Our Child Welfare Programs provide a continuum of care. From family preservation to independent living, there is always a primary goal of providing safe, stable and loving homes for children and youth involved with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Services include:

Extended Family Support Program (EFSP)

EFSP provides services to relatives caring for children via referral from DCFS whose parents are unable or unwilling to care for them. The program offers services to support kinship care and avoid disruption of the family placement. The primary service of the EFSP is assisting relatives to obtain legal guardianship of the child for school enrollment, child care assistance, medical services, insurance coverage and public assistance.

Foster Care

The goal of Foster Care is to help children to continue to grow in safe and stable environments until they can either be reunited with their families or be adopted. Youth Outreach Services is proud to be a "Foster Kids Are Our Kids" Campaign Agency. We seek to change perceptions, send a different message, and challenge the public to see how they can contribute to the lives of children in the foster care system.

Independent Living

The Independent Living Program provides services to youth who are capable of maintaining themselves in their own apartment and are prepared to emancipate from DCFS. The program ensures that youth's housing and service needs are met while in care and that linkages are in place to meet the youth's needs post-emancipation.

Intact Family Services

The Intact Family Services program works with families who have a report of abuse or neglect and are at risk of having their children removed from the home. The goal of the Intact Family Services program is to preserve families and provide a safe and nurturing environment for the children. Services are short-term, intensive, and include counseling, service administration, and case management.

Intensive Stabilization

This program incorporates a series of targeted strategies to stabilize older youth with a pattern of multiple placements and run behavior. Traditional responses have not worked for these youth. The strategies Youth Outreach Services uses are innovative, informed approaches to engaging youth and stabilizing their life and relationships before emerging from the system into adulthood. Youth learn to address emotional and behavioral issues through an environment where they are able to challenge their decisions and reach their full potential.

Transitional Living Program (TLP)

Thousands of young people run away from their homes, are asked to leave their homes, or become homeless in the United States each year. Some have escaped abusive situations; others are the victims of neglect, abandonment, or severe family conflict. These youth are provided with stable, safe living accommodations and services that help them develop the skills necessary to move to independence such as basic life-skill building, educational opportunities, career counseling and job placement, and mental and physical health care. These services are limited to DCFS wards.