DEC

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. Note: The IDHS Home Visiting program was formerly known as two separate programs: MIECHV and IDHS-DEC Home Visiting.

The Social Security Act, Title V, Section 511; 42 USC 711

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 A. Home Visiting 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 website, including those related to breastfeeding, safe sleep, child welfare, substance use issues, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, and dual enrollment. C. Maintain written policies and procedures for connecting referred families to other available services when your program has no openings. D. Assure compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). E. 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 mirror the cultural, ethnic, and linguistic characteristics of the families served. 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. The indicated minimum salaries for supervisors are strongly recommended. If it is not feasible to implement the minimum salary requirement for home visitors in SFY23, applicants can propose to incrementally raise salaries in order to reach the minimum salary by SFY25. i. Minimum Salaries: 1.0 FTE Home Visitor: Chicago, Cook, and Collar Counties - $46,800; Rest of State - $37,485 1.0 FTE Home Visiting Supervisor: Chicago, Cook, and Collar Counties - $59,598; Rest of State - $48,058 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. D. Utilize Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) as described in the Illinois model for IECMHC on the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development (GOECD) IECMHC webpage: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/OECD/Pages/Illinois-Infant-Early-Childhood-Mental-Health-Consultation.aspx. To find a consultant, use the Illinois registry of IECMH Consultants: https://registry.ilgateways.com/find-consultants. 6. Program capacity A. Maximum service capacity is the largest number of families that could potentially be enrolled at a point in time, if the program were operating with a full complement of hired and trained 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 maximum 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. 7. 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 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. 8. 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 intimate partner violence screening, mental health screening, and substance use screening using tools approved by the Department, and refer to services as indicated. E. For adult participants, provide education on topics including breastfeeding, safe sleep, well child visits, and postpartum care, and refer to services as needed. 9. Culturally responsive program services A. Provide model-specific home visiting services that are culturally and linguistically responsive to the populations served. For guidance, see the Guiding Principles for Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness from the Erikson Institute. B. Provide culturally and linguistically responsive program materials (e.g., brochures, curricula, handouts, etc.) for the major groups within the population to be served. 10. 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. 11. Community systems development and cross-program referrals A. Dedicate a portion of a designated staff member’s time to participate 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. B. Share with the collaboration available, relevant, aggregated program data that contribute to community needs assessment, setting a common agenda, or other local initiatives. C. Promote shared messaging and materials from the collaboration among families and staff. D. 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). E. Assist participating families in connecting with Early Intervention (EI), using the protocols and forms developed by the Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics. F. Assist participating families in connecting with medical providers and with ancillary services such as mental health services, the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program, and intimate partner violence services, with support from the Department. 12. 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, with support and technical assistance from the Department. D. Participate in regular data calls coordinated by the Department, to assure data quality and completeness. 13. 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. 14. 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. 15. Partnership with IDHS A. Participate in required regular programmatic and fiscal monitoring reviews. Programmatic monitoring will include use of the HOVRS (Home Visit Rating Scale). B. Participate in required monthly 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. B. Doula Services (optional—only for home visiting programs that opt to include doulas) While doula services are not required as part of the IDHS Home Visiting program, doula services may be supported through this funding stream if they are offered as an integrated part of a long-term, evidence-based home visiting model. These doula services are not intended to be stand-alone services. 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. There is a readiness factor that should be considered if your program is considering integrating a doula component into your home visiting program. The home visiting program must be large enough to be able to serve most pregnant women who desire a doula, and the program must be able to take on all the roles and responsibilities of doula services. In general, at least two doulas are needed as part of a program’s staffing pattern, In addition, 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. 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 mirror the cultural, ethnic, and linguistic characteristics of the families served. 