Experience w/ Illinois DCFS Extended Family Support Services
July 1, 2019 2:09 PM Subscribe
This is me previous post Thinking about contacting Illinois DCFS Extended Family Support Services due to lack of cooperation/initiative of the birth mom in getting us needed documentation for preschool,etc. Is this a good idea or a bad idea? Looking for anyone with experience or insight.
We've had our granddaughter for three months and unfortunately the birth mom is not making progress medically or otherwise. She lost the ability to walk last fall and has not sought any post hospital therapy. She cannot take care of herself and is homeless . The BM is okay with giving Mr. HRHCC and myself plenary guardianship but it's turned into a circus dealing with BM's homelessness and lack of initiative getting us the things we need (certified birth certificate, medical card) to get my GD into preschool.
We are needing direction and help and although this program seems appropriate, DCFS in Illinois is scary for lack of a better term. FWIW, our son is the BF but is not on the birth certificate.
We've had our granddaughter for three months and unfortunately the birth mom is not making progress medically or otherwise. She lost the ability to walk last fall and has not sought any post hospital therapy. She cannot take care of herself and is homeless . The BM is okay with giving Mr. HRHCC and myself plenary guardianship but it's turned into a circus dealing with BM's homelessness and lack of initiative getting us the things we need (certified birth certificate, medical card) to get my GD into preschool.
We are needing direction and help and although this program seems appropriate, DCFS in Illinois is scary for lack of a better term. FWIW, our son is the BF but is not on the birth certificate.
Best answer: It's unclear to me if you have paperwork guardianship, so I'll answer both ways.
Obviously this issue come to head sooner or later, while preschool is optional elementary school isn't.
Do you have any documentation that your son is the biological father? You may want to explore him getting documentation as opposed to getting her to cooroporate.
Legally your in a scary situation with a kid that isn't your own without documentation of guardianship.
I do have significant experience with DCFS . DCFS is a scary cumbersome system and it's flawed in a myriad of different ways. But the primary goal is to keep kids in familiar safe situations. Please note, this is my expectation. I do not work for dcfs, I repeat I do not work for dcfs. The below information is based on experiences with cases that are not your case .
My expectation (DCFS does wierd unexpected things, even when I'm 99 percent sure of what they should do)that they would take this as an action needed as neglect on the mothers part, and subsequently persue a plan on kinship placement with you offically. Which means they will come to your location. Documentation your son is the birth dad is really really helpful here. They would provide you with the paperwork necessary to do what needs to be done (school, insurance, etc) and put a document into place that states what she needs to do to actually get custody of her child back, which if she just shows up right now she can legally do no questions asked. They'll try and find her to get her to sign the document as well.
If you already have legal paperwork for guardianship, I'm not sure how helpful they will be but you can try.
Another concideration is if you don't have documentation, you can't legally be making medical decisions and stuff just happens to kids. She could fall off a slide a break a bone and then your in a situation where your trying to find mom to agree to a surgery which that's a nightmare and DCFS will be contacted at that point to resolve the situation .
Just a heads up if you've never called DCFS in IL before, they don't take your call immediately. They will ask for your contact information and call you back within 24 to 48 hours. Yes it can take that long in cases in which the child is safe. The call comes from Springfield area code (217) so be on the lookout for that. They will screen you for an urgent response, but based on what you said you won't qualify, and even in cases where there is legit need for DCFS to be there RIGHT NOW, DCFS still calls back (albiet 30 minutes to a couple hours) instead of within days.
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:09 PM on July 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
Obviously this issue come to head sooner or later, while preschool is optional elementary school isn't.
Do you have any documentation that your son is the biological father? You may want to explore him getting documentation as opposed to getting her to cooroporate.
Legally your in a scary situation with a kid that isn't your own without documentation of guardianship.
I do have significant experience with DCFS . DCFS is a scary cumbersome system and it's flawed in a myriad of different ways. But the primary goal is to keep kids in familiar safe situations. Please note, this is my expectation. I do not work for dcfs, I repeat I do not work for dcfs. The below information is based on experiences with cases that are not your case .
My expectation (DCFS does wierd unexpected things, even when I'm 99 percent sure of what they should do)that they would take this as an action needed as neglect on the mothers part, and subsequently persue a plan on kinship placement with you offically. Which means they will come to your location. Documentation your son is the birth dad is really really helpful here. They would provide you with the paperwork necessary to do what needs to be done (school, insurance, etc) and put a document into place that states what she needs to do to actually get custody of her child back, which if she just shows up right now she can legally do no questions asked. They'll try and find her to get her to sign the document as well.
If you already have legal paperwork for guardianship, I'm not sure how helpful they will be but you can try.
Another concideration is if you don't have documentation, you can't legally be making medical decisions and stuff just happens to kids. She could fall off a slide a break a bone and then your in a situation where your trying to find mom to agree to a surgery which that's a nightmare and DCFS will be contacted at that point to resolve the situation .
Just a heads up if you've never called DCFS in IL before, they don't take your call immediately. They will ask for your contact information and call you back within 24 to 48 hours. Yes it can take that long in cases in which the child is safe. The call comes from Springfield area code (217) so be on the lookout for that. They will screen you for an urgent response, but based on what you said you won't qualify, and even in cases where there is legit need for DCFS to be there RIGHT NOW, DCFS still calls back (albiet 30 minutes to a couple hours) instead of within days.
