38 Recommendations

1. Continue community forums to channel anger and correct problems
2. Shift child welfare to a home based service model
3. Juvenile Justice system needs to be overhauled
4. Continue to involve the Association of Black Social Workers in all child welfare issues
5. African American children need to remain in their immediate community when they become wards
6. IDCFS should increase prevention efforts
7. View substance abuse as a medical disease
8. Increase opportunities for young professionals to be mentored
9. Better training of medical professionals and teachers on reporting abuse
10. Strengthen the IDCFS ombudsman program
11. Utilize the Association of Black Psychologists more for assessments and treatment
12. Provide mentors for all children in the IDCFS system
13. Enhance services for disabled clients
14. Advocate for longer periods of time, at least two years for substance abusing parents to get into treatment, and offer aftercare for relapse
15. Alcohol and substance abuse systems should be more responsive to the child welfare system. There should be an intergovernmental relationship between IDCFS and DHS, giving priority to IDCFS’ clients. There should be a problem resolution hot line within 48 hours
16. To assure child welfare policies continue to be designed by researchers who reflect the population who uses the services
17. Congress should pass legislation that recognizes kinship care as permanent placement
18. Congressional Black Caucus weekend should include Child Welfare as a Braintrust by year 2000
19. Eliminate poverty by providing  livable wages and job creation
20. Appoint CASA workers as soon as a child is placed in the IDCFS system
21. Retrain present social workers on cultural sensitivity and customer friendly service
22. All mothers in the IDCFS system should have an opportunity to prove their fitness before a judge
23. Implement a literacy program for parents in the IDCFS system
24. Implement strong formal linkages with education, employment and GED programs
25. Inform parents of their rights verbally and in writing of all IDCFS procedures from discussion of service plan to court hearings
26. Enhance the use of alternative decisions by judges
27. Utilize experienced judges in the juvenile justice system
28. Provide psychological and drug testing for foster parents
29. Grandparents and relatives should have the first right in relative placement of IDCFS wards
30. Change the language of IDCFS from the best interest of the child to the best interest of all concerned
31. Investigate the random drug testing of newborn infants. Is this a constitutional right? Violation?
32. Increase the availability of intact services in Cook County
33. Increase the availability of up front money to maintain children in their homes, families and communities
34. Increase the availability of marketing dollars for local newspapers, billboards and posters
35. Eliminate the disparity in funding from IDCFS between white and black agencies
36. Improve the availability of housing for families that are reunified
37. Avoid developing service plans which conflict with client’s school, work, etc…
38. Develop a parent magazine for parents who have lost their children in the IDCFS system