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. Consider family retention in your home visiting program when thinking about the addition of doulas. d. Doulas 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. Generally, about 10 percent of a doula’s time is spent facilitating 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. Programs must assure that doulas receive the salaries shown in the table below, at minimum. The indicated minimum salaries for supervisors are strongly recommended. If it is not feasible to implement the minimum salary requirement for doulas in SFY23, applicants can propose to incrementally raise salaries in order to reach the minimum salary by SFY25. Position Minimum Salary for 1.0 FTE (Chicago, Cook, and Collar Counties) Minimum Salary for 1.0 FTE (rest of the state) Doula $46,800 $37,485 Doula Supervisor $59,598 $48,058 3. Professional development a. The program must apply for Start Early’s (SE) doula training and technical assistance program, which has limited openings. Interested programs must actively seek a SE Doula Services application and go through the preparedness vetting process, and be accepted and enrolled into the training and technical assistance program before IDHS-DEC funding may be allocated toward doula services. b. New doulas must receive pre-service and in-service training from the SE Professional Learning Network, and they are encouraged to pursue credentialing. 4. Clinical consultation a. 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. They are generally contracted for about 10 hours per month. 5. Program capacity a. A 1.0 FTE doula typically has a caseload of nine to 12 participants at any one 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 or 10 families at any one point in time would result in a doula serving approximately 22- 24 families over the course of a year. 6. Culturally responsive program services a. Provide doula services that are culturally and linguistically responsive to the populations served. For guidance, see the Guiding Principles for Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness from the Erikson Institute. b. Provide culturally and linguistically responsive program materials (e.g., brochures, curricula, handouts, etc.) for the major groups within the population served. 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 agreements with local birthing hospitals that ensure that the hospital will allow doulas to attend the births of their participants. b. The program should also have memorandums of understanding (MOU) 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. C. 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 igrow Illinois website, including those related to breastfeeding, child welfare, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, dual enrollment, and substance use issues. 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 mirror the cultural, ethnic, and linguistic characteristics of the families served. 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. The indicated minimum salaries for supervisors are strongly recommended. If it is not feasible to implement the minimum salary requirement for coordinated intake workers in SFY23, providers may propose to incrementally raise salaries in order to reach the minimum salary by SFY25. SEE TABLE BELOW. i. Minimum Salaries: 1.0 FTE Coordinated Intake worker: Chicago, Cook, and Collar Counties - $46,800; Rest of State - $37,800 1.0 FTE Coordinated Intake Supervisor: Chicago, Cook, and Collar Counties - $60,000; Rest of State - $50,000 3. Professional development and technical assistance a. Assure that coordinated intake workers participate in trainings required by IDHS (including HIPAA). This includes: i. Cultural Humility Part One: Supporting Immigrant Families, A Culturally Humble Approach (Institute for Advancement of Family Support Professionals) ii. Cultural Humility Part Two: Supporting Dual Language Learners (Institute for Advancement of Family Support Professionals) iii. Historical Trauma (Institute for Advancement of Family Support Professionals) b. Encourage coordinated intake workers to participate in cultural responsiveness 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 MIECHV’s data partner and the Family Recruitment Specialist to review and analyze program data and other information to identify needs for any technical assistance and support. i. In collaboration with Family Recruitment Specialist and MIECHV’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. Culturally responsive services a. Provide coordinated intake services that are culturally and linguistically responsive to the target populations served. b. Provide culturally and linguistically responsive program materials (eg, brochures, self-referral forms, flyers, etc.) for the major groups within the population to be served. 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 MIECHV CI staff. c. Assist participating families in connecting with Early Intervention (EI), using the protocols and forms developed by the Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics. 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, 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 monitoring reviews. b. Participate in required monthly 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. Performance Measures A. Home Visiting 1. Report the number of home visiting supervisors and home visitors, 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 that include doulas) 1. Families served MEASURE: 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. Caseload capacity MEASURE: 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. Prenatal enrollment MEASURE: Percent of participants enrolled in doula services by the end of the seventh month of pregnancy. Reported quarterly. 4. Doula-home visiting integration MEASURE: Percent of doula participants assigned to a long-term home visitor. Reported quarterly. 5. Doula-attended births MEASURE: Percent of Doula participants with a Doula-attended birth. Reported quarterly. 6. Breastfeeding MEASURE: 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. 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 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. B. Doula Services (only for home visiting programs that include doulas) 1. Families served STANDARD: Report the number quarterly. Entered into IDHS selected database. 2. Caseload capacity STANDARD: 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. Prenatal enrollment STANDARD: 80%. Entered into IDHS selected database. 4. Doula-home visiting integration STANDARD: 80%. Entered into IDHS selected database. 5. Doula-attended births STANDARD: 75%. Entered into IDHS selected database. 6. Breastfeeding STANDARD: 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.

