Illinois § 5-740

§ 5-740.

Placement; legal custody or guardianship. (1) If the court finds that the parents, guardian, or legal custodian of a minor adjudged a ward of the court are unfit or are unable, for some reason other than financial circumstances alone, to care for, protect, train or discipline the minor or are unwilling to do so, and that appropriate services aimed at family preservation and family reunification have been unsuccessful in rectifying the conditions which have led to a finding of unfitness or inability to care for, protect, train or discipline the minor, and that it is in the best interest of the minor to take the minor from the custody of the minor's parents, guardian or custodian, the court may: (a) place the minor in the custody of a suitable relative or other person; (b) place the minor under the guardianship of a probation officer; (c) commit the minor to an agency for care or placement, except an institution under the authority of the Department of Juvenile Justice or of the Department of Children and Family Services; (d) commit the minor to some licensed training school or industrial school; or (e) commit the minor to any appropriate institution having among its purposes the care of delinquent children, including a child protective facility maintained by a child protection district serving the county from which commitment is made, but not including any institution under the authority of the Department of Juvenile Justice or of the Department of Children and Family Services. (2) When making such placement, the court, wherever possible, shall select a person holding the same religious belief as that of the minor or a private agency controlled by persons of like religious faith of the minor and shall require the Department of Children and Family Services to otherwise comply with Section 7 of the Children and Family Services Act in placing the child. In addition, whenever alternative plans for placement are available, the court shall ascertain and consider, to the extent appropriate in the particular case, the views and preferences of the minor. (3) When a minor is placed with a suitable relative or other person, the court shall appoint the suitable relative or other person the legal custodian or guardian of the person of the minor. When a minor is committed to any agency, the court shall appoint the proper officer or representative of the proper officer as legal custodian or guardian of the person of the minor. Legal custodians and guardians of the person of the minor have the respective rights and duties set forth in subsection (9) of Section 5-105 except as otherwise provided by order of court; but no guardian of the person may consent to adoption of the minor. An agency whose representative is appointed guardian of the person or legal custodian of the minor may place the minor in any child care facility, but the facility must be licensed under the Child Care Act of 1969 or have been approved by the Department of Children and Family Services as meeting the standards established for such licensing. Like authority and restrictions shall be conferred by the court upon any probation officer who has been appointed guardian of the person of a minor. (4) No placement by any probation officer or agency whose representative is appointed guardian of the person or legal custodian of a minor may be made in any out of State child care facility unless it complies with the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. (5) The clerk of the court shall issue to the guardian or legal custodian of the person a certified copy of the order of court, as proof of the guardian's or legal custodian's authority. No other process is necessary as authority for the keeping of the minor. (6) Legal custody or guardianship granted under this Section continues until the court otherwise directs, but not after the minor reaches the age of 21 years except as set forth in Section 5-750. (Source: P.A. 103-22, eff. 8-8-23.)