Please direct all program related information and questions to:

Bureau of Youth Services and Delinquency Prevention
815-823 East Monroe Street
Springfield, IL 62701
Phone:  217-557-2943
Fax:  217-558-5402
Email:  Karrie.Rueter@illinois.gov

I. Introduction/Definition

The Comprehensive Community Based Youth Services program serves youth ages 11-17 that are at risk of involvement in the child welfare and/or juvenile justice system with the overarching goal of family reunification and/or stabilization. It is authorized by the Children and Family Services Act (20 ILCS 505/17 and 17a), and implements Article 3 of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act of 1987 (705 ILCS 405/3 et seq.) A continuum of services are available and provided to youth in high-risk situations, and to their families when appropriate, according to their needs, keeping with the goal of family preservation, reunification and/or family stabilization, or independence, dependent upon the youth's needs. A 24-hour crisis intervention response system is available in emergency situations for referrals from youth, parents/guardians, police, courts, schools, Safe Place and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

The CCBYS program will provide services, statewide, to the following:

  1. Core Population (ages 11-17) - Must Be Served:
    1. Any minor, 11-17 years of age (1) who is
      1. absent from home without consent of parent, guardian or custodian, or
      2. beyond the control of his or her parent, guardian or custodian, in circumstances which constitute a substantial or immediate danger to the minor's physical safety; and
    2. who, after being taken into limited custody and offered interim crisis intervention services, refuses to return home after the minor and his or her parent, guardian or custodian cannot agree to an arrangement for an alternative voluntary residential placement or to the continuation of such placement.
  2. Lock-outs: (ages 11-17) - Must be Served in coordination with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS):

    In accordance with the DCFS Rule 300.150, Referral for Services and Procedure 300.90 (f) SCR Referrals to Youth Service Agencies, any minor, 11-17 years of age whose parent or caregiver has denied the child access to the home and has refused or failed to make provisions for another living arrangement for the child will be considered a lockout.

II.  Statutes/Rules/Standards

The Provider will administer CCBYS Services and agrees to act in accordance with the following:

State and Federal Statutes and Administrative Rules listed below which are applicable to the provision of services pursuant to this Agreement.

State

  1. DHS Fiscal/Administrative Code - 89 Ill. Admin. Code 509
  2. Delivery of Youth Services Funded by the Department of Human Services - 89 Ill. Admin. Code 310
  3. Administration and Funding of Community Based Services to Youth - 89 Ill. Admin. Code 334
  4. Children and Family Services Act - 20 ILCS 505/17a-4
  5. Department of Human Services Act - 20 ILCS 1305
  6. Illinois Juvenile Court Act - 705 ILCS 405/5-715 (2)(k)
  7. Child Care Act of 1969 - 225 ILCS 10
  8. Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act - 325 ILCS 5/1 et seq.
  9. Department CCBYS Program Standards, and changes thereto which may be necessary for Department and Provider program administration.  Said CCBYS Program Standards is hereby acknowledged as being received by the Provider.

III. Contract and Amendment Process

Contract Process

The contract between the Department and the Provider is generally referred to as the Agreement and consists of several parts:

  1. Community Service Agreement, containing the standard contract language used for all Department contracts
  2. Exhibit A, containing Scope of Services/Purpose of Grant
  3. Exhibit B, containing Deliverables
  4. Exhibit C, containing Payment Information
  5. Exhibit D, containing Contact Information
  6. Attachment E
  7. The Program Manual, attached by reference to the Agreement, contains the program service provisions.

The Department will initiate the contract by having it online for the Provider to obtain and sign.  The Provider will fax signature page to the Department to obtain the Secretary's signature and the Department will return a copy of the executed signature page of the contract to the Provider via pdf email.

Amendment Process

There are two types of amendments to an executed Community Service Agreement.

