Illinois Administrative Code › Title 89 - SOCIAL SERVICES › Part 325 - ADMINISTRATION OF PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS TO CHILDREN FOR WHOM THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES IS LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE › Section 325.40 - Medication Approval Standards

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
a)
			 Centralized Consent Unit and Emergency Reception Center staff may provide
			 consent for the administration of a psychotropic medication only after the
			 Department's Psychiatric Consultant has provided clinical consultation and
			 deemed the requested medication as appropriate. If a request for administration
			 of any psychotropic medication that does not meet the criteria listed in this
			 subsection is deemed appropriate by the Department's Psychiatric Consultant and
			 the Centralized Consent Unit or ERC staff consents, the staff shall note this
			 fact on the consent form. If all requested information has been provided to the
			 Centralized Consent Unit or ERC staff and consultation has occurred, the staff
			 must provide consent or denial of psychotropic medication within 24 hours for
			 inpatient requests and 48 hours for all other requests. If approval or denial
			 of the request for medication is not provided within specified time frames, the
			 requesting party may contact the Office of the Guardianship Administrator or
			 designee for assistance in obtaining a response.
b) Additionally, whenever the Centralized
			 Consent Unit or ERC staff is advised that a child for whom the Department is
			 legally responsible objects to the administration of psychotropic medication,
			 Centralized Consent Unit or ERC staff may consult with both the licensed
			 prescriber who is recommending the medication and the Department's psychiatric
			 consultant prior to approving or denying the medication. Centralized Consent
			 Unit or ERC staff shall assess the basis for the child's objection to the
			 psychotropic medication. This assessment may include asking the child's
			 caseworker to interview the child to determine the basis for his/her objection.
			 The reason for the child's objection must be fully documented on the
			 Psychotropic Medication Request Form. Although the Guardianship Administrator
			 may give consent notwithstanding the child's objection, the licensed prescriber
			 must follow all provisions of the Illinois Mental Health and Developmental
			 Disabilities Code [405 ILCS 5 ].
c)
			 Every consent for the administration of psychotropic medication shall be
			 limited in time. Under no circumstance may psychotropic medication be
			 authorized for a period exceeding 180 days. At the expiration of the period set
			 forth in the authorization, psychotropic medication may be reauthorized
			 pursuant to the standards and procedures contained in this Part. The duration
			 of consent may be less than 180 days if deemed clinically appropriate by the
			 Department's psychiatric consultant.
d) When the Department grants consent for the
			 administration of a psychotropic medication to a foster child, it is granting
			 consent to all prescribers who subsequently care for the child in other
			 treatment settings until the consent expires.
e) Psychotropic Medication Monitoring. The
			 licensed prescriber and facility shall monitor a child's response to
			 medications according to the Guidelines for the Utilization of Psychotropic
			 Medications for Children in Foster Care and the DCFS Psychotropic Medications
			 List to determine if the psychotropic medications being administered are safe
			 and effective based on criteria identified in the treatment plan and are being
			 prescribed at the appropriate dosage. Means of monitoring safety, effectiveness
			 and appropriateness of dosage include but are not limited to:
1) Clinical observations of symptoms and/or
			 side effects documented in the patient's chart;
2) Vital signs (blood pressure, pulse and
			 temperature);
3) Weight and
			 height;
4) Symptom severity
			 scales;
5) Adverse effects
			 scales;
6) Blood tests to assess
			 the medications' effects on the body, such as a complete blood count, metabolic
			 panel, and thyroid function tests; and
7) Blood levels of specific medications such
			 as lithium and various anticonvulsant mood stabilizers.