Youth in Care - What is Procedure 314 - and Who are Youth in Care

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by Angel

Youth in Care presents definitions and procedures for children and youth under Illinois DCFS temporary protective custody, custody, or guardianship, including those placed through adoptive surrender or voluntary placement agreements. It explains common placement settings (foster homes, relatives, group homes, emergency shelters, residential facilities, childcare institutions, pre-adoptive homes) and contrasts formal versus informal placements tied to McKinney-Vento guidance. The material also outlines youth safety strategies, intact family services and goals, reasons children enter foster care, and key challenges such as trauma, instability, safety concerns, substance abuse, incarceration, severe illness, depression, and racial disproportionality.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages52

Reading Time2 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

What is Procedure 314?

Who are Youth in Care?

Placement Types (Formal and Informal)

Informal Placement

Unaccompanied Youth

Youth Safety & Preservation of Family

Intact Family Services and Intact Goal

Why are Youth in Foster Care?

Challenges Faced by Students in Care

Illinois Statistic

Review of the Federal and State Provisions

Youth in Care Dr. Cheli M. Thomas State Coordinator (SEA), Youth in Care 1 What is Procedure 314? A child for whom the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is legally responsible through temporary protective custody, custody, or guardianship via court order, or children whose parent(s) have signed an adoptive surrender or voluntary placement agreement with the department . 2 Who are Youth in Care? Parents lose custody of their children for a variety of reasons . Students under the placement and care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) include children in the following placements: | Foster Homes | | --- | | Relative Placements | | Group Homes | | Emergency Shelters | | Residential Facilities | | Childcare Institutions | | Pre-Adoptive Homes | Trial-Return Home Placement 3 Informal Placement Students are frequently placed through more informal means, without a court order or DCFS guardianship. These children are generally considered to be eligible for homeless services under McKinney-Vento guidelines. Those situations meet the definition of informal placements: | Relative Care | | --- | | Non-Relative Care | | Emergency Shelter Care | | Transitional Living | Unaccompanied Youth 4 Youth Safety & Preservation of Family Intact Family Services… ✓“Informal” ✓Youth remain in the home (credible threat but not enough to remove them) ✓Services are provided (substance abuse, parent coaching, individual counseling, violence prevention) ✓ Intact caseworker assigned 5 Youth Safety & Preservation of Family… “Intact Goal”– To avoid temporary or long-term foster care placement Family Preservation: While still addressing the issues that led to abuse or neglect Improving family functioning, stability, and safety • Services may be voluntary, or court ordered • DCFS – Illinois Intact Family Services Program 6 Why are Youth in Foster Care? • Abuses ✓ Emotional ✓ Verbal ✓ Physical ✓ Sexual • Neglect o Basic needs (food, hygiene, safe environment) • Abandonment • Substance abuse and addiction 7 • Death (a family member) • Exposure to family violence • Incarceration of a parent • Severe illnesses • Juvenile offenses Challenges Faced by Students in Care • Trauma • Displacement • Instability & disruption o Emotional o Learning (lower grades) o Safety & neglect • Substance abuse • Incarceration of parent(s) • Severe illnesses • Depression • Compassion fatigue (of caregivers) • Racial disproportionality • Youth is reliant upon care that is inconsistent, unstructured, and complex This list is NOT exhaustive 8 Illinois Statistic 16,159+ Youth in Care in Illinois 9 Review of the Federal and State Provisions 10

FAQs

What is Procedure 314 for youth under DCFS responsibility?

Procedure 314 applies to children for whom Illinois DCFS is legally responsible through temporary protective custody, custody, or guardianship via court order, or children whose parents signed an adoptive surrender or voluntary placement agreement.

Who are Youth in Care and what placement types can they be in?

Youth in Care include children whose parents lost custody for various reasons. They may be placed in foster homes, relative placements, group homes, emergency shelters, residential facilities, childcare institutions, or pre-adoptive homes.

What does “Intact Goal” mean in Youth Safety & Preservation of Family?

The “Intact Goal” is to avoid temporary or long-term foster care placement while still addressing abuse or neglect concerns by improving family functioning, stability, and safety through services.

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by Angel