Testimonies at a legislative hearing have revealed investigators with Illinois' child welfare agency face high caseloads and feel pressured to quickly wrap up abuse investigations. A panel of experts and lawmakers spoke about issues at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
The hearing came after a newspaper highlighted four cases in which children died of beatings or starvation soon after the department closed investigations of mistreatment at their homes.
Department Director George Sheldon says the newspaper's reports propelled him to request the agency's general counsel to review whether Illinois laws should be changed to allow the department to keep records of past unproven abuse allegations. The agency currently expunges and shreds files if it determines there is no credible evidence of abuse or neglect.
