Hearing covers scathing audit of Illinois' child welfare agency

[July 27, 2022]  By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Officials from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services were in the hot seat Tuesday during a hearing on the latest audit of the embattled agency.

The Illinois Auditor General’s review of DCFS, which covered the 2020 calendar year, found failures to conduct home safety checks before children are returned to their parents. According to the audit, of the 195 instances where a home safety check should have been done and recorded, DCFS was only able to provide three recorded instances of a checklist.

Beyond issues with the home inspections, state auditors also found cases of children with poorly recorded or missing health care records. Auditors were also unable to assess whether the department had accurate records of immunizations because the data provided to them by DCFS failed to meet standards for validity.

“Who is driving the boat here?” said State Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savannah. “Who is supervising, who is leading, who is giving feedback, who is reviewing your staff?”

Nine children have died since December, while cases of neglect or abuse were under investigation by DCFS.

DCFS director Mark Smith has been held in contempt of court 12 times for the improper placement of a child. Smith is the 29th director since the agency was formed in 1964.

“The head of the Department of Children and Family Services and I and the judge, all are frustrated with the challenges that we face for our most vulnerable children,” Pritzker said at a news conference earlier this year.

Pritzker and lawmakers have increased the DCFS budget by at least $100 million each year since 2019, including by $250 million this year.

Pritzker’s opponent in November’s election, State Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, called on the governor to replace Smith.

“Reforming the Department of Children and Family Services will be my top priority in my administration,” said Bailey at a news conference Tuesday outside a DCFS office in Springfield Tuesday.

Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in Illinois for the Center Square. He has over 30 years of experience in radio news reporting throughout the Midwest.