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 The state’s child protection agency is finally housing hundreds of children who
for months had nowhere to stay but a psychiatric hospital.
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services reported the number of kids
unnecessarily held in psychiatric hospitals is down by over 80%.
A 2021 WGN investigation found 356 kids were hospitalized longer than medically
necessary, with the average child staying 55 days beyond what a doctor
recommended.
DCFS Director Marc Smith had repeatedly been held in contempt of court on
account of the agency’s failure to place kids in appropriate housing. Ten
contempt citations were overruled Nov. 30 by an appellate court, but a child
guardian pledged an appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court.
Kids that find suitable housing end up in foster care 40% of the time. Foster
care can be far from ideal, according to a published report.
CBS Chicago found 9 out of 10 DCFS investigations into foster parent abuse or
neglect came back as “unfounded.” But 14 former DCFS kids came forward to say
just because the department ruled them as “unfounded,” doesn’t mean the
allegations were not true.
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James McIntyre is one of the children ignored when he tried to tell DCFS about
being neglected.
“The department has a history of not believing the kids,” McIntyre said. “I was
abused – physical abuse. I was sexually abused. I was neglected. I was starved.”
Part of the problem is that Illinois’ budget priorities are not on social
services, such as DCFS. Those services have been crowded out by pension
spending. Illinois dedicates about 27% of its budget to public pensions.
Since 2000, state pension spending has grown by 584%. Spending on a range of
core services, such as DCFS funding for vulnerable kids, has been cut by 20%.
Solving the pension crisis would save the state billions that could be used for
the services Illinoisans expect for their taxes, such as protecting the 21,000
children under DCFS’ care.
The Illinois Policy Institute has advocated a hold-harmless pension plan that
guarantees existing state retiree benefits will be there when needed through
small adjustments to the growth rate of future benefits.
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