DEC

The IDHS Home Visiting Program supports pregnant people and parents with young children ages 0-5 who live in Illinois communities that face greater risks and barriers to achieving positive maternal and child health outcomes. Families choose to participate in home visiting programs, and partner with health, social service, and child development professionals to set and achieve goals that improve their health and well-being.

42 U.S.C. § 711(c) (Title V, § 511(c) of the Social Security Act, as amended. Section 6101 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328), recently amended Title V, section 511 of the Social Security Act and extended appropriated funding for the MIECHV Program through FY 2027.

Public Act 103-0498

Illinois Administrative Code Title 44, Chapter I, Part 7000 Grant Accountability and Transparency Act

IDHS Home Visiting Program Purpose - The IDHS Home Visiting program will provide evidence-based home visiting services to pregnant persons and families with young children aged 0-5 years, provide screenings and assessments, and refer families to services as needed. The program deliverables, performance measures, and performance standards are described in the sections that immediately follow. Deliverables 1. Home visiting models A. Implement one of the following evidence-based home visiting models with fidelity: i. Early Head Start Home-Based (EHS). ii. Healthy Families America (HFA). Note: Successful applicants must request the HFA child welfare protocol from the HFA National Office within 6 months of the contract start date. iii. Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP). iv. Parents as Teachers (PAT). B. Programs must be in good standing with their national model. C. Prior approval from the Department must be secured prior to any anticipated change to the program model. 2. Program policies and procedures A. Maintain written local program policies and procedures that are consistent with the program standards set by one of the four home visiting models noted above. B. Review and incorporate all policies and procedures found on the igrow Illinois Administrative Resources webpage. Including those related to assessments and screening, and dual enrollment. D. Maintain written policies and procedures for connecting referred families to other available services when your program has no openings. E. Assure compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). F. For educational institutions, assure compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). 3. Hiring and compensation A. Recruit, hire, and retain home visitors who collectively reflect the communities they serve, and effectively build rapport and communicate with families, following the guidance in their program model. B. Fill any staff vacancies without delay. C. Assure that all home visitors and supervisors join the Gateways to Opportunity Registry. Assure that home visitors receive the salaries shown in the table below, at minimum. Assure that home visiting supervisors receive the salaries shown below, at minimum, if the supervisor is at least 50% on this grant. Position Minimum Salary for 1.0 FTE Home Visitor $47,268 6-County Metropolitan Chicago Area (Cook DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will) $41,204 Rest of the State Home Visiting Supervisor (if the supervisor is at least 50% FTE on this grant) $59,598 6-County Metropolitan Chicago Area (Cook DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will) $52,864 Rest of the State 4. Professional development A. Assure that home visitors receive program-specific training and ancillary training according to the standards specified by the home visiting model. B. Assure that all staff participate in trainings required by IDHS. C. Maintain documentation of the training received by each direct service staff and supervisor. 5. Reflective supervision and reflective practice A. Follow the home visiting model’s required supervisor/home visitor ratio to ensure adequate supervision. B. Provide home visitors with the individual reflective supervision hours required by the model. C. Maintain documentation of supervision, team meetings, field observations, training, and other staff development led by the supervisor. 6. Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) A. Utilize Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) as described in the IECMHC Illinois Model. https://idec.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idec/documents/early-childhood-mental-health-consultation/illinois-model-for-iecmhc-2022.pdf . B. Receive Consultation provided to the supervisor and home visitors, and coordinated intake staff and doulas, if any. i. MIECHV-funded programs: Receive up to 96 hours of consultation per year. ii. State-funded programs: Receive a minimum of 72 hours of consultation per year. (This is the minimum number of hours; grantees may budget for more than 72 hours of consultation per year.) C. The minimum rate is $150 per hour. Consultants must be listed in the Illinois registry of IECMH Consultants: https://registry.ilgateways.com/find-consultants. D. Describe ongoing activities with Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants. 7. Program capacity A. Service capacity is the number of families enrolled at a point in time if the program were operating with trained and experienced home visitors funded by this program. This number does not change if the program is not fully staffed (for example, if there is a vacancy). The service capacity number per 1.0 FTE home visitor is as follows. i. Early Head Start: 10 families ii. Healthy Families America: 12 families iii. Nurse-Family Partnership: 25 families iv. Parents as Teachers: 15 families B. Programs that have been active for a year or longer will maintain at least 85% of their maximum service capacity. C. Programs must have a plan in place for maintaining continuity of services to home visiting families if their home visitor is on extended leave or leaves the agency. 8. Priority populations A. Prioritize the MIECHV priority populations for enrollment. i. At least 80% of enrolled families must meet at least one of the 8 MIECHV priority population criteria. ii. Therefore, no more than 20% of enrolled families may meet none of the 8 MIECHV priority population criteria. These remaining families must represent at least one Early Learning Council Priority Population. iii. OR have a mental health concern. B. If there are open slots in the program, the program must accept all referrals of model-eligible families with child welfare involvement and model-eligible families experiencing homelessness, regardless of family income. 9. Service plans, assessments, and screenings A. Develop and update a service plan or goal plan for each participant within the timeframe required by the model. B. For each participant, complete any model-required assessments within the timeframe required by the model. C. For child participants, conduct developmental screenings using a screening tool approved by the Department and refer to services as indicated. D. For adult participants, conduct assessments and refer to services as indicated on the igrow Illinois Benchmark Resources webpage. E. For adult participants, provide education on topics including but not limited to breastfeeding, safe sleep, well child visits, and postpartum care, and refer to services as needed. 