A new audit of Illinois’ child welfare system shows the state’s long-troubled Department of Children and Family Services is not tracking some basic data about where children are being placed. Every year DCFS leaves kids in places where they shouldn’t be.
They stay locked up in juvenile detention centers even though they’re free to go. And they remain in hospitals for mental health needs, even though it’s no longer medically necessary. But a new audit shows DCFS isn’t tracking how often that happens.
What the Auditor General did find is DCFS has 38 computer systems, and not all of them talk to each other, making it difficult to collect data. A DCFS spokeswoman says the agency is currently in the process of updating its technology systems.
The Auditor General also found youth were held in hospitals or detention centers because of delays in scheduling meetings about where the youth should go.