Earlier this week, the Senate Appropriations I Committee heard the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) introduce its budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. The committee’s meeting was highlighted by a discussion on the State’s foster care rates which have been in place since October 1, 2008.

Earlier this month, the Senate GOP issued a budget document that suggested Illinois could save up to $140 million by reducing the State’s foster care rates. That might be difficult according to  Robert Stanek, the agency’s Deputy Director of Budget and Finance,  Stanek reported that  Illinois’ foster care rate is already ranked 44th in the country.

“This is a testament to the efforts of the director and previous directors to reduce it,” Stanek said.

When asked to address payments made to foster parents that are also the relatives of foster children, DCFS Director Erwin McEwen said the department is keeping its focus on protecting children by strengthening and supporting families.

“If we don’t have the resources to engage those family members, then [children] would come into care at higher levels and higher rates of care,” he said. “Family members receive a standard need rate, which is less than the standard board rate, and, through research, we identify their levels of commitment.”

McEwen added, “When we train these relative foster parents to understand the impact of abuse and neglect, they do a better job at keeping the kids safe and raising strong children.”

The Director told the story of Timeica Bethel, a young woman covered by the Chicago Tribune earlier this week for her expected graduation from Yale University this May.

“She was raised in relative foster care in LeClaire Courts projects by her grandmother,” McEwen said. “For that $285 per month we paid her grandmother, the State of Illinois produced a Yale graduate. I think the economies of scale would say that that was certainly a great investment made.”    

“I really want to commend you in what the Department has done over the last ten-plus years in bringing down the caseloads and really implementing systems that focus on what the outcomes are for the kids that you’re serving,” State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago), Chairperson of the committee, said to McEwen.

“It really is remarkable and a true example of what we can do when collecting the right kind of information and really managing to it,” she added.