10. Community-centered program services A. Provide model-specific home visiting services that are responsive to the community to be served.. B. Provide program materials (e.g., brochures, curricula, handouts, etc.) that are appropriate for the community to be served, taking into account literacy levels, etc.. 11. Screening, enrollment, and coordinated intake A. Participate in the local All Our Kids (AOK) Network, Integrated Referral and Intake System (IRIS), or other coordinated intake and referral initiative, where such a system exists. (If there is no such initiative in your program’s geographic area, this requirement does not apply to your program.) B. Engage in community public awareness and outreach activities to support program enrollment. C. Avoid dual enrollment in more than one intensive home visiting program. D. Avoid waitlisting families when there are open home visiting slots offered by another local program (for example, by establishing referral partnerships with the other program). E. Respond to all referral sources with the status of referrals and timeline for enrollment within two (2) business days of receiving the referral. F. Respond to all follow-up inquiries from referral sources within two (2) business days of receiving the inquiry. G. Track trends related to the population served, and adjust program plans to assure that families from priority populations are prioritized for services. 12. Community systems development and cross-program referrals, where collaborative networks exist A. Participate actively as a member of at least one local community collaboration to support the goals and principles defined in the latest Joint Statement on Community Systems, Coordinated Intake, and IRIS. i. Share with the collaboration available, relevant, aggregated program data that contribute to community needs assessment, setting a common agenda, or other local initiatives. ii. Promote shared messaging and materials from the collaboration among families and staff. B. Assist participating families in connecting with Early Intervention (EI), through the local Child and Family Connections (CFC) office Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Office Locator using the standard referral form and procedures. C. Assist participating families in connecting with medical providers and with ancillary services such as mental health services, the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program, substance exposure and recovery services, and intimate partner violence services. 13. Data and data systems A. With written consent from participants, use the information management system designated by the Department to record information on program participants, and the activities of program staff. B. Maintain an individual case record for each family enrolled in the home visiting program. Record required demographic data, including but not limited to participant age, race, ethnicity, primary language, and income. Information for each month must be entered in the data system by the fifth (5th) day of the following month. C. Collect and report the MIECHV benchmark data, as shown on the igrow Illinois Benchmark Resources webpage, including Form 1, and Form 2, and staffing updates, with support and technical assistance from the Department. D. Participate in regular data calls coordinated by the Department, to assure data quality and completeness. 14. Quality assurance and program improvement A. Implement a plan for quality assurance, as specified by the home visiting model. B. Participate in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) efforts offered by IDHS. 15. Family voice A. Regularly incorporate input from home visiting families to improve program quality, as specified by the home visiting model. B. Invite families to participate in local collaborations and advisory bodies. 16. Partnership with IDHS A. Participate in required regular programmatic and fiscal monitoring reviews. B. Participate in required regularly scheduled provider calls and other required meetings as scheduled by IDHS. C. Participate in the Department’s efforts to improve the health and well-being of families enrolled in program services. Deliverables – Doula Services (Only for home visiting programs with IDHS approval to include doulas) The main objective of the doula enhancement for home visiting is to support positive maternal and infant health outcomes. Ideally, doula services should commence at the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy. The doula and long-term home visitor should work together to introduce services to expectant families. The doula and home visitor must coordinate home visits in the perinatal period to avoid duplication of services while ensuring that the long-term home visitor begins a relationship with the family early enough to ensure a smooth transition from doula/home visitor services to just home visiting services. The transition to home visiting usually takes place when the infant is 2-3 months old. 1. Core program services a. Promote active engagement of new program families in long-term home visiting services through initial prenatal and intrapartum program experiences; b. Provide seamless transitions from doula to home visiting-only services; c. Promote a parental sense of confidence, competence, and comfort in the mother's physical, emotional, and social transition into parenthood; d. Promote positive health practices for developing baby and new parent; e. Promote a growing sense of emotional availability, attunement, and engagement with the developing and new infant; f. Prepare for labor and delivery and provide intrapartum doula support in an effort to bring about positive birth outcomes for infant and parent; g. Support newborn care and feeding; and h. Organize and facilitate prenatal groups. 2. Hiring and compensation a. Recruit, hire, and retain doulas who reflect the community served and effectively build rapport and communicate with families. b. Fill any staff vacancies without delay. c. The program must maintain two (2) full time equivalent (FTE) home visitors for every one (1) FTE doula. The goal is to have all doula participants transition into the long-term home visiting program. Because doula services are time-limited, doulas serve more families over the course of a year than a home visitor. Generally, a ratio of at least two (or more) home visitors for every doula will ensure that there will be enough home visitors to serve all participants who are finishing doula services. d. Doulas should be available on-call 24/7. They must have flexible schedules because it is crucial that they be present during labor and delivery, and births often happen outside of normal working hours. This expectation should be made clear to candidates for doula positions, and programs should keep this requirement in mind in deciding how they will grade and compensate doula positions. e. Doulas should co-facilitate a series of prenatal groups. Prenatal groups offer an efficient way for parents-to-be to learn about prenatal care and the birthing process while connecting with a peer group and continuing to build a relationship with their doula. f. Programs must ensure that there is backup capacity so that participants will receive doula support when their primary doula is on vacation, ill, unable to attend a birth, or when there are vacancies in the program. This will