Foster Care Rules and Regulations: An Overview
Foster care regulations in Illinois help ensure the safety and well-being of the children who enter the foster care system. In Illinois, the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) establishes and enforces rules designed to ensure foster homes are safe and healthy. These regulations cover a wide range of issues, including bedrooms and living conditions. When workers inspect a potential foster home, they look at all aspects of the home, including sleeping arrangements, to ensure the home meets the requirements established by DCFS .
There are strict requirements for bedroom sizes, bed sizes, and other specifications under the law that need to be followed. Potentials foster parents need to be aware of these regulations when preparing a bedroom for children in their care and for their own children who might also live in the home. Understanding foster care regulations in Illinois helps foster parents better prepare for the future.
Basic Kids Bedroom Guidelines For A Foster Home
General Bedroom Requirements for a Foster Home in Illinois
The next area of concern that many may have when they are looking to become licensed as a foster parent in Illinois is how their home meets bedroom requirements. In general, there are three areas of concern with bedroom space in any foster home: (1) size, (2) number of children sharing a room, and (3) furnishings. For minimum size requirements, at least 50 square feet of bedroom space (measured from inside walls) is required for a child ages 5 and up. If the room is smaller than 70 square feet, per House Bill 1901 that went into effect on August 24, 2015, the child must not be placed in that home until the home meets minimum standards. Before the bill went into effect, the room could be only 40 square feet in size (measured from inside walls). While many view this bill as a good thing, the truth is that the standards for bedroom sizes are not always consistent with what is actually available on the housing market. Typically the age at which children can share a room is 5 years old. Currently the law is clear in that siblings may share a room if at least one sibling is five years of age. However, the new legislation going into effect on August 24, 2015 makes it so that siblings may not share a room unless the younger is aged six years or older. The law clearly allows exceptions for children under the new age limits who already share a bedroom. The law is even more relaxed when it comes to older foster parents or persons caring for child with a disability. A nice feature to know about the regulations when looking for basic bedroom furniture for a child in foster care is that clothing storage does not require a dresser in a child’s bedroom. That is a big relief! A bed, a chair, a chest of drawers, closet space, and a lamp are all you need for bedroom furnishings. Even a bunk bed is permitted!
Privacy and Safety Requirements for Children In A Foster Home
While the analysis above focuses on the net space that each child receives in a foster bedroom, generally the walls constitute a physical barrier to privacy. The bathroom (if provided) is a shared bathroom for the entire home and typically used by all the children. The living room is generally a shared space open to the entire household. And while each house is unique, having a child shared a bedroom with careful restrictions may be used during overnight visitation or while a minor is pending an age out. The bedrooms also must allow each child to have sufficient access to the window openings. If there are sliding doors or other similar openings that provide access to the outside environment, the State mandates that the door must be secured so that each child cannot remove the latch. Furthermore, most sliding doors contain a bar on the inside of the door or other security measure that resembles a latch. While it may not be a State mandate, this is common throughout the foster care period in order to keep the child safe from abduction. Foster care bedrooms must also meet the fire safety standards enumerated in Title 89 Section 402, Appendix B, Standards 402.20, 402.21, and 402.22. Perhaps the most important safety requirement is that of each child having their own individual sleeping space. Whether the bedroom is shared, each child is granted six (6) square feet of personal space in the room. That is right…. THE room. Many foster bedrooms may contain a bunk bed or more than one Twin- or Full-sized bed, but when it is time for sleep, each child must have the space to spread out between six to nine feet of living space. Here’s how it looks on paper: If the child is 0-2 years old, the crib must be placed in the room so that there are 30 inches between the edge of the mattress and the top rail. If the child is 2-6 years old, the bed must be at least 6 inches off the ground and elevated enough so that the child cannot roll out. This is to reduce the likelihood of injury. If the child is 6-17 years old, there must be at least three inches between the top of the mattress and the top of the rail. If the top rail is lower than 5 inches, the bed must be placed directly against the wall and have the side rails across the opening to prevent the child from falling out. If the top rail is lower than 5 inches, the bed must be placed directly against the wall and have the side rails across the opening to prevent the child from falling out. These standards exist for each bed in the room. So if you have a four-bedroom home with eight people in it, capacity only requires two bedrooms with at least 48 square feet of space. That means for each bed that sleeps two, you actually require additional room space for a total of 12 inches or 1 foot all around the bed. Some counties prohibit children above 6 years old from sleeping in the same bedroom as a child of the opposite sex at all times. For example, a 14-year-old female could not have a bedroom within sight, sound, or reach of an 12-year-old male. Although there is no written requirement for this practice, some Social Workers believe it fits within the "Reasonable and Prudent Parent Practices" that the state codified in 2015. Again, for more information on the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Practices, please see the Illinois DCFS’ Child Care Provider’s Resource Guide or Foster Parent Resource Guide. To read more about capacity in foster care and emergency placements, see our article here.
Special Room Guidelines For Every Age Of Child
Both the bedroom and sleeping space requirements may vary depending on the ages of the children in your home. The following is a basic breakdown of what to expect with each age group.