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:09 PM on July 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
What exactly do you need from her? It sounds like she's literally not capable of providing assistance or initiative, so what if you provided all of the initiative and then just tracked her down for what was absolutely necessary on her end, like her signature on paperwork that you've acquired and filled out?
posted by BlahLaLa at 3:10 PM on July 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 3:10 PM on July 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
She has a right to attend school. Your district should have a department/person who helps kids experiencing homelessness get and stay enrolled, and although I realize she's not personally living on the streets (thanks to you!), this situation certainly sounds like it falls under the relatively broad federal definition. Not having access to a birth certificate or other paperwork is a very very common problem and I hope they will be able to help!
posted by teremala at 4:24 PM on July 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by teremala at 4:24 PM on July 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I have temporary guardianship via the State of Illinois DCFS Appointment of Short-term Guardian form . We are now pursuing court-appointed plenary guardianship since our short term guardianship expires in October.
BlahLaLa - I have tried to initiate the process but the rub is she is in the heart of Chicago's south side in one of the most violent neighborhoods. I have seen crime stats that there is a 1 in 31 chance of being a victim of a violent crime in that particular neighborhood. I live 3 hours away in a rural community. Being an almost 60 year old 125 lb. white woman, to say it would be unsafe for me to go there is an understatement. And she has no-one to transport her to a place we could meet outside of her neighborhood.
internet fraud detective squad, station number 9 - I have an attorney and also consulted with two others. My attorney makes it seem like guardianship would be an easy thing. The two other attorneys said it would be very difficult and the chances are slim we would be awarded plenary guardianship. Those two attorneys wouldn't even take the case. The judge in our county made it clear in another matter we went before him on that it is very difficult to get court appointed guardianship in Illinois. Anyway we are continuing the plenary guardianship route but looking for other options.
posted by hrhcc at 8:52 PM on July 1, 2019
BlahLaLa - I have tried to initiate the process but the rub is she is in the heart of Chicago's south side in one of the most violent neighborhoods. I have seen crime stats that there is a 1 in 31 chance of being a victim of a violent crime in that particular neighborhood. I live 3 hours away in a rural community. Being an almost 60 year old 125 lb. white woman, to say it would be unsafe for me to go there is an understatement. And she has no-one to transport her to a place we could meet outside of her neighborhood.
internet fraud detective squad, station number 9 - I have an attorney and also consulted with two others. My attorney makes it seem like guardianship would be an easy thing. The two other attorneys said it would be very difficult and the chances are slim we would be awarded plenary guardianship. Those two attorneys wouldn't even take the case. The judge in our county made it clear in another matter we went before him on that it is very difficult to get court appointed guardianship in Illinois. Anyway we are continuing the plenary guardianship route but looking for other options.
posted by hrhcc at 8:52 PM on July 1, 2019
Best answer: I did homevisits in Englewood /Lawndale/South Shore areas for years as a 125lbs White woman in people homes. It is very possible to go to that community and do what you need to do without experiencing violence. Not to discount safety concerns (be safe!) But you are not the target of the type of violence that is going on in that neighborhood. Unless you fear violence from her or associates directly, then in that case I really encourage you to use DCFS resources because they can get police escorts in these situations and often do. The dynamics of those areas are especially hard to understand, but I litterally spent 30 hours a week for years in low income apartments there with very normal people who lived there for the most part. The violence is incredibly pervasive, and everybody who lives there is impacted by it for sure, but you will not die because you wondered into the neighborhood. Random violence does happen and the chance isn't zero, But it's also not zero in your rural town either. Random violence happens everywhere.
It sounds like you're already connected to DCFS and 'approved' so to speak. At this point getting involved with Extended Family Support seems logical to me. This stuff is hard, you have safety concerns and school is a great reason to tell DCFS to get this stuff together because the kid deserves to get an education!
*pro social work tip if you desire to go carry a messenger bag and a clipboard and look like you know what you are doing and where you are going. Also early morning like 8, 9am is a good time for that area I still saw plenty of drug deals and other behavior than may be alarming to you, but ultimately caused no problems for me.*
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:16 AM on July 2, 2019 [5 favorites]
It sounds like you're already connected to DCFS and 'approved' so to speak. At this point getting involved with Extended Family Support seems logical to me. This stuff is hard, you have safety concerns and school is a great reason to tell DCFS to get this stuff together because the kid deserves to get an education!
*pro social work tip if you desire to go carry a messenger bag and a clipboard and look like you know what you are doing and where you are going. Also early morning like 8, 9am is a good time for that area I still saw plenty of drug deals and other behavior than may be alarming to you, but ultimately caused no problems for me.*
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:16 AM on July 2, 2019 [5 favorites]
Best answer: Additional note: Before persuing DCFS services, do ask your lawyer if that will impact anything he is currently doing.
posted by AlexiaSky at 4:01 AM on July 2, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by AlexiaSky at 4:01 AM on July 2, 2019 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks AlexiaSky - very insightful and reassuring! Also good point to run this past my attorney. Thank you very much.
posted by hrhcc at 7:25 PM on July 2, 2019
posted by hrhcc at 7:25 PM on July 2, 2019
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posted by juniperesque at 3:05 PM on July 1, 2019