generally mean having at least two (2) doulas as part of a program's staffing pattern, but backup can also be achieved by having a supervisor trained as a doula or by having a part-time position in addition to a full-time doula. g. Doulas work in collaboration with home visitors to ensure a smooth transition between doula and home visiting services h. Assure that doulas receive the salaries shown in the table below, at minimum. Assure that doula supervisors receive the salaries shown below, at minimum, if the supervisor is at least 50% FTE on this grant. Position Minimum Salary for 1.0 FTE Doula $48,686 6-County Metropolitan Chicago Area (Cook DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will) $42,440 Rest of the State Doula Supervisor (if the supervisor is at least 50% FTE on this grant) $59,598 6-County Metropolitan Chicago Area (Cook DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will) $52,864 Rest of the State 3. Professional development a. The program will be offered technical assistance from the Start Early Professional Learning Network. b. New doulas must receive pre-service and in-service training from the Start Early Professional Learning Network. c. Doulas must maintain their doula certification (for example, from DONA International). 4. Clinical consultation a. Programs must contract with a clinical consultant. A clinical consultant is part of the doula model so that doulas have the support they might need to serve participants who have medically complicated pregnancies. These consultants are generally registered nurses, midwives, or other professionals who have training in the medical aspects of pregnancy and childbirth. b. Ideally, clinical consultation will take place in person, but consultation may be conducted virtually as needed. c. Clinical consultants are generally contracted for about 10 hours per month. d. The hourly rate for clinical consultants starts at $150 per hour for virtual consultation (some consultants will add travel expenses for in-person consultation) 5. Program capacity a. The caseload for a 1.0 FTE doula is nine (9) participants at a single point in time.Some of these persons are pregnant; some are postpartum. Doulas attend approximately two births every month. Doula caseload sizes are smaller than those for other home visitors because of the extended time spent with the birthing parent during labor and delivery. b. The doula intervention is time-limited (generally lasting for about five months) so a caseload of nine (9) or ten (10) families at any one point in time would result in a doula serving approximately 23 families over the course of a year. 6. Community-centered program services a. Provide doula services that are responsive to the community served. b. Provide program materials (e.g., brochures, curricula, handouts, etc.) that are appropriate for the community to be served, taking into account literacy levels, etc. 7. Community systems development and cross-referrals a. The ability of doulas to be present during the labor and delivery process is key to the success of this service. Programs must have written or verbal agreements with local birthing hospitals and birthing centers that ensure that the hospital/center will allow doulas to attend the births of their participants. b. The program should also have memoranda of understanding (MOUs) or other mechanisms in place with prenatal clinics, WIC programs, etc. to ensure that pregnant persons in the program's population will be referred by the 26th week of pregnancy. 8. Quality assurance and program improvement a. Track birth outcomes and utilize data to inform and improve practice. Deliverables – Coordinated Intake 1. Policies and procedures a. Develop or update Coordinated Intake policies and procedures manual within the first 6 months of the grant year. The manual should include the following: i. a Collaborative mission statement; ii. a clear communication plan outlining how CI makes referral decisions (which must refer to eligibility requirements of partner programs and protocol for when multiple programs are able to serve a family); iii. detailed flow charts that illustrate how referrals are processed through CI for each of the following referral sources: direct CI recruit; referral to CI from a community partner; referral to CI from a home visiting program; iv. process for connecting families to other available services when local home visiting programs have no openings; v. process for following up with waiting list participants at least monthly to monitor availability of services and eligibility of participants vi. process for avoiding dual enrollment in more than one intensive home visiting program. vii. process for monitoring changes in local home visiting programs’ eligibility criteria and incorporating changes into referral procedures viii. expectation for all parties to respond to all referral sources (including follow-up inquiries) with the status of referrals and timeline for enrollment within 2 business days of receiving the referral or inquiry. ix. brief summary of the data system used to track the above x. a defined process for how aggregate referral data is shared with all collaborative partners in order to promote transparency; xi. a back-up system used to complete and send referrals out in a timely way when the CI is absent. xii. Contact list for key partners and community service providers (e.g., food pantries, diaper banks, housing/shelters, etc.). b. Review and incorporate all relevant policies and procedures found on the https://igrowillinois.org/administrative-resources/ including those related to dual enrollment. c. Provide policies and procedures manual to all Collaborative members and review policies and procedures with the Collaborative on (at least) an annual basis. d. Assure compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). A sample training presentation is available from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. e. For educational institutions, assure compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). 2. Hiring and compensation a. Recruit, hire, and retain coordinated intake workers who reflect the communities they serve and effectively communicate with families. b. Fill any staff vacancies without delay. c. Assure that all coordinated intake workers and supervisors join the Gateways to Opportunity Registry. d. Assure that coordinated intake workers receive the salaries shown in the table below, at minimum. Assure that coordinated intake supervisors receive the salaries shown below, at minimum, if the supervisor is at least 50% FTE on this grant. Position Minimum Salary for 1.0 FTE Coordinated Intake Worker $47,268 6-County Metropolitan Chicago Area (Cook DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will) $41,580 Rest of the State Coordinated Intake Supervisor (required if the supervisor is at least 50% FTE on this grant) $60,000 6-County Metropolitan Chicago Area (Cook DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will) $55,000 Rest of the State 3. Professional development and technical assistance a. Assure that coordinated intake workers participate in trainings required by IDHS (including HIPAA). b. Encourage coordinated intake workers to participate in trainings offered by Start Early PLN. c. Maintain documentation of the training received by each coordinated intake staff and supervisor. d. Assure