Donate

Outreach Community-Based Services for At-Risk Families

Outreach Community-Based Services for At-Risk Families

The Youth, Family, and Community Outreach Services program provides a variety of programs to the communities served, including System of Care, Extended Family Support, Home Confinement, McLean County Court Assistance and Care Link.

IPS- Intensive Placement Stabilization

Supplemental services provided to children and foster families to prevent placement disruption, including assessment, case coordination, linkage and direct services to children who have a critical need for more intensive service

  • Referrals accepted from Foster Parents, DCFS, and Private agency Foster Care Providers
  • 90% of satisfaction survey respondents reported being either satisfied or very satisfied with overall experience of program
  • Available in Tazewell, Woodford, McLean, Fulton, McDonough, Henderson, Warren, Knox, Henry, Rock Island and Mercer counties
Extended Family Support

Provides  services to relatives caring for children via referral from DCFS whose parents are unable or unwilling to care for them. The program offers services to support kinship care and avoid disruption of the family placement.  The primary service of the Extended Family Support program is assisting relatives to obtain legal guardianship of the child for school enrollment, child care assistance, medical services, insurance coverage and public assistance.

  • All referrals come from Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
  • 42% of closed cases resulted in positive guardianship transfer
  • 100% of satisfaction survey respondents reported being either satisfied or very satisfied with overall experience of program
  • Available in Dewitt, McLean, Tazewell, Woodford, Peoria, Champaign, Vermilion, Fulton, McDonough, Hancock, Henderson, Warren, Knox, Henry, Rock Island, Mercer, Ford, Iroquois, Logan, Mason, and Menard Counties
Home Confinement

Provides a home based alternative to secure detention for Court ordered delinquent children. Services include monitoring and short term case management services, in order to ensure these children can stay out of local detention centers.

  • All referrals come from Court Services
  • 97% of cases closed successfully completing Home confinement services and were not detained during case opening
  • Available in Henry, Rock Island and Mercer counties
McLean County Court Assistance Programs

Provides counseling, advocacy, monitoring, case management and cognitive skills groups to individuals involved with the probation system in McLean County.

  • All referrals come from Court Services
  • Available in McLean County
Care Link

Care Link is a community based program supported financially by local parishes and churches in the city of Rock Island. CYFS provides basic assessment and authorization of financial assistance for family basic needs.

  • All referrals come from local churches
  • 100% of satisfaction survey respondents reported being either satisfied or very satisfied with overall experience of program
  • Available in Rock Island County
Norman Housing Advocacy Program (HAP)

Offers housing services to Norman house members

  • Family must have an open DCFS case
  • Family must be Norman certified for inadequate housing
  • Services provided by HAP are as follows:
    1. Educate families on how to locate and apply for housing
    2. Assist families on how to apply for emergency shelter, income assistance and other community services and resouces
    3. Identify and resolve housing problems before they reach a crisis stage
Youth Housing Assistance Program

The Youth Housing Assistance Program assists youth under 21 years old that are in the process of emancipating from DCFS or that have already emancipated obtain adequate housing or resolve a housing crisis.  There is also a cash assistance program to help emancipating or emancipated youth obtain adequate housing.

Statistical Data

Over 500 youth and families served annually

For referral information and program eligibility please contact the local Youth Family Community Outreach Program Supervisor at the Branch nearest you.