  1. Letters of increase or decrease

    A letter is sent to the Provider stating the intent to increase or decrease dollars to specific program services existing in the Community Service Agreement. There is no need for the Provider to sign and return this document.

  2. Formal amendments

    A two-party signed agreement to an executed Agreement is a formal amendment. The following process is required for a formal amendment to be processed:

    1. Adding new program services - An amendment to add a new program service must contain a detailed summary of services to be provided under the executed Community Services Agreement and a method of payment.
    2. Extending the service dates of the Community Services Agreement* -  An amendment to extend the service dates of the Community Services Agreement must contain the following information:  -Agreement number as it appears on the original Community Services Agreement; Provider name; clause stating the new term of the Agreement; signatures of the Provider and the Secretary of the Department of Human Services

      *NOTE: A Community Services Agreement end date should be June 30, due to mandates in the State Finance Act regarding audit period. Language on pages one through nine in the Community Services Agreement may not be changed.

    3. Extending the service dates of an existing program attachment - An amendment to extend the date of a specific attachment in the existing Community Services Agreement must contain the following information:  -Agreement number as it appears on the original Community Services Agreement; Provider name; clause stating the new term and the specific attachment name and number; signatures of the Provider and the Secretary of the Department of Human Services
    4. Changing language within an existing program attachment - An amendment to change language in an existing program attachment of the Community Services Agreement must contain the following information:  -Agreement number as it appears on the Community Services Agreement; Provider name; clause(s) stating the new language; signatures of the Provider and the Secretary of the Department of Human Services

IV. Deliverables/Costs/Payments

  1. Payments to the Provider will be made on a prospective basis, rounded to the nearest $100.00. The final prospective payment may be greater or lesser than the previous payments due to rounding.
  2. The Department will compare the amount of the prospective payments made to date with the documented expenditures provided to the Department by the Provider. In the event the documented services provided by the Provider do not justify the level of award being provided to the Provider, future payments may be withheld or reduced until such time as the services documentation provided by the Provider equals the amounts previously provided to the Provider. Failure of the Provider to provide timely documentation may result in a reduction to the total award.
  3. The final payment from the Department under this Agreement shall be made upon the Department's determination that all requirements under this Agreement have been completed, which determination shall not be unreasonably withheld. Such final payment will be subject to adjustment after the completion of a review of the Provider's records as provided in the Agreement.