that coordinated intake workers participate in quarterly Learning Communities required by IDHS. i. CI programs may be asked to work together as part of a Community of Practice focused on a particular topic or activity annually; this will be integrated into the Learning Community meetings and otherwise e. Each agency CI team will meet monthly with staff from IDHS Home Visiting’s data partner to review and analyze program data and other information to identify needs for any technical assistance and support. i. In collaboration with IDHS Home Visiting’s data partner, develop and implement an annual technical assistance plan 4. Reflective supervision a. Provide at least one hour of reflective supervision at least twice per month to each CI worker (supervision hours may be pro-rated for CIs who work less than 1.0 FTE). b. The supervision must be provided by someone who has a demonstrated knowledge of home visiting as well as the role of the CI worker and has received training on reflective supervision. c. Maintain documentation of supervision, team meetings, field observations, training, and other staff development led by the supervisor. 5. Priority populations a. Prioritize the MIECHV priority populations for enrollment, along with the ELC priority populations and families with mental health concerns. b. Ensure all model-eligible families with child welfare involvement and model-eligible families experiencing homelessness, regardless of family income, are referred if slots are available c. Track trends related to the target population and adjust program plans to assure that families from priority populations are targeted for services.* 6. Family recruitment a. Participate in community public awareness and outreach activities to support program enrollment. b. Employ a variety of strategies to recruit families into home visiting and develop partnerships with community agencies and other entities that could serve as sources for referrals into CI. 7. Program capacity a. Track home visiting capacity at the program and community level. b. Send enough referrals to adequately meet community demand and ensure HV programs will maintain at least 85% of their maximum service capacity. c. CI workers will gather a complete, brief screen from potential participants within two business days of receiving information on the family (if applicable, depending on the local CI process). d. If all home visitors are at capacity, CI will refer eligible families to appropriate community resources and place participant on a waiting list for home visiting services. e. Provide immediate referrals to community resources for 100% of clients presenting with emergency needs. f. Refer any families who are ineligible for home visiting to other community and parenting services as indicated. 8. Community-centered services a. Provide coordinated intake services that are responsive to the community served. b. Provide program materials (e.g., brochures, self-referral forms, flyers, etc.) that are appropriate for the community served, taking into account literacy levels, etc. 9. Community systems development and cross-program referrals a. Take an active role in local community systems development efforts by participating regularly as a member of at least one local community collaboration to support the goals and principles defined in the 2021 Joint Statement on Community Systems, Coordinated Intake, and IRIS. i. Share with the collaboration available, relevant, aggregated program data that contribute to community needs assessment, setting a common agenda, or other local initiatives. ii. Promote shared messaging and materials from the collaboration among families and staff. iii. Participate in at least one local collaboration initiative, such as developmental screening tracking using the ASQ-Enterprise, or the use of the Integrated Referral and Intake System (IRIS). iv. Develop relationships and formalize agreements with other appropriate community service providers to, at minimum, define a referral and follow-up system, establish a plan for reducing duplication of services, and coordinate family service or goal plans (as applicable). These include: 1. Victims Services (intimate partner violence) 2. Early Intervention 3. Medical Providers 4. School Districts 5. WIC 6. Family Planning providers 7. Better Birth Outcomes program 8. Accountable Care Entities, Managed Care Organizations 9. Family Community Resource Center b. If there is a pre-existing Early Childhood collaborative, such as an AOK network or IRIS community, this network should be supported by IDHS Home Visiting CI staff. c. Assist participating families in connecting with Early Intervention (EI), using the standard referral form and procedures. d. Assist participating families in connecting with medical providers and with ancillary services such as mental health services, the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program, substance exposure and recovery services, and intimate partner violence services. 10. Data and data systems a. With written consent from participants, use the information management system designated by the Department to record information on program participants, and the activities of program staff. b. Maintain an individual case record for each family assisted by CI. Information for each month must be entered in the data system by the 5th day of the following month. c. Participate in regular data calls coordinated by the Department, to assure data quality and completeness. d. 100% of families referred to home visiting programs will be entered into Visit Tracker or other IDHS-approved referral processing system within two business days of processing the referral. 11. Family voice a. Regularly incorporate input from families served to improve program quality. b. Invite families to participate in local collaborations and advisory bodies. 12. Partnership with IDHS a. Participate in required regular programmatic and fiscal reviews. b. Participate in required regularly scheduled provider calls and other required meetings as scheduled by IDHS. c. Participate in the Department’s efforts to improve the health and well-being of families enrolled in program services. d. If MIECHV funding supported the development and/or publication of Peer Reviewed Publications; Web-Based Products; Pamphlets, Brochures, and Fact Sheets; Conferences Presentations and Posters; Newsletters, complete the IDHS Home Visiting Publication Tracking Spreadsheet and email it with your PPR. The spreadsheet is posted with administrative resources at igrowillinois.org. e. Share key accomplishments, challenges, and strategies to overcome challenges on Periodic Performance Report Performance Measures A. Home Visiting 1. Report the number of home visiting supervisors and home visitors, and any other direct service staff, and the percentage of these staff with registry numbers in the Gateways to Opportunity Registry. Reported quarterly. 2. Report the number of unduplicated families served year-to-date. Entered into the IDHS selected database, including race, ethnicity, and primary language. Reported quarterly from the data summary report (September, December, March, June). 3. Current caseload as a % of maximum caseload capacity. (Maximum caseload capacity is the highest number of households that could be enrolled at a point in time, if the program is operating with a full complement of hired and trained home visitors.) Reported quarterly from the data summary report. 