By Chicago Times Magazine –
February 05, 2025
Governor JB Pritzker has signed House Bill 4781, the Kinship in Demand (KIND) Act, into law, marking a significant shift in how Illinois supports children in the care of relatives. The new law empowers the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to create more flexible certification standards for grandparents and other relatives providing care for youth in the system. It also establishes a pathway to permanent homes through guardianship.
Studies indicate that children in care experience better outcomes, a stronger sense of identity, and greater well-being when placed with relatives in stable, familiar environments. “Staying in a familiar place and seeing a comforting face every day can make all the difference in the life of a child-in-care,” Governor Pritzker stated. He emphasized the KIND Act’s focus on family finding efforts and incorporating the voices of youth and families in decisions impacting their lives.
Currently, 9,300 children and youth in DCFS custody reside with relatives, often without the same benefits afforded to licensed foster caregivers due to outdated requirements. These relative caregivers, typically grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins, provide essential care and supervision. The KIND Act aims to address this disparity by increasing financial support for these caregivers.
The act directs DCFS to develop less burdensome certification standards for relatives while maintaining crucial safety and welfare measures. This certification process offers a more streamlined alternative to the traditional licensing process, which was primarily designed for foster parents unfamiliar with the child. DCFS is currently developing rules for relative caregiver homes and will implement them in the coming months.
The KIND Act is expected to increase financial support, enhance support networks for relative caregivers, and ultimately allow more children in Illinois to grow up with extended family members when reunification with their parents is not feasible.
