Children referred to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) will receive a more comprehensive and timely assessment of their living situations thanks to a new program involving the SIUC School of Social Work.

Under the Illinois Model of Integrated Assessment Program, the school is providing expanded mental health and behavioral health services in all but the 18 northernmost counties in Illinois. (Four other institutions are providing services in those counties.)

A $2.93 million DCFS grant has enabled SIUC to hire child welfare specialists, licensed social workers, clinical psychologists, and other personnel to work with 55 DCFS field offices in 84 downstate Illinois counties. The project also will involve research to determine the best ways to meet the needs of the region and state.

The project is a collaborative effort with DCFS child welfare workers, says Mizanur Miah, professor and director of the School of Social Work and the grant's lead investigator. Working closely with DCFS caseworkers, the clinical screeners in the integrated assessment program collect critical family information in the early stage of cases--within the first 45 days after a child enters DCFS care.

The assessments allow DCFS to identify safety risks quickly, improve case planning, and make certain that appropriate services are put in place for the family. Without early assessment, Miah says, "emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs may go undetected for months." Foster parents also will benefit from an early identification of the needs of children they are caring for, and the hope is this will result in less movement of children between foster homes.

Assessments, which take place in the family home when possible, include in-depth interviews with the children and family members, including birth parents, caregivers, partners, and other significant adults in the child's life. Children from birth to 5 years old receive developmental screenings; children between 6 and 18 years old receive behavioral and mental health screenings.

The assessment program provides for a standardized, uniform check-and-balance system. A child who lives in Cairo and one who lives in Chicago should each have the "same thorough assessment, services should be identified, and children and families should be given the specific services needed," says program director Shari Selander. The program will help DCFS and SIUC determine what services may be lacking in particular geographical areas.

Selander notes that the statewide implementation of the program follows an effective two-year pilot program in the Chicago area.

"This can pave the way for how child welfare operates nationwide. Clearly the eyes of the other states are going to be on Illinois to see how this works."