New Illinois Family Laws in 2015

 Posted on January 08, 2015 in Family Law

Every year the Illinois legislature passes new laws that affect the rights and obligations of state citizens. There are nine new Illinois family-related laws for 2015:

1. Sixteen-year-olds can be placed in temporary custody with the Department of Children and Family Services for delinquency (committing minor crimes). The age threshold used to be 15 years old.
2. Amendments to the Child Care and Adoption Act address civil unions and expand the definition of “relative” to include great-grandparents, step-grandparents and cousins.
3. There is now a Statewide Youth Advisory Board and regional youth advisory board to advise the Department of Children and Family Services on foster services.
4. Amendments to the Adoption Act provide that an adult adopted person’s birth parent who is named on the original birth certificate may only request a non-certified copy if he or she complies with certain procedural requirements.
5. The Children’s Advocacy Center Act created accredited children’s advocacy centers throughout Illinois that are responsible for investigating child sexual abuse cases. Amendments to this law expanded their authority to child maltreatment cases. “Child maltreatment” includes certain criminal offenses committed against children and specific violations of the Children and Family Services Act and the Juvenile Court Act.
   1. Children and Family Services Act created the Department of Children and Family Services, which provides social services to Illinois children and their families.
   2. The Juvenile Court Act provides protections to children who are the subject of court proceedings, such as in child custody cases or in instances where children act as witnesses.
6. Amendments to the Probate Act imposed additional requirements on guardianship petitions for adults with disabilities. For example, the report accompanying the petition must include more information about the people who evaluate the disabled person (to ensure that the evaluation they performed is credible).
7. The Children and Family Services Act requires the Department of Children and Family Services to provide certain data in its annual report and case tracking system regarding families that are subject to safety plans, and to track specific safety plans.
8. Amendments to the Child Care Act require the Department of Children and Family Services to provide the Illinois General Assembly with an annual progress report.
9. Amendments to the Children and Family Services Act allow the Department of Children and Family Services to place children with “fictive kin,” who do not have to become foster parents. “Fictive kin” are people who have close ties to the children or families but are not blood relatives or related by marriage.

Our experienced Kane County family law attorneys keep abreast of changes to Illinois and federal family laws. Contact us today for a consultation if you have any questions regarding your rights and obligations under these new laws. We can assist those in the St. Charles area.