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The Commission for Physically Handicapped Children was created by the General Assembly in 1933 to coordinate services for physically handicapped children provided by the Departments of Public Welfare, Public Health, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The commission further was empowered to stimulate efforts for the care, treatment, education, and social services afforded these children; to promote special classes and instruction; to arrange for the special training of teachers; to promote vocational guidance, training, and placement of physically handicapped children; and to make recommendations for improvement in the services provided by the state (L. 1933, p. 208). The commission was composed of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the directors of the Departments of Public Welfare and Public Health, and four citizens appointed by the Governor.
In 1941 the director of the Department of Labor and five additional citizens were added to the commission. It also was renamed the Commission for Handicapped Children, a title that reflected the commission's new interest in the problems of the mentally as well as physically handicapped. The same act also instructed the commission to establish a vocational school for the temporary training of educable mentally handicapped children who displayed symptoms of delinquency (L. 1941, vol. 1, pp. 311-312).
The Commission for Handicapped Children was absorbed by the Commission on Children which the General Assembly created in 1963. This commission was to study the needs of all of the children of Illinois and help plan the most effective use of voluntary and tax-supported programs at state and local levels; study and report on matters relevant to the protection, growth, and development of children; help coordinate state programs as they related to children; make recommendations for needed legislation; promote educational and social services for the children, including the exceptional children of the state; promote adequate diagnosis and treatment of children who may require special medical services; and publish informational materials relating to the commission's functions. The commission was composed of three House members appointed by the Speaker; three Senate members appointed by the president pro tempore; the directors of the Departments of Children and Family Services, Mental Health, Public Health, and Labor; the Superintendent of Public Instruction; the chairmen of the Illinois Youth Commission and the Illinois Public Aid Commission, the supervisor of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the director of the Division of Services for Crippled Children at the University of Illinois, and fifteen citizens who were appointed by the Governor and who were actively interested in voluntary and tax-supported efforts on behalf of children (L. 1963, pp. 1076-1078). The commission was abolished by the Legislative Commission Reorganization Act of 1984 (P.A. 83-1257, p. 1170).
303.001
COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES. 1935-1985. 53 vols. and 4 cu. ft. No index.
Minutes concern the White House Conference on Children and Youth, child welfare legislation, field visitations, grant funding requests, state conferences and workshops, child welfare organization work, the reorganization of state services for children, minors' rights, emotionally disturbed children, handicapped children, abortion, adoption, youth employment, access to health services, drug and alcohol abuse, juvenile delinquency, children out of school, migrant workers, and commission operations, staffing, financial statements, travel, committee work, nomination and election of officers, progress reports, annual reports to the Governor and General Assembly, consultant reports, and hiring practices. Related minutes are provided for the Advisory Committee on Hearing Conservation and Rehabilitation (1947-1962), Interdepartmental Committee on Mentally Handicapped Children (1953-1959), Review and Planning Committee (1962), Committee on Vocational Services (1962), and the Advisory Committee on Legislation (1962). Also included are meeting notices, agendas, membership listings, committee reports, copies of legislation concerning child welfare, newsletters, newspaper articles, progress reports, and related correspondence.
303.002
ADMINISTRATIVE CORRESPONDENCE FILES. 1935-1979. 43 cu. ft. No index.
Incoming and copies of outgoing correspondence with private child care service organizations, commission members, child advocacy groups, local and other state agencies, and foundations concern such subjects as abortion, adoption, a Bill of Rights for Children, birth control, confidentiality of birth records, school censuses, missing children, child abuse, child labor, correctional institutions for children, minors' rights, truancy and alternative education, conferences on child welfare, day care and child development, juvenile detention standards, the Juvenile Court Act, driver education, alcohol and drug abuse, early childhood education, care for handicapped children, emotionally disturbed children, youth employment, evaluations of state services, foster care, guardianship, the hearing impaired, illegitimacy and teenage pregnancy, migrant workers' children, special education, exceptional children, incest, sex education, interstate compacts for placements of children, smoking, prenatal and perinatal care, runaways, student rights, Youth Service Bureaus, physical fitness, public wards, conferences and workshops, and the White House Conference on Children and Youth.
Also included are statistical reports, study reports, copies of proposed and enacted state and federal legislation, commission publications, minutes of related commissions and committees, commission biennial reports, audit and budget reports, evaluations of state institutions, Attorney General opinions, copies of Supreme Court decisions, field visitation reports, copies of commission grant applications, executive orders and proclamations, copies of legislation from other states, newspaper articles, news releases, and commission membership listings, organizational charts, meeting notices, internal rules and regulations, and hearing transcripts.
303.003
CORRESPONDENCE. 1962-1963. 0.5 cu. ft. No index.
