SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To increase reporting and accountability within the Department of Family and Child Services (DCFS), state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, recently supported a measure to overhaul the reporting and notification procedures for suspected child abuse cases.

“Children deserve safe home situations, so it is critical that DCFS does their due diligence when investigating suspected instances of child abuse or neglect,” said Stuart. “We have all heard heartbreaking stories on the news recently of children slipping through the cracks and remaining in harmful or unsafe home conditions. This legislation addresses that issue by increasing communication between DCFS, DPH and HFS.”

Stuart supported House Bill 831, which will require DCFS to report to the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Health and Family Services (HFS) within 10 days of completing an investigation of allegations of child abuse and neglect. The measure was recently signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“The southern portion of Illinois, which has incredibly high rates of poverty and drug abuse, also has inflated rates of child abuse,” continued Stuart. “I applaud the governor for signing this legislation into law, ensuring that more will be done to help protect children throughout our state.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Under a new law supported by state Rep. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, the Department of Family and Child Services (DCFS) would be subject to more stringent reporting and accountability requirements when investigating instances of suspected child abuse.

“With my experience as a school social worker, I understand the detrimental impact that unsafe or turbulent home conditions can have on a child,” said Villa. “Children deserve to feel safe and secure in their home environments, so it is critical that DCFS does their due diligence when investigating allegations of child abuse or neglect.”

Villa supported House Bill 831, which will require DCFS to report to the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Health and Family Services (HFS) within 10 days of completing an investigation of allegations of child abuse and neglect. The measure was recently signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“Setting stricter reporting requirements for state agencies communicating about suspected child abuse cases will help to ensure that children in unsafe home conditions do not slip through the cracks,” continued Villa.  “I applaud the governor for standing up for vulnerable children throughout our state by signing this legislation into law.”

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. – In an effort to improve communication between the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the Departments of Family Services (DFS) and Health and Family Services (HFS), state Rep. Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, has supported legislation that would require DCFS to submit their reports within 10 days of a completed investigation to the respective agency.

“When there are children in danger, the last thing that the children need are barriers to help because of red tape,” Mussman said. “Getting help should not be complicated. Thankfully this bill addresses some of the issues that have slowed down the process in the past. It makes it very clear how to handle situations of abuse and because of it, those who need help with have their cases processed faster.”

The Mussman-backed House Bill 831 aims to cut down on the miscommunication between agencies. Current law indicates that DCFS will investigate instances of child abuse when there are credible allegations meeting certain criteria, while DPH investigates hospitals and other health care facilities for children, including psychiatric facilities. Unfortunately, there has been little overlap. As a result, instances of abuse that occurred at a psychiatric facility may have been documented by DPH but those reports were not required to be sent to DCFS. This bill establishes a mandatory connection between the agencies so that when a report is investigated, both agencies are aware.

“As a result of House Bill 831, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect investigations will be sent confidentially to the directors of DPH and HFS,” Mussman said. “The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act has strict guidelines that this bill takes into account. It is time to strengthen our agencies that protect children and families and it is our responsibility as legislators to make these agencies run as efficiently as possible.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, is improving the process for reporting child abuse by reinforcing lines of communication between the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and other groups in charge of keeping kids safe.

“We’ve seen how too often Illinois’ protections for victims of child abuse are falling short. As a parent, I can’t imagine anything worse than leaving my kids in a home that’s not safe,” Halpin said. “Illinois has a robust system in place to care for children with bad parents. Unfortunately, these good people don’t always have clear lines of communication, and it prevents them from intervening when kids need their help. That has to stop and I’m grateful to the governor for signing this bill.”

Halpin passed House Bill 831, now signed by the governor, which requires the DCFS to report any findings regarding suspected mistreatment of children to the Department of Public Health and the Department of Health and Family Services within ten days of their discovery. The bill also removes a requirement that the director of the DCFS has to approve the release of these records.

Child abuse affects tens of thousands of Illinois children every year. In 2018, an average of 222 child abuse reports were filed every day. Ensuring that these reports make it to the right people is critical to tackling this problem.

“Preventing child abuse is a solvable problem, and this legislation is a big part of that solution,” Halpin said. “I’m committed to building a stronger Illinois and that includes creating bigger and better opportunities for our future generations. Children who grow up with abusive guardians will have a hard time taking advantage of those opportunities, and we can’t force them to fight those battles alone.”

CHICAGO – Following a historic legislative session which included the creation of the House Adoption and Child Welfare Committee in order to reform the child welfare system, crucial measures championed by state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, have been signed into law.

“Media and agency reports made it clear to us that the state’s current system to care for our most vulnerable children has failed to protect them,” Feigenholtz said. “When children are placed into the foster care system, their well-being is entrusted upon the State, so we must ensure that we are addressing any issues and providing them adequate resources to care for the children.”  

Committed to strengthening Illinois’ child welfare system, the following measures were passed by Feigenholtz and have been signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker:

• House Bill 2571, which places limitations on the number of children that can be placed in a single foster family home in order to prevent overcrowding and increase the comfort of youth in care;
• Senate Bill 191, which allows for certain youth who have been deemed delinquent by the court for breaking the law, but are in need of residential mental health care, to be eligible for grants to help their parents or guardians cover the costs of their treatment; and
• Senate Bill 1116, which closes a loophole in the law that prevents a court from continuing an investigation of abuse or neglect of a minor on their 18th birthday, even if the case has not yet been closed. This new law will ensure that if the Department of Children and Family Services and the court are in the middle of an investigation when a child turns 18, they are still able to have jurisdiction over the case.

