IL SB3693

Requires relatives and fictive kin who receive a child placement to apply for foster family home licensure within 3 months of placement, with removal of the child if they fail to apply or if their application is declined.

Foster care payments may only be made to licensed foster family homes or relatives/fictive kin who have submitted a foster family home license application.

Department must inform relatives and fictive kin of the specific reasons for declining their foster family home license application.

For relatives and fictive kin applying for foster family home licenses, the Department must require less training than other applicants, focusing on child-specific care, foster system expectations, and trauma-informed practices.

Expands the definition of "relative" to explicitly include fictive kin in child placement decisions, with the same protections and requirements as biological relatives.