A new state law will require Illinois’ child welfare agency to launch more individualized transition plans to help teens live on their own.
By Jerrel Floyd
Sen. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago) introduced the bill that requires Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to start transition plans for youths in foster care to start when they are 15. (Provided/Office of the Illinois Senate President).
A West Side state senator hopes a new law will give young people more resources to prepare for adulthood as they age out of Illinois’ foster care system.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed an amendment to the Children and Family Services Act in August that requires the state’s child welfare agency to develop individualized transition plans for youths in Department of Children and Family Services care starting when they are 15 years old.
Illinois was among few states to already allow young people to stay in state care until they are 21 before federal legislation in 2008 allowed states to extend foster care assistance to youths after they turned 18.
The new law goes into effect in July 2026.
State Sen. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago), who introduced the bill in February, has been outspoken about her own experiences in foster care. She aged out of the same system she is seeking to change, as a single mother with limited resources.
“I took my own lived experiences and what happened with me, and I still hear to this day, 21-plus years later, some of the same practices from back then.” Collins, now 39, told City Bureau. “And I say, ‘You know what, I'm gonna fix it through legislation.’”
Just under 17,000 children and youths are in Illinois DCFS care as of Aug. 31, according to the most recent data available.
Those who age out of the foster care system face an increased risk of homelessness and unemployment as they attempt to navigate the world on their own, according to advocates.
Before the recent amendment, older youth in DCFS care typically would start their transition planning when they were around 19 years old, through the Countdown to 21 program.
“In my opinion, that’s too late,” Collins said.
The transition process focuses on establishing permanent housing, setting education goals, working toward financial stability and finding community support, said Stephanie Franklin, senior vice president of foster care and transitional services at UCAN, a nonprofit based in North Lawndale dedicated to youth care and development, violence prevention and work opportunities.
During three meetings over two years, they can also arrange health care plans, find community benefits they can retain after they turn 21, and explore day care options if they have children. If the young adults complete the requirements, they receive a one-time payment of $1,433 to help with transition costs as they leave the foster system.
“We're looking at all of these things before they turn 21 so that they have this plan or have ideas of where they can get all of this when they exit,” Franklin said.
DCFS also has various educational, job training, housing assistance and life skills programs to help with transitioning out of care, including training vouchers and monthly payments, scholarships, and tuition and fee waivers. Some of those programs are open to youths as young as 14.
DCFS said it doesn't expect “significant operational changes” to its policies as a result of the bill. The agency already does many of the things outlined in the new law, officials said, pointing to the existing transition programs and development milestones for younger and older youths.
“Many of the bill’s key provisions are consistent with current DCFS practices, particularly our focus on early transition planning and developmentally appropriate services,” officials said in a statement. With the bill signed into law, “DCFS will fully comply with its requirements and remains committed to supporting youth through every stage of their transition.”
But the existing policy and support systems fell short, advocates said. Amy Dworksy, a senior research fellow at Chapin Hall who has extensively researched youth welfare systems, called Countdown to 21 a “mixed bag.”
“I think some young people go to those meetings, they get support, they have a plan, they get referred to services that they're going to need. I think [for] other young people, it might be too little, too late,” Dworsky said. “Some say, ‘I didn't know about it; my caseworker didn't tell me about it. [There] was a conflict with my school schedule or my work schedule.’ They have all these reasons. So I don't think some young people are getting the benefit of it.”
Tracey Silas-Patterson, vice president of transitional and independent living at youth empowerment nonprofit Lawrence Hall, works with young adults aging out of foster care through Countdown to 21.
It can sometimes be challenging to get young people to consistently invest time in the transitional program, Silas-Patterson said. Telling them to do a meeting when they’re 19 to ensure they get a check at 21 is not always immediately appealing, she said.
Similarly, youths don’t benefit as much as they could from some of the existing programs, Dworsky said.
“DCFS has several programs for transition age youth in care. However, not all youth in care participate in or are even aware of those programs,” Dworsky said.
The new law will further expand how state care providers will work with teens to prepare them for independent living.
Along with the earlier start at 15 years old, the new law also outlines what subject areas that the transition plan will cover. This includes:
Mental and physical health
Employment
Driver’s education,
Life skills
Housing
Part-time work
Education and post-high school goals
Financial stability
Extracurricular activities
Transition to adult services
Childcare support
Community support
The plan also would involve maintaining documents for each child in care, such as vital records.
Though DCFS may have transition planning practices, it will now be a requirement under the Children and Family Services Act to do so.
The law also requires juvenile courts to conduct Successful Transition to Adulthood Review hearings in certain cases, to evaluate how well DCFS is providing individualized guidance to prepare their charges for adulthood. This will be required for all youth in care 17 and older, as well as in court cases where the long-term goal is for the youth to live independently, according to the legislation.
Youth in state care have often faced significant trauma, making it harder to plan for their futures when their focus is on basic survival, Collins said. As a teen, she didn’t get a lot of the resources that DCFS offered, and she relates to young people still tackling those challenges, the state senator said. That is why she feels they need more individualized support to address their specific needs.
“Trying to navigate through that while being pregnant and thinking about how am I going to be able to take care of another human being — I just remember a lot of the stress, a lot of the burden that I felt,” Collins said.
The newly approved amendment was created with youth who have experienced foster care in Illinois, as well as DCFS officials, Collins said.
“I think it's not me telling folks how to do their job,” she said. “It's me telling folks my story and how you can fix these issues.”
DCFS leaders have listened more to the young people in their care, but Collins said she feels there’s still a lot of improvement needed.
“There are young people who need more help than what they're receiving,” she said.
Silas-Patterson knows some teens will need more motivation to plan for their futures, so it is valuable to start transition support at 15, she said.
“I just feel 15 could be a good step-off point if you know that this young person is going to remain in care until they turn 21,” she said.
Other new legislation earlier this year also aimed at providing more resources and support for youth in state care. In February, the governor signed the Kinship in Demand, or KIND, Act, which allows for greater flexibility in relatives and grandparents being certified as foster parents. Collins supported the legislation, saying it would help families stay together and provide the best care for kids.
Jerrel Floyd has been City Bureau’s engagement reporter since 2022, covering housing, food insecurity and mental health while leading cohorts of Civic Reporting fellows. Previously, he was a ProPublica Illinois fellow and a local government reporter with The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. He has covered a wide range of topics from youth development to education and health.
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