PM 03-05-05: Absence of Child

WAG 03-05-05.

A child away from home can still be part of the TANF revised textor FamilyCare/All Kids Assist case if:

  • the caretaker retains at least partial financial responsibility for the child; and
  • the caretaker is still in charge of the child's care and supervision; and
  • a court did not remove the child from the home; and
  • DHS - ODD/OMH did not place the child outside the home in one of its Individual Care Programs; and
  • the child says the caretaker relative or legal guardian's home is their home; and
  • the absence is expected to be less than 3 months. For TANF or Assist, the child can be away for more than 3 months if the child is:
    • away at college or a job training program; or
    • a student in a specialized State of Illinois residential school, such as the Illinois School for the Deaf or Blind; or
    • in the hospital (this includes newborn babies who have never been home) or other medical treatment facility; or
    • attending a residential high school or program that provides a regular curriculum of instruction equivalent to that which leads to a high school diploma.

When DCFS removes a child from the home or plans to return a child to the home and identifies the family as a Norman case, the caretaker and child may receive TANF for a limited time (see PM 04-01-08).