Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration has pledged to rectify audit findings regarding Illinois' Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), state Sen. Christine Radogno (R-41) announced Thursday.
Recently, a DCFS spokesman reported acting director George Sheldon is working to identify reforms that will resolve problems from past administrations. The recent audit findings support a number of problems at the agency.
Auditor General William Holland’s office reported DCFS took longer than 24 hours to look into nearly 180 abuse or neglect reports in 2014, with nearly 150 reports in 2013. The report further notes the failure to respond to reports of abuse or neglect within 24 hours that could result in further harm to the child.
In addition, the audit also reveals the department did not review child death cases in a timely fashion. In 2013, the department took an average of 182 days to review 80 closed child death cases. In 2014, 27 reviews weren't conducted within 90 days. The average time to review a case was 172 days.
The audit also noted issues with the department's financial reporting process.
DCFS officials said they agreed with the audit and indicated they will work on resolving issues identified.
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