at-risk students with homework,
study skills, time management, class schedule preparation, etc. This information was shared
with OETS Transition Managers and Education Specialists to share with caseworkers and staff
