DCFS-VOLUNTARY PLACEMENT

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to develop, by rule, criteria for determining when a child may be voluntarily placed in out-of-home care funded by the Department for the purpose of obtaining mental health treatment for the child or treatment for the child's developmental disability. Provides that relinquishment of custody of a child shall not be a condition for receipt of services or care delivered or funded by the Department. Provides that a child voluntarily placed in out-of-home care shall be placed pursuant to a voluntary placement agreement voluntarily entered into by the parent or legal guardian of the child. Provides that for a child to remain in out-of-home care for longer than 180 days, a juvenile court must make a judicial determination within the first 180 days of the placement that the placement is in the best interests of the child. Provides that the inability of a parent or legal guardian to care for a child with a serious mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, or developmental disability shall not in itself be the basis for a finding of abuse or neglect of the child. Effective immediately.