V. Provider Responsibilities

The Provider shall provide a Comprehensive Community-Based Youth Services (CCBYS) program in accordance with the Statutes, Rules and the CCBYS Program Standards as outlined in Section II Policies & Procedures herein. Provider program responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. The Provider agrees to target and provide CCBYS services to youth as prescribed in the Department's CCBYS Program Standards.
  2. The Provider shall immediately report any alleged child abuse or neglect to the Department of Children and Family Services.
  3. Allowable services are limited to enrolled CCBYS clients and services are limited to the following: 24-hour response system; crisis assessment; crisis intervention; family reunification/preservation; temporary living arrangement services; cross-agency case coordination; case management; individual, family and/or group counseling; youth and/or family advocacy; access and coordination with substance abuse treatment and/or mental health treatment.
  4. Crisis intervention services must be available on a 24-hour basis, and the Provider agrees to maintain adequate staff coverage to meet this service requirement. The Provider agrees to maintain a crisis log of all incoming crisis calls. This log will include all items necessary to track each instance and will include at a minimum: who placed the call (name, agency, call-back number and location of crisis), staff name who received/answered the call, date and time of the call, crisis worker assigned to the case, the client's name and initial crisis complaint (lockout, runaway, etc.). Provider also agrees to provide current/updated crisis contact information to the DHS Statewide Hotline at (888) 816-3264.
  5. Temporary living arrangement services must be available on a 24-hour basis.  When a temporary living arrangement is necessary, all agencies providing placement services must be licensed as child welfare agencies by the Department of Children and Family Services (See 89 IL Admin Code 401 Licensing Standards for Child Welfare Agencies).  Providers must have a sufficient number of licensed foster homes or licensed shelter placements to meet the needs of the youth throughout the service area.  This includes the ability to place special needs or difficult to place youth, and a procedure for what to do if all agency identified placement options are at capacity, or unwilling to place youth.
  6. Family preservation/reunification services are services delivered to the youth and/or family to help the youth and the youth's parents resolve and cope with family problems and disruptive behaviors in order to preserve the youth in his or her family home or to reunite the youth with his or her family.  Family preservation services include crisis intervention services, individual and/or family counseling and advocacy.
  7. Counseling is provided to youth and families to assist them in resolving or coping with problems or behaviors which adversely affects the youth and impacts his or her ability to adjust to family, school or community as well as in identifying, obtaining and using community resources and services.
  8. Advocacy services are provided for youth and their families to assist them in resolving personal family and social/institution problems.  Advocacy services include, but are not limited to, activity with the youth which provides emotional support, role modeling, personal and family resource development, accompanying the youth and family to appropriate court appearances and appointments with court personnel and providing or arranging for transportation for a youth.
  9. Employment and education assistance are provided to youth in applying for, locating and securing employment and training for employment and in obtaining access to educational programs and achieving educational goals.
  10. Access to substance abuse and/or mental health treatment is provided to youth experiencing problems with polydrug and alcohol abuse and/or mental health issues.
  11. Providers must ensure that linkages and referral procedures are formed with other community programs which provide needed services not available to the Provider's own program. Agreements should be established with drug, alcohol, mental health treatment programs, and employment and training programs to assure that youth may be referred and have access to such programs. Copies of these agreements are to be kept on file at the provider agency.
  12. Each youth and family served shall have a written case plan established between the Provider and the youth and family served.  The case plan will be developed based on the results of the YASI, utilizing the Department's eCornerstone data system.  The case plan is individualized to the youth's particular needs and will include goals and outcomes developed with and on behalf of the youth.  The case plan will include services necessary to accomplish those goals.  Both the YASI and the case plan must be recorded in the eCornerstone system.  The case plan must be monitored by a case manager who assumes full responsibility for case management activities.  The case plan must be signed and dated by the youth, case manager and available family member and must be kept in the client file.
  13. Upon notification from the Juvenile Court, the Provider shall either prepare or participate in the preparation of court reports in the manner as approved by the Court. Such reports shall be submitted to the Court and a copy kept in the client's file at the agency.
  14. A locked, confidential record keeping system must include a standardized file on all clients. Each client file shall include, but not be limited to supporting documentation for the following:
    1. Initial crisis intervention plan
    2. Intake information
    3. YASI Pre-Screen, YASI Full Assessment, YASI Closing Assessment and any Re-assessments
    4. All Placement information including location(s), dates, etc. and either written permission of parent/guardian or a copy of the limited custody agreement
    5. Signed and dated case plan
    6. Other legal documents and agreements for care, as appropriate, and case notes reflective of the ongoing care and treatment of the youth, and
    7. A discharge plan that includes the youth's progress during service and recommendations and measures taken by the Provider for aftercare and follow-up that will ensure family preservation.  If family reunification cannot be attained, the plan must contain the reasons for failure to reunify the family and the plan for the youth's living situation and interim objectives that will accomplish an eventual return, if possible.
  15. The timeframes for termination of services are referenced in Rule 310, Section 16.
  16. Documentation of the governing board's compliance with the requirements of Rule 334, Section 6, shall be on file at the Provider's agency and shall include, at a minimum, resumes of each governing board member and a statement of affiliation for each governing board member.
  17. The Provider will perform criminal background and CANTS checks on all personnel and volunteers, including interns, PRIOR to coming in direct contact with clients.
  18. The Provider agrees to send a minimum of one staff representative per program grant to attend mandated regional and/or statewide meetings sponsored by the Department.
  19. Any agency staff, volunteers, etc., that transport youth must have available in their personnel file current proof of a valid driver's license and proof of insurance.
  20. Providers that receive or arrange for care of placement of youth as a CCBYS grantee must hold a Child Welfare Agency license issued by the Department of Children and Family Services (See 89 IL Admin Code 401 Licensing Standards for Child Welfare Agencies).
    1. Staff delivering services to youth under CCBYS must be qualified as required for licensed Child Welfare Agencies.
    2. If a CCBYS grantee subcontracts the direct service delivery of crisis intervention and placement services, the subcontractor must hold a Child Welfare Agency license issued by the Department of Children and Family Services.
    3. Providers agree to remain in compliance with the licensing requirements of the Child Care Act of 1969, as amended, including all applicable rules promulgated by the Department of Children and Family Services pursuant to the Child Care Act with any and all other applicable standards prescribed by State or Federal law or regulations.
    4. The Provider shall neither claim nor be paid for activities that are not in compliance with the appropriate licensing rules nor licensed capacity.
  21. Policy and Procedure Manual

