DCFS

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services can delay reports for years.

The state of Illinois is rolling out a new app to help parents of abused and neglected children communicate with their Department of Children and Family services caseworkers and with other service providers.

Volunteers are needed to support children experiencing abuse and neglect, or who are part of the foster care system.

A McLean County program that supports abused and neglected children is expanding to Logan County.

Illinois lawmakers could soon make it easier for children in foster care to live with their relatives or other people close to them.

The head of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said the agency has made big gains in reducing chronic staff shortages this year.

In a progress report compiled by DCFS for fiscal year 2023, the agency noted that “unprecedented staff turnover impacts the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and consistency of ongoing assessments of risk and safety.”

Heidi Mueller, who has served as director of the Illinois Dept. of Juvenile Justice since 2016, was selected after a national search. She will take the reins of the scandal-plagued agency beginning February 1.

The department’s budget is growing as new leadership is being recruited. Advocates hope those changes signal more improvements to come.

The resignation comes a week after a blistering report from the Illinois auditor general highlighting delays in reporting child abuse to other authorities, protecting children allegedly abused and finding placements for kids.