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;

Eligible Applicants This competitive funding opportunity is limited to applicants that meet the following requirements: • The applicant has met the Prequalification and Mandatory Requirements listed in this funding opportunity. • 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. • Program models. Applicants must use one of the following evidence-based home visiting models: o Early Head Start Home-Based (EHS) o 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. o Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) o Parents as Teachers (PAT) • Service areas: This Notice of Funding Opportunity is for the provision of home visiting services to families who reside in Illinois. Communities eligible to apply for this grant are shown in the table below. Funding is only available for services in these listed communities. o While this NOFO covers increased expenses to support higher program quality, funding has not increased. Therefore, IDHS-DEC does not anticipate an increase in total services funded, and we are limiting the number of eligible communities. (If funding increases in future years, we may be able to expand both slots and communities.) o In alignment with IDHS-DEC’s goal of better targeting funding to at-risk communities, applicants will receive bonus points for serving Priority 1 or Priority 2 communities below, which were identified in the 2020 MIECHV Needs Assessment. Applicants serving only Priority 3 communities should not expect to receive renewals after the end of SFY23. o Applicants are not required to serve an entire county, and may serve a smaller geographic area within a county. Priority Description Counties Priority 1 “At-risk communities” identified in the 2020 MIECHV Needs Assessment which currently have HFI funding. Champaign, Clay, Cook, DuPage, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Kane, Lake, Livingston, Rock Island, Sangamon, Stephenson, Vermilion, Will. Applicants will receive 10 bonus points if they propose to serve at least one of these communities. Priority 2 Communities identified in the 2020 MIECHV Needs Assessment for “high consideration” for funding due to high need and low capacity, which currently receive HFI 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 served by HFI programs which do not appear in the above two priority categories Bond, Carroll, Clinton, DeWitt, Logan, Madison, McLean, Menard, Perry, Piatt, Woodford. None 2. Prequalification Requirements Applicant entities will not be eligible to apply for a grant award until they have prequalified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, Grantee Links tab. Registration and prequalification are required annually. During prequalification, verifications are performed including a check of federal Debarred and Suspended status on the Illinois Stop Payment List and good standing with the Secretary of State. An automated email notification is sent to the entity alerting them of "qualified" status or providing information about how to remediate a negative verification (e.g., inactive DUNS, not in good standing with the Secretary of State). A federal Debarred and Suspended status cannot be remediated. For assistance navigating government application prequalification procedures, refer to IDHS GATA Prequalification Assistance. 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. The following information is required to complete registration: • Organization's Dun & Bradstreet number (DUNS); For additional information on DUNS, refer to Section Unique Entity Identifier (DUNS number) and System for Award Management (SAM) below. • Organization's Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN); • Organization type; • Illinois Secretary of State File ID (required for non-profits, for-profits and limited liability corporations); • Organization's name; • Organization's mailing address; • Organization's primary email address; • Organization's primary phone number; and • Organization's fiscal year-end date. 3. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI replaced DUNS April 2022) and System for Award Management (SAM) Each applicant is required to: • Be registered in SAM.gov before submitting its application. Provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application; if your organization does not yet have a EIU/DUNS refer to the Dun & Bradstreet page to request one. • Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active award, an application ,or plan under consideration by the Department. The Department may not make an award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the Department is ready to make an award, the Department may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant. 4. Pre-award requirements The pre-award process includes a financial and administrative risk assessment utilizing an Internal Controls Questionnaire (ICQ) and a Programmatic Risk Assessment (PRA). The ICQ is completed for the organization, while the PRA must be completed for each separate grant for which an applicant intends to apply. The Department may NOT issue a Notice of Award or a Grant Agreement to any applicant that does not have a submitted and approved FY 23 ICQ and a submitted and complete FY 23 PRA(s). While these are NOT required prior to submitting the application, they are required prior to the Department issuing an award. Applicants that have not completed an ICQ and/or PRA for the grant award year at the time of application will be contacted by the Department to complete these pre-award requirements. These grantee pre-award requirements are mandated by Federal Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) and the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA). Grantees must complete these requirements prior to receiving a grant award from the State of Illinois. 