How Illinois Youth Got The Hair Care Bill Passed
Youth Advisory Boards: Power with Purpose
In 2014, Illinois created Statewide (SYAB) and Regional (RYAB) Youth Advisory Boards to ensure youth in DCFS care have a powerful, recognized voice in shaping the systems that shape their lives.
Each year, young leaders set priorities, form committees, and even amend their own bylaws—proving that change is most powerful when driven by those it impacts. SYAB, made up of RYAB officers, meets quarterly to advance initiatives and collaborate with decision-makers. RYABs meet monthly to build leadership through the Youth Leadership Development (YLD) Curriculum—co-created with Be Strong Families—and to provide input and feedback that shape statewide priorities and initiatives. Every statewide meeting builds advocacy skills and public-speaking confidence, helping youth transform lived experience into lasting policy change.
Under contract with DCFS, Be Strong Families coordinates Illinois’ entire Youth Advisory Board network—the statewide infrastructure that keeps youth voice, leadership, and policy influence alive:
Manages and supports all SYAB and RYAB meetings, logistics, and communications.
Implements the Youth Leadership Development Curriculum.
Trains youth—and trains them as trainers to sustain leadership from within.
Prepares youth for testimony, panels, and partnership with DCFS leadership.
Centers youth voice in every conversation that shapes policy and practice.
Loyola University Chicago: Legal & Policy Partner
Through the ChildLaw Policy Institute and Legislation & Policy Clinic, Professor Anita Weinberg and her team at Loyola University Chicago provide the legal and policy expertise that helps youth priorities become law and practice:
Researches existing law and DCFS procedures to identify policy gaps and opportunities.
Drafts and refines legislation, ensuring youth intent is reflected accurately in law and rule.
Guides legislative strategy, including securing sponsors and supporting hearings.
Collaborates with youth and BSF to strengthen implementation and ongoing policy reform.
The Heartbeat: Youth-Adult Partnership
At the center of every Youth Advisory Board meeting, policy win, and leadership milestone is relationship. Real change comes from trust. Youth thrive when adults show up not to lead for them, but to stand beside them. These youth–adult partnerships are what make Illinois’ model work: mentors who listen first, staff who create space instead of control it, and decision-makers
who invite young people to the table as equals.
Every “priority” starts as a conversation. Every bylaw revision, bill idea, and public-speaking breakthrough begins with connection: an adult believing in a young person’s voice and a young person daring to use it. This is the heartbeat of Illinois’ Youth Advisory Boards: power shared, relationships built, and change sustained through partnership.
From Priority to Law: The Hair Care Bill Journey
The Process
Youth Identify the Issue – Equitable hair care chosen as a YAB statewide priority initiative.
Policy Scan – Loyola maps what exists and what’s missing from policy, rule and procedure to decide strategy.
Bill Created & Reviewed – Loyola drafts; youth work with Loyola to ensure it reflects their goals.
Introduced & Refined – Sponsors secured; youth, Loyola, BSF, and DCFS collaborate to refine the language.
Passed & Implemented – Youth testify; the bill passes; youth now help guide administrative rules and co-lead the Annual Hair Care Symposium to keep education and accountability alive.
What the Hair Care Bill Guarantees
🪮 Access to appropriate hair-care products and services for all textures and styles
🎓 Caregiver training in culturally responsive hair care
💰 Funds or stipends for maintenance
🗣️ Youth choice and voice in self-expression
A Model to Replicate Nationwide
Illinois’ experience shows what’s possible when youth lead and adults partner.
• Statutory youth advisory structures
• Coordinated statewide leadership system (BSF)
• Ongoing legal and policy partnership (Loyola)
• Authentic youth–adult collaboration across government and community
From Celebration to Activation
The Hair Care Symposium: Wellness from Root to Soul is a groundbreaking event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the cultural identity, dignity, and well-being of youth in care. Inspired by Illinois’ landmark Haircare Bill (HB 5097) — the first law of its kind in the nation — the symposium brings together youth, caregivers, and child welfare professionals to learn, connect, and advocate for culturally responsive care. Through expert-led panels, hands-on workshops, and powerful conversations, the event empowers youth to embrace their identity, equips caregivers with the skills and knowledge to meet haircare needs with confidence and respect, and advances a shared commitment to equity, belonging, and self-expression.
For more information, training, or consulting on any aspect of the Youth Advisory Board development or implementation contact: Jamika Smith: jamika@bestrongfamilies.net