Copies of outgoing correspondence of the executive director, research analyst, and other commission staff members primarily concern requests for information on services available for handicapped children, planning of conferences and meetings, invitations to make public appearances or give lectures, arrangements for commission meetings, and requests for commission publications.
303.004
KAPPA ALPHA THETA SORORITY FILE. Ca. 1942-1963. 2 cu. ft. No index.
File contains correspondence with and financial reports of the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority which was involved in creating and funding programs for handicapped children. Most of the correspondence concerns children referred to Kappa Alpha Theta for financial assistance. Case files for these children generally include correspondence with all agencies involved in the case and a request for financial assistance form which gives the child's name, age, address, diagnosis, description of family situation, type and cost of service requested, and the name of agency referred from.
303.005
REGISTER OF EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN. Ca. 1950-1962. 1 cu. ft. No index.
Card file register of children referred to the commission for social services includes a card for each case which lists the child's name, age, address, telephone number, parents' names, name of person or agency that referred child, diagnosis, and the date and a description of service provided.
303.006
COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES. 1955-1985. 18 cu. ft. No index.
Minutes of various commission committees and subcommittees concern evaluations of state services, related legislation, youthful offenders, juvenile courts, children in correctional institutions, minors' rights, confidentiality, truants and children excluded from school, the hearing impaired, education, the age of majority, physical abuse, rape, migrant workers' children, handicapped and crippled children, vocational services, alcohol and drug abuse, day-care services, adoptions, birth control and planned parenthood, prenatal and perinatal care, the voluntary commitment of children to state institutions, access to health care services, mental health and the emotionally disturbed, youth employment, visitations at children's institutions, Youth Service Bureaus, the Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's School, parental education, and commission nominations and coordination with other state agencies. Also included are committee reports, meeting notices, agendas, membership listings, conference materials, newspaper articles, and news releases.
303.007
COUNTY LEVEL CORRESPONDENCE FILES. 1951-1979. 13 cu. ft. No index.
Incoming and copies of outgoing correspondence with county party chairmen, members of county advisory committees, county delegates to the White House Conference on Children and Youth, local child service organizations, technical consultants, local school district officials, and other concerned persons focus on local child welfare activities, the planning and development of services for children, preparation for the White House Conference on Children and Youth, and participation in research studies conducted by the commission. Also included are field visitation reports, local project reports, statistical studies and questionnaires concerning migrant workers' children, health services reports, educational program and vocational counseling reports, membership listings of county advisory and assessment committees, minutes of county committees, technical consultant participation forms, newspaper articles, commission publications, and news releases.
303.008
MIGRANT WORKERS STUDY RESEARCH FILES. 1950-1963. 4.5 cu. ft. No index.
Files concern the problems of migrant families and the development of a program to provide day-care, education, and medical services for the children of those families. Files include minutes of Committee on Agricultural Migrant Workers meetings, grant proposals for a migrant workers study, correspondence with companies employing migrant workers, evaluations of migrant camps, a migrant worker profile study, procedures and guidelines for licensing migrant camps, questionnaires, related publications, and a copy of the commission's final report.
303.009
CHILDREN OUT-OF-SCHOOL STUDY RESEARCH FILES. 1950; 1955-1959. 0.5 cu. ft. No index.
Files concern a study of those children who were not receiving an education because of mental, physical, behavioral, or social reasons. Files include minutes of Subcommittee on Children Out-of-School Project meetings, progress reports, statistical summaries of data collected, copies of school laws concerning attendance, procedures for admissions to state institutions, county case records, and final reports. County case records include the number of school districts in each county, the number of school districts reporting children out-of-school or no children out-of-school, reasons for non-attendance by major problem, descriptions of cases, and field visitation correspondence. County case records are included for the following counties: Bond, Christian, Cook,
DeKalb, Edwards, Fulton, Hardin, Henry, Johnson, Kankakee, Knox, LaSalle, Logan, McDonough, McLean, Macon,
Macoupin, Madison, Massac, Montgomery, Ogle, Pope, St. Clair, Sangamon, Whiteside, and Winnebago.
303.010
INSTITUTIONAL EVALUATION REPORTS. 1972-1977. 3 cu. ft. No index.
Reports compiled by teams from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services on institutions where Illinois children were placed include narrative descriptions of institutions and their populations; institutions' capacities and compositions; administrative structures;
staffings; intake policies; discharge data; child care treatment plans and procedures; testing procedures; educational alternatives; recreational programs; medical and dental care services; staff, community, and family participating profiles; evaluations of affirmative action plans; statistical charts on residents' characteristics; summary findings; recommendations for improvements; and analyses of implementations of past recommendations.
303.011
WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH FILES. 1949-1982. 24 cu. ft. No index.
