SPRINGFIELD — Jeanette Byrd went from grandmother to guardian when the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services placed her 3-year-old granddaughter and 1-year-old grandson in her care.
“Sometimes I look at myself like, ‘What did I sign myself up for?'” said Byrd, 48. “But they climb in my lap, and they tell me they love me, and it makes me know everything’s going to be all right.”
Byrd’s grandchildren are two among 9,300 other children in the state under the guardianship of an extended relative.
On Wednesday, things got a little bit easier for those caregivers when Gov. JB Pritzker, signed the KIND Act into law.
Officially known as the Kinship in Demand Act, it enhances the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services’ ability to locate and identify extended family members who can safely care for children removed from their household.
The measure, which takes effect July 1, provides those relatives with greater flexibility when applying for financial assistance through the foster care system should they agree to take those children into their home.
Until now those relatives have not received the same benefits as licensed foster caregivers, and acquiring foster status is often a long and difficult process for families.
“Kinship caregivers are signing up for this, and to take care of additional children, and we need this financial support to do so,” Byrd said.
Gov. JB Pritzker signs the KIND Act as Jeanette Byrd (left) looks on Wednesday in Springfield. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services asked Byrd to become the guardian of her two grandchildren, and the bill will help relatives like her qualify for foster care benefits.
George Wiebe/Sun-Times
As of Jan. 31, the 9,300 children placed with relatives make up more than half of the 18,000 youth under DCFS jurisdiction, Pritzker noted Wednesday.
“These caregivers have historically received a reduced monthly payment because they are not licensed and they do not wish to become licensed to care for their own family members,” Pritzker said.
Under the KIND Act, familial caregivers do not become licensed foster parents, but do qualify for added financial benefits and can go through a more relaxed licensing procedure, Heather Tarczan, director of communications for DCFS, told the Sun-Times.
Payments to caregivers vary based on the child’s age, living situation and whether the child has a disability, Tarczan said, and “We’re still flushing out what that payment schedule will look like.”
Relatives still must complete a home safety assessment, caregiver suitability assessment, and all members of the household 13 years and older are required to have a fingerprint and background check.
“Children whose lives have been disrupted by family separation need stability and love,” Nora Collins-Mandeville, director of systems reform policy for ACLU of Illinois, said at the bill-signing.
In 2023, 5,374 youths entered in DCFS Illinois care, according to the department’s latest budget proposal.
Last year, the department spent nearly $87 million — one-fourth of its budget — on foster homes and specialized foster care programs, including caregiver initiatives involving relatives. Under the department’s 2025 budget proposal, that amount would increase by more than $300 million.
More people work at DCFS now than in the last 20 years, Pritzker said.
“We have funded them better,” he said. “We’ve done a good job of filling the head count that is required.”