4. Percentage of participants meeting no MIECHV priority population criteria, reported quarterly from the data summary report: • Low-income household (below 100% FPL) • Household contains an enrollee who is pregnant and under age 21 • Household has a history of child abuse or neglect or had had interactions with child welfare • Household has a history of substance abuse or needs substance abuse treatment • Someone in the household uses tobacco products in the home • Someone in the household has attained low student achievement or has a child with low student achievement • Household has a child with developmental delays or disabilities • Household includes individuals who are serving or formerly served in the United States armed forces 5. Membership in local collaborations (as documented by an MOU, letter, or other document from a collaboration that confirms the program’s membership and describes expectations for member participation). Reported annually (June). 6. Percentage of program participants with missing demographic data in data system. Reported quarterly from the data summary report. 7. Percentage of program participants with missing benchmark data in the data system. Reported quarterly from the data summary report. 8. Percentage of children receiving their last well-child visit based on the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule. Reported annually from the data summary report (June). 9. Percent of mothers enrolled prenatally or within 30 days after delivery who received a postpartum care visit within 8 weeks (56 days) of delivery. Reported annually from the data summary report (June). 10. Percentage of children with at least one timely Ages and Stages Questionnaire 3 (ASQ-3) screening during the reporting period (for children aged 9 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months). Reported annually from the data summary report (June). 11. Percent of participants who are screened for depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) within 3 months of enrollment (for those not enrolled prenatally) or within 3 months of delivery (for those enrolled prenatally). Reported annually from the data summary report (June). 12. Percent of primary caregivers screened for intimate partner violence (IPV) within 6 months of enrollment using a validated tool (Futures Without Violence for women, Baylor for men). Reported annually from the data summary report (June). 13. Percent of primary caregivers with a positive screen for IPV (21+ for Futures and 11+ for Baylor) who receive referrals to IPV resources. Reported annually from the data summary report (June). 14. Number of home visiting families participating in group activities, such as parent groups, program advisory board meetings, CQI team meetings, or local collaboration meetings. Reported quarterly. B. Doula Services (Only for home visiting programs with IDHS approval to include doulas) 1. Report the number of unduplicated families served year-to-date. Entered into the IDHS selected database, including race, ethnicity, and primary language. Reported quarterly (September, December, March, June). 2. Current caseload as a% of maximum caseload capacity. (Maximum caseload capacity is the highest number of pregnant persons that could be enrolled at a point in time, if the program is operating with a full complement of hired and trained doulas.) Reported quarterly. 3. Percent of participants enrolled in doula services by the end of the seventh month of pregnancy. Reported quarterly. 4. Percent of doula participants assigned to a long-term home visitor. Reported quarterly. 5. Percent of participants that initiate breastfeeding. Reported quarterly. C. Coordinated Intake 1. Submit coordinated intake policies and procedures manual (including items i through xii) annually (January). Include date of review by Family Recruitment Specialist. 2. Report the number of CI supervisors and CI workers, and the percentage of these staff with registry numbers in the Gateways to Opportunity Registry. Reported quarterly. 3. Report the number of quarterly Learning Community meetings and the % of meetings attended by CI staff. Reported quarterly. 4. Report the number of unduplicated families served year-to-date. Entered into the IDHS selected database. Reported quarterly in the case status summary report. 5. Report the number of outreach and/or public awareness raising events or activities per year (virtual or in person). Reported quarterly. 6. Membership in local collaborations (as documented by an MOU, letter, or other document from a collaboration that confirms the program's membership and describes expectations for member participation). Reported annually (June). 7. Number of meetings with collaborative partners (the collaboratives must include home visiting programs but are not limited to home visiting programs). Reported quarterly. 8. Submit Case Status Summary Report or equivalent IRIS report to IDHS on the 15th of every month. 9. Number of CI families participating in group activities, such as CQI team meetings or local collaboration meetings. Reported quarterly. 10. Submit IDHS Home Visiting funded development and/or Peer Reviewed Publications; Web-Based Products; Pamphlets, Brochures, and Fact Sheets; Conferences Presentations and Posters; Newsletters complete the IDHS Home Visiting Publication Tracking Spreadsheet. Reported quarterly. 11. Report on key accomplishments, challenges, and strategies to overcome challenges. Reported quarterly. Performance Standards A. Home Visiting 1. 100%. 2. Report the number quarterly. 3. Programs that have been active for one year or longer must achieve at least 85% of maximum caseload capacity. Entered into the IDHS selected database. 4. No more than 20% of participants meet no MIECHV priority population criteria. Entered into the IDHS selected database. 5. Membership document from at least one collaboration, provided annually (June). 6. No more than 10% missing data for any data indicator. Entered into the IDHS selected database. 7. No more than 10% missing data for any benchmark outcome data indicator. Entered into the IDHS selected database. 8. 80%. Entered into the IDHS selected database. 9. 75%. Entered into the IDHS selected database. 10. 80%. Entered into the IDHS selected database. 11. 85% of participants screened. Entered into the IDHS selected database. 12. 90%. Entered into the IDHS selected database. 13. 90%. Entered into the IDHS selected database. 14. Report the number quarterly. B. Doula Services (Only for home visiting programs with IDHS approval to include doulas) 1. Report the number quarterly. Entered into IDHS selected database. 2. Programs that have been active for one year or longer must achieve at least 85% of maximum caseload capacity. Entered into IDHS selected database. 3. 80%. Entered into IDHS selected database. 4. 80%. Entered into IDHS selected database. 5. 75%. Entered into IDHS selected database. C. Coordinated Intake 1. One manual. 2. 100% 3. At least 75%. 4. Report the number quarterly. 5. At least two. 6. Membership document from at least one collaboration, provided annually (June). 7. At least 6 meetings per year. 8. 12 monthly reports received annually. 9. Report the number quarterly. 10. Report and submit documents quarterly. 11. Report narrative quarterly