5. Registration in CSA The CSA Tracking System is the system the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) utilizes for approving budgets and issuing grant awards. If an applicant entity is not already registered in the CSA Tracking System, they should begin the registration as soon as possible so they may submit a signed budget in CSA. Successful applicants will NOT be issued an award without a fully approved budget in the CSA System. See the CSA registration instructions. 6. State and Federal Laws and Regulations The agency awarded funds through this NOFO must agree to comply with all applicable provisions of state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to nondiscrimination, sexual harassment and equal employment opportunity including, but not limited to: The Illinois Human Rights Act (775 ILCS 5/1-101 et seq.), The Public Works Employment Discrimination Act (775 ILCS 10/1 et seq.), The United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as amended) (42 USC 2000a-and 2000H-6), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 USC 794), The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 USC 12101 et seq.), and The Age Discrimination Act (42 USC 6101 et seq.). 7. Cost Sharing or Match Requirements Cost sharing or matching is not a requirement of this application. 8. Indirect Cost Rate Indirect Cost Requirements and Restrictions In order to charge indirect costs to this grant, the applicant organization must have a Federal or State annually negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) or must elect to use the De Minimis Rate. Every organization that receives a state award must make an indirect cost rate proposal or election in the State of Illinois Grantee Portal, Centralized Indirect Cost Rate Election System, including organizations that are choosing not to claim payment for indirect costs. Indirect Cost Rate Election: • Federally Negotiated Rate. Organizations that receive direct federal funding may have an indirect cost rate that was negotiated with the Federal Cognizant Agency. Illinois will accept the federally negotiated rate. The organization must provide a copy of the federal NICRA and submit an Indirect Cost Rate Proposal in the Crowe Activity Review System (CARS). • State Negotiated Rate. The organization must negotiate an indirect cost rate with the State of Illinois by completing an indirect cost rate proposal in the CARS system if they do not have a Federally Negotiated Rate and would like to negotiate a rate with the State of Illinois. o De Minimis Rate. An organization may elect a De Minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct cost (MTDC)**. Once established, the De Minimis rate may be used indefinitely. If programs elect to use the De Minimis rate, it is critical that program budgets accurately calculate the MTDC base. Please see the regulation below and note the exclusions to MTDC. **2 CFR § 200.68 Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC). MTDC means all direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and subawards and subcontracts up to the first $25,000 of each subaward or subcontract (regardless of the period of performance of the subawards and subcontracts under the award). MTDC excludes equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each subaward and subcontract in excess of $25,000. Other items may only be excluded when necessary to avoid a serious inequity in the distribution of indirect costs, and with the approval of the cognizant agency for indirect costs. • "No Rate": Grantees have discretion not to claim payment for indirect costs. Grantees that elect not to claim indirect costs cannot be reimbursed for indirect costs. The organization must record an election of "No Indirect Costs" into the Indirect Cost Rate Election System. o Crowe Activity Review System (CARS). CARS will allow your organization to document your already established federally approved indirect cost rate or complete an indirect cost rate proposal (see State Negotiated Rate above). Submission requirements are located on page 2 of the Uniform Budget Template as well as 2 CFR 200 Appendices IV, V & VII. Organizations which have not previously made an indirect cost rate election must submit an election (and indirect cost rate proposal, if necessary) immediately and no later than 3 months after receiving an award notification. If the organization elects to submit a Federally Negotiated Rate or a State Negotiated Rate they will receive an invitation to submit their proposal in the CARS system. Organizations that have previously established an indirect cost rate election and would like to continue with a Federal or State Negotiated Rate must submit a new indirect cost rate election immediately and no later than 6 months after the close of their organization's fiscal year. Organizations that do not make a submission inside the CARS system within the required timeframes will not be allowed to claim indirect cost reimbursement. For more information, see the Centralized Indirect Cost Rate System and Illinois Grant Accountability and Transparency Act webpages. 9. Other requirements: Cultural and Linguistic Competency Services must be provided in a culturally responsive manner. Grantees need to understand, acknowledge, and respect the differences among the populations served (ethnicity, race, religion, age, gender, abilities, language and other characteristics) and provide services in a relevant competent and appropriate manner. Programs should demonstrate an ability to adapt individual programs, services and policies to fit the cultural context of the individual, family or community. Confidentiality Grantees must comply with confidentiality statutes set forth by state and federal governments including, but not limited to: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (45 CFR 160, 162, and 164); the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act (815 ILCS 530/1 et seq.); the Illinois Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act (740 ILCS 110/1 et seq.); Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Regulations (34 CFR Part 99); and Administrative Code Title 77 Section 630.20.

