CHICAGO (AP) – A study has found that Illinois’ child welfare agency is so intent on keeping children with their parents and out of foster care that it has sometimes left children in grave danger.
The study released Wednesday is comes after Gov. J.B. Pritzker asked the University of Chicago’s Chapin Hall research center to examine the Department of Children and Family Services unit that oversees households in which the kids are left at home after allegations of abuse or neglect.
The study found that department staffers are so convinced that prosecutors won’t agree with their removal requests that they don’t bother to ask. It also found communication is so bad that caseworkers may not even know evidence uncovered by its investigators.