Yes

This Notice of State Award (NOSA) is not an agreement. This NOSA is not a guarantee of an agreement. IDHS will publish its agreements in the CSA Tracking System after you return a signed copy of this NOSA to IDHS. Please note the specific conditions identified for Section 3 of the NOSA. Please contact your DHS program representative within 30 days to implement a plan to address the identified issues within the next 90 days. Should you have any questions please speak with the DHS contact for your award. •CODE of FEDERAL REGULATIONS Title 2: Grants and Agreements PART 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200) •Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA), 30 ILCS 708/1 •Illinois Administrative Code

Government Organizations; Education Organizations; For-Profit Organizations; Nonprofit Organizations;

A. Eligible Applicants include private, not-for-profit community-based organizations that are incorporated and have been granted 501(c) (3) status; public community-based organizations, including units of local government, and private, for-profit community-based organizations. Applicants may apply independently or jointly. Joint applications for funds may be submitted by any combination of eligible applicants. For joint applications, the lead applicant would need to submit an application on behalf of all partners. 1. Program models. Applicants must use one of the following evidence-based home visiting models: a. Early Head Start Home-Based (EHS) b. Healthy Families America (HFA) Note: Successful applicants must request the HFA child welfare protocol from the HFA National Office within 6 months of the contract start date. c. Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) d. Parents as Teachers (PAT) 2. Doula enhancement. Only those applicants that currently have IDHS-funded doulas as part of their home visiting program are eligible to apply for the doula enhancement in FY26. This includes applicants with current IDHS state funding, and current IDHS Maternal Child Home Visiting as a subcontractor of Start Early. 3. Service areas: This Notice of Funding Opportunity is for the provision of home visiting services to families who reside in Illinois. Funding is only available for services in the counties listed below. Applicants are not required to serve an entire county and may serve a smaller geographic area within a county. While this NOFO covers increased salaries to support the Smart Start Illinois goals of higher program quality, total available funding has not increased. Therefore, IDHS does not anticipate an increase in total services funded, and we are limiting eligibility to the counties currently served by IDHS home visiting. In alignment with IDHS’s goal of better targeting funding to at-risk communities, applicants will receive priority points for serving Priority 1 or Priority 2 counties below, which were identified in the 2020 MIECHV Needs Assessment. The Needs Assessment is available on the CPRD MIECHV webpage. Priority Description Counties Priority 1 “At-risk communities” currently receiving IDHS HV funding. Champaign, Clay, Coles, Cook, Douglas, DuPage, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Kane, Lake, Livingston, Moultrie, Peoria, Rock Island, St. Clair, Stephenson, Vermilion, Winnebago. Applicants will receive 10 bonus points if they propose to serve at least one of these communities. Priority 2 "High Consideration" communities currently receiving IDHS HV funding. Adams, DeKalb, Lee, Macoupin, Ogle, Whiteside, Williamson. Applicants who do not serve any Priority 1 communities will receive 5 bonus points if they serve at least one of these communities. Priority 3 Communities currently receiving IDHS HV funding which do not appear in the above two priority categories Bond, Carroll, Clinton, DeWitt, Logan, Madison, McLean, Piatt, Tazewell, Woodford. No points. B. The applicant must meet the Registration, Pre-qualification and any other Mandatory Requirements listed in this funding opportunity. 1. Applicants must provide the following information via the Grantee Portal annually to be registered with the State of Illinois as an awardee: a. Organization name and contact information b. Federal Employee Identification Number (FEIN) c. Unique Identity Number (UEI) d. Organization type 2. Applicants must be prequalified; therefore, applications from entities that have not prequalified prior to the due date of this application will NOT be reviewed and will NOT be considered for funding. Items a) through e) below are the prequalification requirements. a. Unique Entity Identifiers and SAM Registration: Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or State awarding agency that is exempt from those requirements under 2 CFR § 25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal or State awarding agency under 2 CFR § 25.110(d)) is required to: i. Be registered in SAM.gov before the application due date. ii. Provide a valid unique entity identifier (UEI) in its application. iii. Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active award or an application or plan under consideration by the awarding agency. iv. The State Agency may not make an award until applicant has fully complied to all UEI and SAM requirements. v. The State Agency may determine that an applicant is not qualified if they have not complied to requirements and use that determination as a basis to award another applicant or applicants. b. Must be in "good standing" with the Illinois Secretary of State if the Illinois Secretary of State requires the entity's organization type to be registered. c. Must not be on the Illinois Stop Payment List d. Must not be on the Sam.gov Exclusion List e. Must not be on the Medicaid Sanctions List