“There are a number of gaps and holes in the child welfare system that culminate to create unhealthy and dangerous situations for children. These must all be addressed to create a process that truly creates the best environments for our kids and these are all crucial steps in that direction,” Feigenholtz said. “As a long-time advocate for foster care youth, I was honored to lead a committee dedicated to addressing the challenges and failures that have come to light in order to care for our children to the degree they deserve.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, is sponsoring legislation aimed at gaining additional insight as to how the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) can better serve Illinois’ youth in care.

“There is nothing more important than the well-being of all of Illinois’ children. The newly issued report from DCFS exposes more of the structural and systemic issues that are hurting the agency’s ability to protect our children,” said Edly-Allen. “We have a lot of urgent work ahead of us to ensure that every child is safe and healthy.”

DCFS, the state’s child welfare agency, is in the spotlight again following the beating death of a 5-year old Crystal Lake boy whose family had a long history of contact with the agency. A new report released earlier this week highlights the impact of the budget impasse on DCFS operations coupled with a 10.8% increase in abuse and neglect investigations.

Edly-Allen, a member of the newly established Child Welfare Caucus, is sponsoring Senate Bill 1793 to require DCFS to survey youth who have aged out or are aging out of the state’s foster care system. This firsthand information about the youth’s experience and recommendations for improvement of services will be submitted to the General Assembly.

“Reforming DCFS will take a comprehensive approach that puts children first,” added Edly-Allen. “My bill ensures that moving forward we are getting feedback from the youth in state care to understand firsthand how state policies and protocol affect them, and to get their feedback on how the agency can better serve its children. I am very much looking forward to bringing together youth in care, the House Adoption & Child Welfare Committee, the Child Welfare Caucus and other advocates to strengthen our state’s child welfare system.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Legislation co-sponsored by state Rep. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, which would help to better protect Illinois children under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) recently passed out of the Illinois House with bipartisan support.

“Many children that are in the foster system have experienced trauma and loss,” said Villa. “It is the duty of DCFS to ensure that these children are placed into positive home environments that will enrich their lives and help put them on the path to healing.”

Villa is co-sponsoring House Bill 2571, which makes several changes to the Juvenile Court Act of 1967, including decreasing the number of unrelated foster children allowed per residence.  Villa’s legislation will also ensure that keeping sibling groups together is a priority when foster home placement is considered.

“As a social worker, I understand the long term detrimental impacts that trauma can have on children, so I believe it is necessary to make their transitions to foster homes as smooth as possible,” continued Villa.  “I am proud to have passed this measure with such strong bipartisan support, and I encourage lawmakers in the state Senate to approve this legislation and send it to Governor Pritzker to be signed into law.”

For more information, contact Villa’s constituent services office at 630-326-9319 or StateRepKarinaVilla@gmail.com.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, is working to reform oversight of state agencies, such as the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), by ensuring that the inspector general’s office within each entity is fully independent from its department head.

“Given what has recently happened at DCFS, we must have a serious discussion about whether inspectors general have the necessary resources and autonomy to oversee their department’s actions,” Crespo said. “This is a necessary reform that will ensure state agencies are fully transparent, ensuring legislators and taxpayers can hold them accountable.”

Crespo is leading the charge on House Bill 1565, which would create an independent appropriation for the office of the inspector general within each of the following departments:

• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS);
• Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS);
• Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS); and
• Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.

Currently, the inspector general for each of these bodies relies on the agency they are supposed to oversee for their budget, which raises potential conflicts of interests about its autonomy. DCFS has currently come under heavy scrutiny for its failures to safeguard children. Under Crespo’s legislation, the DCFS inspector general would have independent resources to investigate and oversee any misconduct or mismanagement within the agency.

“We are less effective if protections are not in place to ensure against interference by our ‘host’ agency,” Department of Children and Family Services Acting Inspector General, Meryl Paniak said. “Inspector general independence is crucial for our ability to provide objective and uncompromised reviews of our agencies.”

Springfield, Ill. – Today, Assistant Majority Leader Sara Feigenholtz joined child advocates to address alarming child abuse trends and to demand accountability from the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS.)

“I filed HR986 last week because the Department has been hiding child abuse data since July, 2017,” said Feigenholtz. “DCFS took a step in the right direction this morning by reversing itself and releasing data, but it took 9 months of advocacy from former Youth in Care to get that done. DCFS should be ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of the children of Illinois—not withholding vital information that advocates have used for decades to identify child abuse trends and protect children and families.”

For nine months, DCFS ignored advocates’ requests for a complete set of child abuse data, questioning their legal obligation to report the data, and suggesting that the computer systems they have used to compile the reports for over three decades are suddenly incapable or producing the reports. This morning’s data release shows that is not the case.

“The data released shows an increase in the number of children being re-abused—that number has skyrocketed by 50% since 2015,” said James McIntyre, President, Foster Care Alumni of America Illinois Chapter.  “We also see a spike in opioid related calls. Services for people addicted to opioids have been cut over the last three years, and we worry that is the reason for the spike of caseloads related to opioid use.”

The alarming information contained in the released data makes it clear that more transparency is necessary to prevent child abuse in Illinois.

“This is a matter of being able to advocate for abused and vulnerable children,” said Kyle Hillman, a spokesperson for the National Association of Social Workers Illinois Chapter. “Without this data, social workers in the field haven’t had the supports they need. It was a total failure for this department to hide the data, and it was unconscionable for them to withhold it for as long as they did.”

“The Department continues to drag its feet on requests to release information related to the safety and well-being of our children, and that’s wrong,” concluded Feigenholtz. “DCFS is failing children and families across Illinois. They should step up and do the right thing all the time—not just when they are called out publicly for hiding information.”