Agency Counseling

Agency Counseling is sponsored by Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Offers trauma-informed, evidence-based psychotherapy services to children and families in Illinois, including those in care and intact families.

CSFA | GATA | Illinois. gov Department Of Children And Family Services (418) Office of Grant Management & Accountability (312) 328-2953 Agency Counseling grant awards provide counseling to children/youth in care and their families. These awards may support trauma-informed, evidenced-based, psychotherapy to children, ages 0-17, and their parents/caregivers or services related to intact families.

Illinois Statue Authorization Illinois Administrative Rules Authorization Counseling and therapy services are to promote permanency by maintaining, strengthening and safeguarding the functioning of families to (1) prevent substitute care placement, (2) promote family reunification, (3) stabilize foster care placements, (4) facilitate youth development, (5) and/or ensure the safety and well-being of children.

Additionally, a trauma lens, preferably an evidence-based or evidence- informed practice, must be used in all assessment, treatment planning and treatment activities. Individual adult, child and adolescent counseling; marital counseling; family counseling and therapy; grief counseling; group counseling; play therapy; and expressive therapy must be provided in some combination. Review Grant Agreement for Terms and Conditions.

Nonprofit Organizations; For-Profit Organizations; Government Organizations; All applicants that meet the eligibility requirements as described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be considered. Credentials / Documentation Preapplication Coordination No prior coordination or approval is required with governmental or non-governmental units prior to the submission of a formal application to DCFS.

Refer to Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Criteria Selecting Proposals Proposals are selected based on the criteria listed in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). All applications must be submitted by the posted deadline.

IDCFS staff conducts an initial review of all applications received for eligibility and GATA compliance. Reviewers may consist of DCFS GATA staff, division leadership, and other internal DCFS staff. Each proposal will be reviewed by a minimum of three reviewers.

Proposals will be approved based on funding available. While recommendations from the review team will be a key factor in funding decisions, the Department maintains final authority over funding decisions and considers the scores of the review team to be non-binding recommendations. Any internal documentation used in scoring or awarding of grants shall not be considered public information.

The Department reserves the right to evaluate applications in the larger context of the overall portfolio by considering geographic distribution of awards (e.g., ensuring coverage of certain counties or service areas), client needs, and overall programmatic/financial risk assessments in its pre-award decisions. Final award decisions will be made by the Director (or their designee).

The Department reserves the right to negotiate with successful applicants to adjust award amounts, locations, etc. Funds are disbursed based on the schedule agreed upon and included within the Uniform Grant Agreement. Refer to Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Range of Approval or Disapproval Time General expectation of the length of time between the application deadline and when an award is made is 30 calendar days.

Competitive grant (and in some cases non-competitive) appeals are limited to an appeal related to the evaluation process. Evaluation scores may not be protested. An appeal must be submitted in writing in accordance with the grant application document.

An appeal must be received within 14 calendar days of Award denial. The written appeal shall include at a minimum the following: i. the name and address of the appealing party ii.

identification of the grant for which you are appealing the evaluation/review process iii. a statement of reasons for the appeal a. DCFS will acknowledge receipt of an appeal within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date the appeal was received.

b. DCFS will respond to the appeal within 60 days or supply a written explanation to the appealing party as to why additional time is required. c.

The appealing party must supply any additional information requested by DCFS within the time period set in the request. Grant awards are made annually with a maximum of two one-year renewals. A new application (either an initial or renewal) is required each year.

Formula Matching Requirements Match: Matching funds are not required for this grant program. Refer to Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for further information. Administrative Costs: Reimbursement of administrative costs may not exceed 20% of the costs of other services (20 ILCS 505/5a).

Funding allocated under this grant is intended to provide direct services to clients. It is expected that administrative costs, both direct and indirect, will represent a small portion of the overall program budget and should NOT exceed 20%.

Administrative means those activities performed by staff and costs which are supportive of and required for project implementation for which there is no direct client contact such as fiscal staff; audit; clerical support; office rent, utilities, insurance; general office equipment etc. Program budgets and narratives will detail how all proposed expenditures are directly necessary for program implementation and will distinguish between Indirect/Direct Administrative and Direct Program expenses.

Any budget deemed to include inappropriate or excessive administrative costs will not be approved. Reports: The Provider will submit expenditure documentation forms in the format prescribed in the Program Plan. Performance Data: The Provider may be required to submit performance data as prescribed in the Program Plan or as directed by the Department.

Audits: The Provider will be subjected to the audit requirements contained in the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 (31 USC 7501-7507) and subject F of 2 CFR Part 200, and the audit rules set forth by the Governor's Office of Management and Budget (30 ILCS 708/65). All grantees must follow Title 44 Illinois Administrative Code 7000. 90 (Auditing Standards) The Provider must follow record retention requirements found in CFR 200.

333 and record retention rules as prescribed by the Department. Range and Average of Financial Assistance In FY 2025, the range of grant award amounts was from $51,899 to $3,417,746 with an average of $822,122. It is anticipated that 23 project grants will be awarded in FY 2024.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature Regional or Local Assistance Location 406 East Monroe St. , Springfield, IL 62701 Mental Health Program; Continuity of Care Program; Independent Case Management; Day Care; Family Group Decision Making Program; Juvenile Court Assessment Program; High Risk Deflection Program; Intact Family Recovery Program 93.

243 - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance 93. 556 - MaryLee Allen Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program 93. 658 - Foster Care Title IV-E 93.

659 - Adoption Assistance 93. 667 - Social Services Block Grant 93. 674 - John H.

Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood Agency ID Grantee Name Comptroller Name Start Date End Date Amount CSI-155172-1551724026 (YR3) Children's Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County CHILDRENS ADVOCACY CENTER 07/01/2025 06/30/2026 53,136 View Inactive Awards: 233