IL HB5598

Establishes the Custody Relinquishment Prevention Act to create a pathway for families with children having serious mental illness or serious emotional disturbance to access services without surrendering parental custody to the Department of Children and Family Services.

Requires six state agencies (DCFS, Department of Human Services, Department of Healthcare and Family Services, State Board of Education, Department of Juvenile Justice, and Department of Public Health) to enter into an interagency agreement within 180 days to establish a clinical team that reviews cases and connects at-risk children and families with appropriate services.

Mandates the interagency agreement address private insurance coverage requirements, cost-sharing for families above federal poverty level, crisis stabilization assessments and care plans for non-Medicaid eligible children, and criteria for short-term residential or community-based crisis services.

Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to submit annual reports to the General Assembly including the number of children relinquished for mental health treatment and the length and status of their services.

Requires reporting on children intercepted and connected to services, duration of stabilization services received, and numbers of families that later relinquished custody despite initial intervention through appropriate state agencies.