The American Civil Liberties Union is taking Illinois’ child welfare system to court for not effectively monitoring children in its care.
The ACLU has been overseeing how the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services cares for kids for more than 20 years. They have federal court authority to do that.
On Friday, the ACLU asked a judge to intervene, saying DCFS is not caring for kids who need mental health services or placing them in proper environments. And they say DCFS is not responding to a series of Chicago Tribune stories about residential treatment centers abusing - or not supervising - older youth.
The ACLU says the temporary leader of DCFS under Governor Bruce Rauner did not have the authority to ok big changes that came up in negotiations.
The ACLU filed the motion on the same day Rauner named his choice for permanent director of DCFS.