Frequently Asked Questions
How many children live at TheHope School?
The Hope School provides residential placement to 64 children on-campus and about as many children in our community homes. In addition, The Hope School’s Community Reintegration Program houses 5 children on campus.
What ages do you serve?
While The Hope School is licensed for children ages 3 to 21 years of age, our youngest resident, currently, is 6 years old.
Do I surrender my parental rights upon admission?
No. Your parental rights remain unchanged if your child is admitted to The Hope School. You will remain the guardian of your child until he/she becomes 18 years old. To remain guardian of your child after he/she is 18 years old, you must go to court to be designated your child’s adult guardian. We will assist you as much as possible with this process when you child approaches the age of 18 years old.
How does my child receive funding for residential placement?
Funding for residential placement is complicated and confusing, and any attempt to develop a simple explanation is an act in futility! Suffice it to say that the funding for a child’s room and board typically comes from one of three sources:
- State of Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS)
- State of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)
- Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
On rare occasions, a child’s room and board may be paid through an out-of state or private funding source.
While room and board funding is complicated, educational funding (tuition) is relatively simple. Tuition is paid by the child’s home school district (the district in which the parent resides).
How do I receive funding from DHS?
DHS contracts with agencies assigned to distinct geographical areas throughout the state that provide case management services to individuals with developmental disabilities. The case managers are called Pre-Admission Screening (PAS) or Individual Service Coordinator (ISC) agents, and they link their clients to the necessary services and supports within the community. The PAS/ISC agents may arrange for occasional or regular respite services, in-home Technical Assistance services, and/or Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services for their clients. When community based services are absent or no longer meet the needs of the client, the PAS/ISC agent coordinates the process for residential placement. Therefore, it is imperative that you contact your region’s PAS/ISC agency to secure DHS funding for residential placement.
The PAS/ISC agent has helped arrange for every community-based support for my child, but nothing works. How do I proceed with residential placement?
Your child’s PAS/ISC agent assembles a “referral packet” of pertinent information regarding your child (IEP, Psychological Evaluations, Behavior Plans, Medical Information, etc.) and sends it to DHS approved facilities that might meet the needs of your child.
At The Hope School, we review referral packets weekly to determine if a child might seem appropriate for our programs and services. If the child appears appropriate, we proceed with collecting additional information, including, but not limited to attaining medical records, screening the child by residential and behavior staff, and touring the parents through our residential and educational facilities. Once a final determination of appropriateness is made, the PAS/ISC agent submits the child’s funding packet to DHS for approval.
My child has been approved for DHS funding, but now I have to wait for a “funded vacancy.” What does that mean?
Good question. At the Hope School, we have 80 “funded” beds. That is, we have 80 beds that are funded by DHS. In order for a child with DHS funding approval to receive placement at The Hope School, one of those 80 beds must be vacant (the funded vacancy). A vacancy occurs when a DHS funded youth leaves The Hope School. This is usually due to the youth “aging out” (reaches 21 years of age) or moving to another residential placement.
Could my child ever lose his/her DHS funding?
Yes. If your child spends more that 60 days (24 hour periods) off-campus within a calendar year, DHS would cancel his/her funding. Your child may risk losing his/her DHS funding.
How do I receive residential funding from DCFS?
The children funded through DCFS are those that are currently in the DCFS system, and are wards of the state. While some of these children continue to have parental involvement, many do not. Any child placed at The Hope School by DCFS must have a developmental disability, and most have been unsuccessful in foster placements.
Are you accredited?
We are accredited by The Council on Quality and Leadership. We currently have a two-year accreditation.
Are you licensed?
Yes. We are licensed by Department of Children and Family Services.
What percent of children have autism?
Approximately 70% of the children here have autism or a diagnosis somewhere on the autism spectrum.
Do you have a quality improvement program? What does it entail?
Yes, we do have a Continuing Quality Improvement department. CQI staff make routine checks on all the homes to ensure the environment is safe and the children are receiving active treatment. We also have a CQI committee that is currently working on ensuring youth rights and personal choices are understood and accessible to the children.
Why do you need all of my children’s medical records?
Prior to admission we will request all of your child’s medical records in order to better assess their appropriateness for our programs. Also, once your child is admitted to The Hope School our doctor, Dr. Jeri Beth Karkos, will assume medical care for your child. Dr. Karkos needs to have all medical records to obtain a overall picture of health for your child to better assess their medical needs.
Why do I have to sign all of this paperwork prior to admission?
Admission day can be very overwhelming for parents as well as for the child. On the day of admission there will be an Admissions Staffing, IEP, and a meeting with the doctor. We ask that all paperwork be completed prior to admission to help streamline the admission process. If you have specific questions about the paperwork you can contact the Admissions Coordinator.
Why do I need to complete the behavioral scales prior to the day of admission?
The behavioral scales that are required take considerable time to complete. It is best to do these at home when you have time to sit down and really think about your child and answer the questions as thoroughly as possible.
What happens when my child reaches age 21?
Once a child at The Hope School reaches 21 they must be discharged. Prior to reaching 21, parents need to begin thinking about their child’s future living arrangements and making preparations for adult placement if necessary.
Who is my child’s guardian?
Guardianship does not change when a child is admitted to The Hope School.
Who is responsible for finding adult placement for my child?
Guardians are responsible for finding adult placement for their child when they reach 21 years of age. The process of finding adult placement can take years, just like finding and gaining admission to a placement for your child at a young age. Once your child turns 18 you will need to go to court and obtain legal guardianship of your child. At that point it is a good idea to contact your local PAS agency to begin looking for adult placement.
What are the ages of the children in my child’s home?
Ages vary by home.
What is your staff to child ratio? In School? In the Evening?
In School many, about 70%, of our children have their own aid that works 1 on 1 with that child. On the homes the ratio is no more that 1 staff person for 4 children.
Do your staff receive special training? If so, can you explain?
Yes, once hired staff receive 2 ½ weeks of classroom training. This training includes sessions on Developmental Disabilities, Autism, Behavioral Interventions, Abuse and Neglect, CPR and First Aid along with many other classes that help prepare staff to work directly with the children.
What are the educational requirements of the staff?
Habilitation Specialist, the staff working directly with the children in their residence, are required to have a high school diploma or equivalent.
Do you do background checks on your employees?
We do an initial seven county background check when we receive the employment application and a State Police background check once the person is offered a position with Hope. All staff is fingerprinted through DCFS, and then they complete a federal/nationwide background check and send us the information if anything comes back or CANTS clear the employee.