The IDHS Home Visiting program has the following priority populations identified by the federal Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. Enrollment is not limited to the MIECHV priority populations, but programs are expected to prioritize the following populations, as well as the Early Learning Council Priority Populations, for enrollment. a. Low-income household (below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level or FPL) b. Household contains an enrollee who is pregnant and under age 21 c. Household has a history of child abuse or neglect or had interactions with child welfare d. Household has a history of substance abuse or needs substance abuse treatment e. Someone in the household uses tobacco products in the home f. Someone in the household has attained low student achievement or has a child with low student achievement g. Household has a child with developmental delays or disabilities h. Household includes individuals who are serving or formerly served in the United States armed forces

Project Grants

Human Services

Applicants selected for awards must comply with credentialing and other requirements of the four approved home visiting models - Early Head Start Home-Based (EHS), Healthy Families America (HFA), Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), and Parents as Teachers (PAT).

Applicant must demonstrate capacity to develop and maintain active collaborations with other organizations, including: local cross-systems collaboration that includes a mechanism for intake, referrals, and closing the loop; and local cross-systems collaboration that includes at least one MCH partner, with which there is a functioning relationship for referrals and information-sharing.

All NOFO or renewal applicants must meet the applicant eligibility requirements outlined above. Applicants that don't meet these requirements will not be considered for scoring (NOFO) or funding. 1. Accessing Application Package Notice of Funding Opportunity: Application materials are provided throughout the announcement. All components of the application package can be accessed through the Catalog of State Financial Assistance (CSFA) and the IDHS/Early Childhood webpage. Renewal Applications: The application templates, the instructions, the due date, and the link to the programmatic risk assessment can be found on the IDHS/Early Childhood webpage under the CSFA number. Each applicant must have access to the internet. The Department's website will contain information regarding the NOFO and materials necessary for submission. 2. Content and Form of Application Submission: The Notice of Funding Opportunity/Renewal Application Notice will contain all components of the application package and instructions. At the time of application, the grantee must submit all required components of the application package, including the grant application, the program plan, the budget, and any other required documents. 3. Fiscal and Administrative Risk Assessment: Grantees must complete the Fiscal and Administrative Risk Assessment on the GATA/CSFA system- also known as the ICQ (short for Internal Controls Questionnaire). Be sure to click "submit" to submit your answers when complete. This is done only once per entity per fiscal year. While it does not have to be completed prior to submitting the application, this step must be done before an applicant or their application can be considered. 4. Indirect Cost Rate: Most, but not all grants will include the potential for a grantee to claim an Indirect Cost Rate to help cover the administration costs related to the grant. For new grantees or new grants, this must be done within 90 days of the grant's effective date. For returning grantees, this must be done within six months following the end of the grantee's fiscal year. All grantees must make a selection. 5. Grant Selection, NOSA and Grant Agreement: If your application is selected for funding, the results of the ICQ and Programmatic Risk Assessment may render conditions that will be included in your Notice of State Award (NOSA). The NOSA will be generated from GATA's CSFA system, and may be delivered via email from that system. (if you change staff or email addresses, be sure to update your GATA registration with that information or the correct person or email will not receive the NOSA.) These conditions may need to be addressed prior to the award becoming a firm grant agreement or they may be addressed over the course of the timeframe of the award. The proposed IDHS grantee must sign-off and return the NOSA to IDHS. Once the grantee accepts the IDHS grant and returns it, IDHS will also accept and the contracting process begins.

Applications that fail to meet the criteria/requirements outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity will not be scored and considered for funding. Any application not fully submitted by the Application End Date will not be considered. The numerical score may not be the sole award criterion. The Department reserves the right to consider any factors such as: geographical distribution, demonstrated need, and agency past performance as a State of Illinois grantee, etc. While the recommendation of the review panel will be a key factor in the funding decision the Department maintains final authority over funding decisions and considers the findings of the reviewers to be non-binding recommendations. Any internal documentation used in scoring or awarding of grants shall not be considered public information.

https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=85526

Information, including deadlines, for Notices of Funding Opportunity or renewals can be found at the Illinois Department of Human Services website at: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=85526