    Each Provider will develop/maintain a written policy and procedure manual that contains, at a minimum, the policies/procedures for the following:

    1. Emergency procedures for:
      1. transportation - bad weather practices, accident procedures, driver requirements
      2. serious illness/medical emergencies
      3. assessing medical care for youth in Temporary Living Arrangements
      4. taking necessary precautions to guard against contagious and communicable diseases
    2. Procedures for logging and tracking all cases (initial crisis to case termination).
    3. Policy regarding services to "Optional" cases that are supported by CCBYS funding, such as conditions of acceptance, services to be provided, etc.
    4. Policy for providing appropriate services to Out-of-State Youth.
    5. Policy for Agency Arranged Placements (AAP - placements arranged without written permission of the parent/guardian) - assuring:  limited custody is in place, placement facility is licensed by DCFS, reasonable proximity to youth's homes, maintenance in youth's same school, availability of placement options for special needs or difficult to place youth, and a procedure for what to do if all agency identified placement options are at capacity or unwilling to place youth.
    6. Policy for outreach to education and law enforcement ensuring that all have the appropriate crisis contact information for your CCBYS agency as well as the Department's Statewide Hotline, (888) 816-3264.
    7. Maintenance of client confidentiality.
    8. Non-traditional (off-site) usage of the Department's eCornerstone data system.
    9. Procedure for reporting unusual incidents - maintenance of a log book of incident reports with documentation of contact to the Department, DCFS, etc., as appropriate to the nature of the incident.
    10. Procedures for assuring that all staff are trained and updated on local policies and procedures.
  22. Program Plan and Deliverables
    1. The Provider shall submit an annual program plan in the format defined by the Department.
    2. The Provider agrees to use the Department's eCornerstone system to fully document the provision of services to each client. The Provider agrees to ensure that CCBYS crisis intervention staff attend mandated YASI and eCornerstone trainings.  At a minimum, the following items and time requirements will be followed:
      1. Youth must be enrolled in the eCornerstone data system within 72 hours of the initial contact date (initial crisis).
      2. YASI Pre-Screen must be completed and entered in the eCornerstone data system within 14 days of the initial contact date.
      3. YASI Full Assessment must be completed and entered in the eCornerstone data system within 30 days of the initial contact date.
      4. The Case Plan must be initiated in the eCornerstone data system within 15 days of completing the YASI Full Assessment.
      5. YASI Closing Assessment must be completed and entered in the eCornerstone data system at the youth's exit from the CCBYS program.  Inability to complete this assessment must be documented in the youth's file, and therefore, the youth's participation in the program may not be considered successful.
      6. YASI Re-assessments must be completed and entered in the eCornerstone data system every 90 days, as necessary. Any YASI Re-assessment may be considered the closing assessment if it is conducted at case closure.
      7. Enrollment in the eCornerstone data system must be terminated within 72 hours of exiting the CCBYS program and completion of the YASI Closing Assessment.  The case plan must also be closed at this time.
  23. Services funded under this Attachment may not be used to supplement contracted services for current wards of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Performance Measures

