Dear ACHSA Member

From: Adam Dewey [mailto:

Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 4:17 PM

To: Adam Dewey

Subject: Please Reply by 3/23/09: TILP Survey for DCFS Youth

Dear ACHSA Member:
On February 13th ACHSA distributed the email below regarding the continuing concern of group homes and FFAs serving DCFS youth with their receipt of adequate independent living skills, beginning with the completion of a youth’s Transitional Independent Living Plan (TILP). The email encouraged agencies to provide the names and dates of birth of any current DCFS youth who may be ILP-eligible (i.e. 16 years of age or older in out-of-home care) without a complete or updated TILP to Rhelda Shabazz, DCFS YDS Division Chief at . In addition, we requested that providers email Adam at with the number of DCFS children whose information was sent to Rhelda, as well as any anecdotal information that may further explain this issue, by Friday, March 13th.
We have not yet received a response from every agency that serves this population of foster youth, but we encourage you to submit this information to Rhelda as soon as possible and to let Adam know the number of cases submitted.
Since we would like to quantify the results of the survey in a letter that we plan to send to Trish Ploehn, DCFS Director, early next week, it would be helpful if we had the numbers no later than Monday, March 23rd.
Thanks for your cooperation and please feel free to contact Adam at or Jodi at if you have any additional concerns or questions.
Below is the language of the original email on February 13th:
We are aware of the continuing concern of group homes and FFAs serving DCFS youth regarding problems with the receipt of adequate independent living skills, beginning with the completion of a youth’s Transitional Independent Living Plan (TILP). As you know, the TILP allows youth to access critical resources, including certain Independent Living Program (ILP) and Early Youth Development services. The non-responsiveness of CSWs to requests made by providers and/or youth in need of a TILP significantly delays the youths’ ability to receive critical independent living preparation, skills, and training.
ACHSA has brought this issue to the attention of DCFS on numerous occasions. In response, DCFS has not agreed to implement a systemic solution to the problem, but has instead asked for the names of any DCFS youth who may be ILP-eligible (i.e. 16 years of age or older in out-of-home care) without a complete or updated TILP.
Therefore, ACHSA requests that providers do the following:
1) Email Rhelda Shabazz, DCFS YDS Division Chief, directly at with the name and date of birth of any ILP-eligible DCFS child currently in your care that does not have a TILP;
2) Email Adam at with the number of DCFS children whose information you send to Rhelda, as well as any anecdotal information that may further explain this issue.
Please submit the information above to Rhelda and Adam by the following deadline: Friday, March 13, 2009.
We hope this two-pronged approach will hopefully result in the provision of the appropriate ILP services to individual youth and also enable ACHSA to quantify this problem for DCFS.
Please feel free to contact Adam at or Jodi at if you have any further concerns or questions.
Thank you for your cooperation.