HOW DO FOSTER PARENTS HELP ILLINOIS FOSTER CHILDREN?
Foster parents in Illinois care for 14,000 of our state’s
children. These are children who must depend on the State of Illinois to serve
as their legal parent and then must depend on foster parents to provide for
their daily care, support and nurturing.
WHAT IS THE FOSTER PARENT COST OF CARE?
Foster parents are provided with a monthly reimbursement
that is meant to cover the costs of caring for those children. A national study, The Foster Care Minimum
Adequate Rates for Children (MARC,) provides a methodology for suggested rates
of reimbursement for foster parents shows that Illinois lags far behind the
MARC suggested rate. Illinois currently provides an average reimbursement
of $422 per month for a 9 year-old child in traditional foster care. The MARC
level suggests Illinois should pay $757 per month for that same child ---a gap
of $335 per month.
WHY IS SB 2361 NEEDED?
DCFS as the state agency administering foster care has no
methodology for setting and reviewing foster parent cost of care rates each
year, even though the federal government requires it. There is no
reconciliation of the cost of caring for a child based on current food, shelter
or clothing costs. This year alone a dozen eggs are 38% more expensive than
last year, a gallon of milk 30% more expensive, a loaf of wheat bread, 24%.
Foster parent rates have seen only one 3% increase in seven
years, during a time of the fastest rising food prices in 17 years. The bottom
line is that our foster parents are making up the difference out of their own
pockets.
WHAT DOES SB 2361 DO?
Requires DCFS to develop a methodology similar to the MARC
model that will review and set foster parent cost of care reimbursements each
year.
WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION?
Chief Senate Sponsor: Dan Cronin
CONTACT: Margaret Berglind
Child Care Association of Illinois
217-528-4409
ilccamb@aol.com