Preserving Families
SOS Illinois strives to keep brothers and sisters together in foster care and support at-risk families in the community. It is essential for us to provide helpful resources to those seeking assistance, as well as transparent information about the status of our agency. Please contact us directly for resources or information not available on your website.
Take Action
If you suspect that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed by abuse or neglect, please call the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services’ (DCFS) 24-Hour Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873). If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm, please call 911 first.
Resources
Child Welfare and Foster Care
Parent Resources
SOS Illinois’ Racial Justice Committe
Established in May of 2020, the SOS Illinois Racial Justice Committee has been working to shed light on the systems of inequity that disproportionately impact people of color, socioeconomic deprivation, poor education, and lack of access to resources. In addition to numerous activities and events, the SOS Illinois Racial Justice Committee’s focus has been to develop a parent handbook.
This handbook is designed for parents and guardians whose children have been placed in the custody of Illinois Department of Children’s Family Services (DCFS) in the care of SOS Children’s Villages Illinois. The information in this handbook is designed to assist parents with understanding the SOS Illinois process while their children are in the custody of DCFS. This handbook also stresses the importance of communication and involvement between parents, their children and the agency. Please take a look.
We also are offering the handbook in Spanish.
También estamos ofreciendo el manual en español.
Educational Resources
Week of the Young Child
SOS Illinois’ Education Department is expanded it’s 2 Tips Tuesday to help celebrate the Week of the Young Child. This is a week recognized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), in effort to acknowledge the social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development of children birth – age 8. NAEYC offers a variety of ideas and resources to support this celebration, please take a look.
Within this week, I will provide one tip, daily, to help support the youngest children on our villages. Here is today’s WOYC Tip:
Monday’s WOYC Tip:
Remember, children everywhere have been separated within this pandemic. Young children crave social interaction. There are ways we can provide social connections between children not in our homes: outdoor picnics, bike rides, virtual game nights, FaceTime, and more.
COVID-19 Resources
SOS Illinois decided to embark on an educational campaign, A Dose of Hope, to share resources and personal staff testimonials about the COVID-19 vaccine as a means for better understanding how we as a Village can continue healing together. Read our staff My Why testimonials and see resources shared on our blog.
Coping and Mental Health During COVID-19
CDC Mental Health and Coping: Managing Stress and Anxiety
WHO Mental Health Considerations Guide
National Alliance on Mental Health COVID-19 Guide
Online Learning Resources
Online learning during COVID-19 and otherwise can be a difficult, new path to navigate for parents and children. Longtime educator and SOS Illinois supporter, Win Biernacki (wife of SOS Illinois Board Member, Don Biernacki), is sharing super helpful resources for families learning to use online classrooms.
Online Learning with Win Biernacki Videos
Check out Win’s series of online learning videos on this easy YouTube playlist! Don’t forget to download the supplemental resources in this Dropbox!
Client Information
General Client & Staff Information
Client Grievance Procedure
Whistleblower Policy
Emergency After Hour Procedure
Investigation Procedure
Committed to Our Work
We are here to make a difference. SOS Illinois is committed to providing safe, stable, loving homes for brothers and sisters in foster care, as well as providing support to those at-risk in the community. Learn more about the impact of our work today!