Files concern organization and planning for Illinois participation in decennial White House Conferences on Children and Youth. Generally included are correspondence with delegates, local committee members, and child participants; minutes of Committee on White House Conference on Children and Youth meetings; photographic exhibits; technical consultant reports; local workshop and preliminary conference findings; copies of grant applications; position papers; priority recommendations; related publications; newspaper articles; and news releases. Subjects include abortion; adoption; learning disabilities; comprehensive child health care; early childhood development; education; ethical, moral, and spiritual values; family planning; drug and alcohol abuse; driver education; student and minors' rights; family support services; leisure time and recreation activities; mental retardation; youth gangs; substitute family care; depression and suicide; youth employment; and communications between generations.
303.012
STATEWIDE COOPERATING ORGANIZATIONS COMMITTEE MINUTES. 1960-1984. 2 cu. ft. No index.
Minutes concern state and federal legislation pertaining to child welfare, activities of member organizations, planning reports, and implementation of White House Conference on Children and Youth recommendations. Also included are meeting notices and agendas, transcripts of testimonies before the committee, copies of state and federal legislation, statistical reports and surveys, publications, committee recommendations, and related correspondence.
303.013
STATEWIDE COOPERATING ORGANIZATIONS COMMITTEE MEMBER FILES. 1951-1979. 5 cu. ft. No index.
Members include state and local governmental agencies and voluntary health, welfare, religious, educational, and recreational organizations with interests in child welfare. Files include member organization meeting minutes; member publications; and correspondence with the committee concerning state and federal legislation, the development of facilities and services for children, local and statewide planning activities, dissemination of information regarding the problems faced by children, and the implementation of White House Conference recommendations.
303.014
ILLINOIS COUNCIL OF YOUTH MEETING MINUTES. 1959-1983. 2 cu. ft. No index.
The Illinois Council of Youth was composed of child representatives of youth organizations throughout Illinois. Minutes of the council and its subcommittees concern child abuse, child participation in the White House Conference on Children and Youth, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, public assistance, juvenile delinquency, vocational guidance counseling, federal and state legislation concerning child welfare, drivers' education, generational communications, education, youth employment, television's affects on children, the age of majority, racial discrimination, minors' rights, abortion, volunteerism, child labor laws, student financial aid, and children's mental health and quality of life. Also included are membership listings, agendas, meeting notices, the council's constitution, questionnaires concerning the attitudes of young people, position papers, the council's published reports, copies of state and federal legislation, newspaper articles, conference materials, and related memoranda and correspondence.
303.015
ILLINOIS COUNCIL OF YOUTH CORRESPONDENCE FILES. 1961-1979. 3 cu. ft. No index.
Incoming and copies of outgoing correspondence with youth service organizations and child council members concern appointments to the council, selection of child delegates to the White House Conference on Children and Youth, the council's participation in state and national conferences, and the council's priorities and recommendations. Also included are copies of council minutes, statistical reports concerning the attitudes of young people, field visitation reports, and position papers concerning such subjects as drivers' education, student rights, minors' rights, volunteerism, abortion, alcohol and drug abuse, and the age of majority.
303.016
ILLINOIS COMMITTEE ON CHILD WELFARE LEGISLATION FILES. 1958-1968. 0.25 cu. ft. No index.
The Illinois Committee on Child Welfare Legislation was composed of individual citizens and representatives of child welfare agencies and organizations which were interested in promoting constructive legislation in the area of child welfare and its administration. Files include committee minutes, biennial reports, financial statements, membership listings, recruitment letters, a digest of child welfare legislation, and related correspondence.
303.017
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE COMMITTEES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH FILES. 1960-1977. 2 cu. ft. No index.
The National Council of State Committees for Children and Youth was composed of state committees which participated in decennial White House Conferences on Children and Youth. It served as an ongoing clearinghouse for information and expertise. Files include council minutes, memoranda, correspondence, and progress reports; guidelines for state committees; copies of proposed federal child welfare legislation; and copies of testimonies before U.S. congressional committees and subcommittees.
303.018
ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THE STUDY OF THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS CHILDREN'S SERVICE CENTER FILES. 1972-1976. 0.5 cu. ft. No index.
The General Assembly created the Advisory Committee in 1975 to study recommendations made by the Department of Children and Family Services that the Southern Illinois Children's Service Center at Bush be closed and recommendations made by an ad hoc committee appointed by a circuit court that the facility remain open. Files include correspondence with local residents; facility case files; the ad hoc committee's transcripts of public hearings and report with recommendations; newspaper articles; summaries of interviews conducted by the advisory committee; statistical reports on admissions, discharges, outside placements, and emergency care; fire marshal reports; field visitation reports; and the advisory committee's final report to the General Assembly.
303.019
NEWS AND VIEWS NEWSLETTERS. 1954-1985. 1 cu. ft. No index.
The commission's bimonthly newsletter concerns appointments, projects, legislation, report findings, preparation for the decennial White House Conference on Children and Youth, and commission positions on issues relating to children.
These records are available at the Illinois State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State.
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