Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
FFY 2011 Annual Progress and Services Report
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achieve permanence through reunification (26% vs. 22%) and adoption (38% vs. 34%).
Consequentially, a smaller proportion of children in experimental group were still in
foster care at the five year mark (16% vs. 24%).
Time to reunification for children in the experimental group is shorter than for children
in the control group, with reunified experimental group children spending an average of
854 days in out-of-home placement compared with 1,004 days for reunified children in
the control group, a statistically significant difference of 150 days. With regard to time
in out-of-home care before adoption, the experimental group averaged 1,414 days
compared to 1,432 days for the control group; this difference was not statistically
significant.
Between April 2000 and December 2010 Recovery Coaches were able to close 48
percent of experimental group cases within three years, in contrast to only 42 percent of
control group cases that closed within three years.
A special study of second generation4 families conducted by the State’s evaluation team
(1,033 caregivers and 1,917 children) found that three years following entry into the
demonstration, second generation families were 67 percent less likely to be reunited
than first generation families.
Utilization of findings: In summary, the findings indicate that the recovery coach program is
successful. The families assigned to a recovery coach are more likely to access treatment
services, are more likely to achieve reunification, and are less likely to give birth to a second
substance exposed infant. Moreover, the AODA waiver demonstration has saved the state of
Illinois approximately 6.4 million dollars as of December 2010; saving that can be reinvested in
other services for children and families. With regard to the utilization of findings, within the
first five years of the waiver demonstration we reported that co-occurring problems were a
major obstacle to families achieving reunification. We used these findings in two ways. First,
we modified the recovery coach model so that coaches could better connect families with a
wider range of services (e.g. mental health, housing, domestic violence). Second, we used these
findings and the modified recovery coach model to advocate for a five year extension of the
waiver (2007). We are currently working on a new extension – focused primarily on engaging
families (immediately from temporary custody) and establishing benchmarks (so that parents
know exactly what is expected to achieve reunification).
CFSP goals and objectives supported by this research:
8. DCFS will lessen the rate of children who come into care from intact families. NA
16. DCFS will have an increasing rate of reunifications where the child was returned home
within 12 months.
As of December 31, 2010, 564 children (19 percent) in the experimental group had been
reunified with a biological parent compared to 194 children (15 percent) in the control
group, a statistically significant difference. Net permanency rates (reunification,
adoption, and guardianship combined) for closed cases as of December 31, 2010 were
49 percent (1,441 children) for the experimental group and 44 percent (566 children) for
the control group, a statistically significant difference.
Time to reunification for children in the experimental group is shorter than for children
in the control group, with reunified experimental group children spending an average of
4 Second generation families are those in which the child’s parent(s) were former wards of the State.