One to Five Years
Infants, toddlers and early school age children all require bedroom space that is at least 70 square feet in dimension. In fact, some rooms marketed as "supplemental sleep space" may even be permissible as bedrooms as long as the room is large enough for cribs and other essential items.
Six to Nine Years
Like the five and under age group, this group of children also requires at least 70 square feet of bedroom and sleeping space. They also can share bedrooms with other children of the same sex, assuming there is enough space in the room to accommodate all parties and that the person over 5 years of age weighs no more than 80 pounds (or, if the person weighs more than 80 pounds, that they have only provided care for the child in the room for 24 hours or less in the previous 30 days).
Ten Years and Older
For children ten years and older, bedroom space must be at least 80 square feet. If there are multiple children in the room, children of the opposite sex can room together when there is no more than a 5-year difference in their ages.
The Process Of Inspection and Approval
The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is responsible for ensuring all foster care homes remain in compliance with the bedroom requirements at all times. During routine unannounced inspections, DCFS regulatory staff will assess the foster family home to ensure that it is in compliance with the bedroom requirements. The Department of Public Health will also work with DCFS to evaluate compliance and follow-up on any violations noted by DCFS staff, most particularly in homes where sex offenders are residing . DCFS staff uses the "78005A" form to note the non-compliance and document the date by which the violation was corrected. DCFS staff schedule re-inspections when necessary to ensure the non-compliance has been corrected. Licensing violations may lead to revocation of a family foster care license. Furthermore, foster care providers who fail to comply with placement of children in accordance with their license may have their case referred to law enforcement for being out of compliance with the Act.
Advice for Preparing a Bedroom for A Foster Child
To make sure you have comply with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services’ bedroom requirements, you will want to set up and decorate the room in advance, despite the fact that it isn’t clear yet what child will come to stay in your home. Doing so will also ensure that your foster child arrives in familiar surroundings, which will help to ease the transition more easily.
Separate Beds:
Make sure your new foster child will have separate bed to sleep on. Even if he shares a room with a sibling-foster or biological- there should be no sharing of a bed. If your house is small and space is an issue, consider bunk beds, which are both fun and space saving.
Just A Naturally Quiet Environment:
One of the requirements for bedroom separation is that the bedroom in which your new foster child will sleep should be naturally quiet. This means that it should be far from any loud noise – such as that produced by a piano or TV – or any physical distractions. Make sure the room in which your foster child will sleep in runs the length of the house away from the main activities in the house, or, alternatively, ensure that the room has been soundproofed, minimizing outside noise by closing windows, curtains and other doors. Many newer homes have already been built to be naturally quiet; older homes may need a little more work and consideration to comply with this requirement.
Make It Personal:
Pay attention to the small details. Once you receive confirmation from DCFS that the placement is going ahead, and you know the child’s age, decorate the room to make it feel personal and special. Be sure to add all of his or her belongings, and remove toys, games and books that are not appropriate. You won’t be able to purchase every item that the child may want, but a few small items to make them feel comfortable and at home will go a long way to making the transition easier for all.
Potential Penalties for Noncompliance
Also, when talking about foster care bed room requirements in Illinois, it’s important to bring up the consequences for not following the rules. Here is some of what you can face:
So what does this mean for you? When you go to get your license for the first time, there is a myriad of things that you need to do in order to get that. Visit your licensing representative, get fingerprinted, take classes, have a fire inspection, prepare a fire escape plan, have an emergency preparedness plan and more. These plans have many things you have to consider to be approved. Your local fire department can help. However, say, you do all of these things and you get a license, but your home doesn’t fit – maybe you have too many kids in one room or you have a toddler and you may be having a baby. You may have gotten a call from your licensing representative telling you that you are not in compliance with the bedroom requirements. What do you do? First of all, be sure to follow each and every regulation required in your foster care home. One of these may result in losing children in your home, or possible compliance. What are the impacts of non-compliance? Your licensing department may ask you to remove children from your home, or not allow placement of children in your home. They may also give you a certain amount of time to correct the problem before they address it with the state. There are always consequences for not meeting the IDHS rules and regulations. The punishment for a misdemeanor can be a fine, and a revocation of your foster care license.
Additional Resources for Illinois Foster Parents
Fortunately, there are several resources available to Illinois foster parents that can help navigate bedroom requirements and other issues. Collaboration 4 Children is an Illinois-based website that has several local parenting and support groups to choose from. Interviews of parents provide insight into personal experiences. Foster Focus features general information about resources across the state. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services provides comprehensive information on its website. A FAQ section can provide answers to several questions on a wide range of topics. Information on their local Foster Parent Advisory Council details meetings and offers a local contact to address specific concerns. Caring for Kids is a program run by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to provide support for children who have been or are at risk for being neglected or abused. The organization offers abuse prevention information , helps foster parents find and connect with support groups, and provides access to a 24-hour help line. Raising Illinois is designed to provide parenting resources and information to non-parent caregivers, including foster parents. The website has pages dedicated to specific topics, including navigating state agencies and programs, behavioral issues, and helping kids succeed in school. The Illinois foster care system is one of the most important social service initiatives in state history. Although a myriad of complex laws and regulations govern requirements for licensing and maintaining the system, foster parents are generally dedicated to serving the best interests of children.