1-4 months

Merit Based Review Appeal Process 1. Competitive grant appeals are limited to the evaluation process. Evaluation scores may not be protested. Only be evaluation process is subject to appeal and shall be reviewed by IDHS' Appeal Review Officer (ARO). a. Submission of Appeal i. Appeals submission IDHS contact information: o Contact Name: Lori Orr o Email address: Lori.A.Orr@Illinois.gov o Email Subject Line: NOFO Appeal ii. An appeal must be submitted in writing to appeals submission IDHS contact listed above, who will send to the IDHS Appeal Review Officer (ARO) for consideration. o An appeal must be received within 14 calendar days after the date that the grant award notice has been published. o The written appeal shall include at a minimum the following: ? Name and address of the appealing party ? Identification of the grant; and ? Statement of the reasons for the appeal ? Supporting documentation, if applicable b. Response to appeal i. IDHS will acknowledge receipt of an appeal within 14 calendar days from the date the appeal was received. o IDHS will respond to the appeal within 60 days or supply a written explanation to the appealing party as to why additional time is required. o The appealing party must supply any additional information requested by IDHS within the time period set in the request c. Resolution i. The ARO will make a recommendation to the Agency Head or designee as expeditiously as possible after receiving all relevant, requested information. o In determining the appropriate recommendation, the ARO shall consider the integrity of the competitive grant process and the impact of the recommendation on the State Agency. o The Agency will resolve the appeal by means of written determination. o The determination shall include, but not be limited to: ? Review of the appeal; ? Appeal determination; and ? Rationale for the determination.

Successful applicants under this NOFO may be eligible to receive two subsequent one-year grant renewals for this program. Renewals are at the discretion of the Department and are based on sufficient appropriation and performance criteria including, but not limited to: i. Grantee has performed satisfactorily during the previous reporting period. ii. All required reports have been submitted on time, unless a written exception has been provided by the Division/Department. iii. No outstanding issues are present (e.g., in good standing with all pre-qualification requirements and no outstanding corrective action, etc.).

There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement for this program; Maintenance of Effort - Maintenance of Effort applies to recipients (States) of the MIECHV Grant. To demonstrate compliance with the maintenance of effort (MOE) requirement, states must maintain non-federal funding (State General Funds) for evidence-based home visiting and home visiting initiatives, at a level that is not less than the amount spent for these home visiting activities in either fiscal year 2019 or 2021, whichever is less. These amounts were published in the Federal Register on June 23, 2023.

The following funding restrictions apply: • Pre-award costs are not permitted. • 2 CFR 200 Subpart E Allowable/Unallowable Costs. • In general, the delivery or costs of direct medical, dental, mental health, or legal services are not allowable; however, some limited direct services may be provided (typically by the home visitor) to the extent required to maintain fidelity to an evidence-based model. • Indirect costs cannot be compensated without an election or a negotiated rate on file with the State of Illinois. CODE of FEDERAL REGULATIONS Title 2: Grants and Agreements PART 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200)

A. Reporting upon execution of the grant agreement shall be in accordance with the requirements set forth in the UGA and related exhibits which include but is not limited to the following: 1. Periodic Financial Reports submitted electronically in accordance with instructions in the UGA no more frequent than quarterly and no less frequent than annually, unless unusual circumstances exist. 2. Periodic Programmatic Reports submitted electronically in accordance with instructions in the UGA no more frequent than quarterly and no less frequent than annually, unless unusual circumstances exist. 3. Close-out Performance Reports and Financial Reports as instructed in the UGA. 4. Other Unique Programmatic Reporting Requirements: additional annual performance data may be collected as directed by the Department and in the format prescribed by the Department. 5. If the State share of any State award may include more than $500,000 over the period of performance applicants are also subject to the reporting requirements reflected in Appendix XII to 2 CFR 200. Noncompliance with any of the identified reports may lead to being placed on the Illinois Stop-Payment List

Audit requirements per JCAR Title 44 Illinois Administrative Code 7000.90

Governance: 89 Ill. Adm. Code 509.40 Accounting Requirements d); 44 Ill. Adm. Code 7000.430 Records Retention b), 2 CFR 200.334 Record Retention Requirements; Uniform Grant Agreement Article 9.1 Records Retention An awardee is required to have a records retention policy. A records retention policy defines an organization’s procedures for the management, retention, transfer, and disposal of records. The policy must define the duration of time the awardee will preserve documents while maintaining them in accordance with applicable Federal and State retention requirements. Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other awardee records pertinent to a State-issued award shall be maintained for at least five years after the end of the fiscal year to which they relate.

Federal MIECHV Funding 0408.44484.4900.000500NE, State GRF Funding 0001.44484.4900.000300NE

10,827,874

$45,000-$1,350,000

IDHS Home Visiting was formerly known as two separate programs: MIECHV and IDHS-DEC Home Visiting. The MIECHV program served 759 children in FY2021 and 757 children in FY2022. The IDHS-DEC HV (HFI) program served 1,450 participants in FY21 and 1,320 participants in FY22.

https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=161327

The following website can assist people in finding sites for multiple home visiting programs, not just IDHS Home Visiting. The website also provides a list of trained Coordinated Intake staff, who provide a single point of entry for home visiting programs in certain communities. Each IDHS Home Visiting community will have a coordinated intake process to assure that families have a central point of entry for services. The coordinated intake provider will assist families in determining the services and supports that are best suited for their needs. http://www.igrowillinois.org/find-a-program/

Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Early Childhood - 401 S. Clinton St., Chicago, IL 60607

https://igrowillinois.org/about-il-miechv/

Maternal Child Home Visiting

IDHS Home Visiting currently funds a project to strengthen the state’s capacity to connect families with child welfare involvement to home visiting.

4/14/2025

FY 2019 : $14,006,800
FY 2020 : $14,006,800
FY 2021 : $14,006,800
FY 2024 : $10,827,874
FY 2025 : $30,408,613