The IDHS Home Visiting program has the following priority populations identified by the federal Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program: • Low income household (below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level or FPL) • Household contains an enrollee who is pregnant and under age 21 • Household has a history of child abuse or neglect or 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 Priority population a. Prioritize the MIECHV priority populations for enrollment (see above). 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 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.

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 serving parents and their young children, including but not limited to: childcare providers; primary health care; local health departments; Family Case Management (FCM); Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); hospitals; maternal and child health services; Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF); Teen Parent Services; early intervention services; and local schools. The applicant must demonstrate that a network of community partners has been established that will support the agency in maintaining the required percentage of the agency caseload capacity; connect children and families to critical resources; and recruit, hire, and retain staff. Evidence will include formal linkage agreements with community partners for recruitment; informal or formal linkage agreements that describe active collaborations with community partners; and description of partnerships that will allow the applicant to recruit, hire, and retain home visitors who mirror the cultural, ethnic, and linguistic characteristics of the families served.

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, the programmatic risk assessment, 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. Scoring will not be the sole award criterion. The Department reserves the right to consider other factors such as: geographical distribution, demonstrated need, location of home visiting slots supported by other funding streams, and agency past performance as a state 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.

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 In accordance with GATA Administrative Rules, Section 350, Merit Based Review of Grant Applications, a merit-based application review is required for competitive (discretionary) Grants and Cooperative Agreements, unless prohibited by State or federal statute. http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/044/044070000D03500R.html Under a competitive grant, the evaluation process may be subject to appeal. Evaluation scores or funding determinations/outcomes cannot be appealed. Refer to the Merit Based review Appeal Process as stated in GATA Administrative Rules, Section g: http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/044/044070000D03500R.html

Renewal is contingent upon meeting various criteria including, but not limited to, the following considerations: Grantee has performed satisfactorily during the previous reporting grant period; All required reports have been submitted on time, unless a written exception has been provided by the Department/Division; No outstanding issues are present (i.e. 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 requires recipients (States) of the MIECHV Grant to supplement, and not supplant, funds from other sources for early childhood home visiting programs or initiatives. Recipients must demonstrate compliance by maintaining non-federal funding for evidence based home visiting and home visiting initiatives, expended for activities in the HRSA application, at a level that is not less than expenditures for such activities as of the most recently completed State fiscal year. IDHS Home Visiting uses the state-funded portions of the IDHS Home Visiting Program, the Maternal Child Home Visiting Program, and related programs for its maintenance of effort.

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)

Upon execution of the grant agreement, reporting shall be in accordance with the requirements set forth in the Uniform Grant Agreement and related Exhibits which includes, but is not limited to the following: • Monthly Grant Invoice, • Periodic Financial Report (PFR), • Periodic Performance Report (PPR), • Program Data Reporting - The MIECHV provider shall enter all data into the IDHS designated database system, • Annual Audit in conformance with Audit Requirements set forth in the grant agreement. Additional data may be collected as directed by the Department and in a format prescribed by the Department.

Audit requirements per JCAR Title 44 Illinois Administrative Code 7000.90

Grantee shall maintain for three (3) years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report, adequate books, all financial records and, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to this Award, adequate to comply with 2 CFR 200.334, unless a different retention period is specified in 2 CFR 200.334 or 44 Ill. Admin. Code 7000.430(a) and (b). If any litigation, claim or audit is started before the expiration of the retention period, the records must be retained until all litigation, claims or audit exceptions involving the records have been resolved and final action taken.

Federal MIECHV Funding 0408.44480.4900.002100NE, State GRF Funding 0001.44480.4900.000800NE

10,827,874

$45,000-$1,050,000

IDHS Home Visiting was formerly known as two separate programs: MIECHV and IDHS-DEC Home Visiting. The MIECHV program served 861 children in FY2019 and 876 children in FY20. The IDHS-DEC HV (HFI) program served 1,100 participants in FY19 and 1,538 participants in FY20.

https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=134500

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.

3/29/2023

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