SB2628 Summary: Strengthening the Child Welfare Workforce for Children and Families Act

• Creates a task force to study compensation, workload, and turnover rates of child welfare workers and their impact on child safety and permanency outcomes.

• Task force must conduct policy reviews, survey public and private sector employers on job availability and compensation, analyze time spent on administrative tasks, and develop recruitment and retention recommendations.

• Task force composition includes 2 gubernatorial appointees, 8 legislative members (2 each from House/Senate leadership), state agency directors, university researchers, labor union representatives, and private sector representatives.

• University of Illinois Children and Family Research Center provides administrative support; Department of Children and Family Services may hire a university-based consultant to assist with data collection and analysis.

• Task force must submit preliminary report by October 1, 2019 and final report with recommendations by January 1, 2020; task force dissolves and Act repeals on January 1, 2021.