  1. NO DECLINE CASES
    1. 100% of no decline (Crisis) cases will receive a YASI pre-screen
    2. 80% or greater of no decline cases will receive a YASI full-screen and case-plan
    3. 80% of no decline cases that received a YASI full-screen and case-plan will successfully complete the case-plan.
    4. 100% of no decline cases that received a YASI full-screen and case-plan will receive a YASI closing reassessment at case termination.
    5. 80% of no decline cases will be in a family/long term living arrangement at the time of case termination.
  2. OPTIONAL CASES
    1. 100% of optional cases enrolled in eCornerstone will receive a YASI full-screen and case-plan.
    2. 100% of optional cases enrolled in eCornerstone will be at medium to high risk according to the YASI full-screen.
    3. 85% of cases that received a YASI full-screen and case-plan will successfully complete the case-plan.
    4. 100% of optional cases will receive a YASI closing reassessment at case termination.

Special Conditions

  1. Administrative Costs

    No more than 20 percent of the total award may be used for administrative costs and services.  (Administrative means those activities performed by staff and costs which are supportive of and required for the project for which there is no direct client contact such as administrative and fiscal staff, clerical support, rent, utilities, and general office equipment.)

  2. Subcontractors
    1. Subcontractor Agreement must be pre-approved by the Department.
    2. Any subcontractors shall be subject to all provisions of this Agreement.
    3. The Providers shall retain sole responsibility for the performance of the subcontractor.

VI. Department Responsibilities

The Department will respond to the needs of the Provider as required within the full scope of the Agreement.

VII. Support Services

Utilization of Community Resources

It shall be the responsibility of each project director to coordinate the services provided through the project with other sources of care in the community, such as:

  1. Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice
  2. Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
  3. Local probation departments
  4. Local mental health agencies
  5. Local schools
  6. Local substance abuse providers
  7. Other related social services agencies
  8. Local law enforcement agencies

VIII. Billing Instructions

Providers shall use the following methodology to document the use of these funds:

  1. The Provider shall provide summary documentation by line item of actual expenditures incurred for the purchase of goods and services necessary for conducting program activities. The Provider shall use generally accepted accounting practices to record expenditures and revenues as outlined in DHS Rule 509, Fiscal Administrative Recordkeeping and Requirements. 
  2. Expenditures shall be recorded in the Provider's records in such a manner as to establish an audit trail for future verification of appropriate use of Agreement funds.
  3. Expenditure documentation shall be submitted, in a format defined by the Division of Community Health and Prevention, to the Department on a quarterly basis, within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter. However, the Provider shall have the option to report monthly. 
  4. The Provider shall submit expenditure documentation by one of the following means:
    1. Mailing Address 
      Tom Evering
      815-823 East Monroe Street
      Springfield, IL  62701
      Phone:  217-557-2936
    2. Fax
      217-524-2491
    3. Email
      Tom.Evering@illinois.gov
  5. All financial record keeping on the part of the Provider shall be in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied.

Expenditure Documentation Form Instructions

Expenditure Documentation Form

IX. Program Monitoring

The Provider will provide the Department with requested monitoring and evaluation information and understands that the Department will monitor, audit, and evaluate service and records. Reporting will be as required by the Bureau. Monitoring may include but is not limited to:

  1. On site visits to providers including inspection of client files, fiscal records, and interviews with program staff, probation staff and judges.
  2. Telephone monitoring of service via contacts with providers and a sample of youth and families receiving service.
  3. Periodic audits.
  4. Unannounced visit.

X. Program Budget

Providers agree to establish and utilize a budget approved by the Provider's Board of Directors.

XI. Appendices/Forms

Not applicable.