HB2885 Summary

• Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 to replace all references to "reasonable efforts" with "active efforts" in child welfare proceedings, defining active efforts as affirmative, active, thorough, timely efforts intended to maintain or reunite children with their families, representing a higher standard than reasonable efforts.

• Adds a new definition of "active efforts" in Section 1-3 of the Juvenile Court Act, establishing this higher standard for Department of Children and Family Services obligations in abuse, neglect, and dependency cases.

• Amends the Adoption Act to clarify that a person cannot be deemed unfit solely because the Department of Children and Family Services failed to make active efforts as defined in the Juvenile Court Act during the pendency of a case.

• Changes multiple sections of the Juvenile Court Act (2-10, 2-13, 2-13.1, 2-21, 2-28, and 2-31) to incorporate the "active efforts" standard throughout child welfare and permanency proceedings.