The Kinship in Demand (KIND) Act (HB4781) was unanimously passed by the Illinois House.
The bill is meant to prioritize placing kids in foster care with their family members and would create a streamlined certification process for family members to become licensed caregivers. It would also give relatives financial resources to help them care for the child and would require the department of child and family services to get federal funding to help families.
Currently, family members go through the same licensing process as foster parents who aren’t related to a child. If they’re not a licensed caregiver, they don’t get the same financial reimbursements as someone who is. If the bill becomes law, that would change…