(a)The General Assembly finds that research-informed home visiting programs work to strengthen families' functioning and support parents in caring for their children to ensure optimal child development.
(b)Through June 30, 2026, the Department of Human Services shall administer a home visiting program to support communities in providing intensive home visiting programs to pregnant persons and families with children from birth up to elementary school enrollment. Services shall be offered on a voluntary basis to families. In awarding grants under the program, the Department of Human Services shall prioritize populations or communities in need of such services, as determined by the Department of Human Services, based on data including, but not limited to, statewide home visiting needs asses
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(a) The General Assembly finds that research-informed home visiting programs work to strengthen families' functioning and support parents in caring for their children to ensure optimal child development. (b) Through June 30, 2026, the Department of Human Services shall administer a home visiting program to support communities in providing intensive home visiting programs to pregnant persons and families with children from birth up to elementary school enrollment. Services shall be offered on a voluntary basis to families. In awarding grants under the program, the Department of Human Services shall prioritize populations or communities in need of such services, as determined by the Department of Human Services, based on data including, but not limited to, statewide home visiting needs assessments. Eligibility under the program shall also take into consideration requirements of the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program and Head Start and Early Head Start to ensure appropriate alignment. The overall goals for these services are to: (1) improve maternal and newborn health; (2) prevent child abuse and neglect; (3) promote children's development and readiness to participate in school; and (4) connect families to needed community resources and supports. (b-5) On and after July 1, 2026, the Department of Early Childhood shall establish and administer a home visiting program to support communities in providing intensive home visiting programs to pregnant persons and families with children from birth up to elementary school enrollment. (c) Allowable uses of funding include: (1) Grants to community-based organizations to implement home visiting and family support services with fidelity to research-informed home visiting program models, as defined by the Department. Services may include, but are not limited to: (A) personal visits with a child and the child's parent or caregiver at a periodicity aligned with the model being implemented; (B) opportunities for connections with other parents and caregivers in their community and other social and community supports; (C) enhancements to research-informed home visiting program models based on community needs including doula services, and other program innovations as approved by the Department; and (D) referrals to other resources needed by families. (2) Infrastructure supports for grantees, including, but not limited to, professional development for the workforce, technical assistance and capacity-building, data system and supports, infant and early childhood mental health consultation, trauma-informed practices, research, universal newborn screening, and coordinated intake. (d) Subject to appropriation, the Department administering home-visiting programs subject to Section 15-10 (b) and Section 15-10(b-5) shall award grants to community-based agencies in accordance with this Section and any other rules that may be adopted by the Department. Successful grantees under this program shall comply with policies and procedures on program, data, and expense reporting as developed by the Department. (e) Funds received under this Section shall supplement, not supplant, other existing or new federal, State, or local sources of funding for these services. Any new federal funding received shall supplement and not supplant funding for this program. (f) The Department administering home-visiting programs subject to Section 15-10 (b) and Section 15-10(b-5) shall collaborate with relevant agencies to support the coordination and alignment of home visiting services provided through other State and federal funds, to the extent possible. The Department administering home-visiting programs subject to Section 15-10 (b) and Section 15-10(b-5) shall collaborate with the State Board of Education, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and Head Start and Early Head Start in the implementation of these services to support alignment with home visiting services provided through the Early Childhood Block Grant and the State's Medical Assistance Program, respectively, to the extent possible. (g) An advisory committee shall advise the Department administering home-visiting programs subject to Section 15-10(b) and Section 15-10(b-5) concerning the implementation of the home visiting program. The advisory committee shall make recommendations on policy and implementation. The Department shall determine whether the advisory committee shall be a newly created body or an existing body such as a committee of the Illinois Early Learning Council. The advisory committee shall consist of one or more representatives of the Department, other members representing public and private entities that serve and interact with the families served under the home visiting program, with the input of families engaged in home visiting or related services themselves. Family input may be secured by engaging families as members of this advisory committee or as a separate committee of family representatives. (h) The Department of Early Childhood may adopt any rules necessary to implement this Section.