A new state audit is raising fresh concerns about Governor JB Pritzker’s management of state government after auditors found persistent failures within the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) involving safeguards designed to protect some of the state’s most vulnerable children.
The Illinois Auditor General released a follow-up performance audit of DCFS on September 2, examining the agency’s compliance with requirements established under Ta’Naja’s Law. The law was enacted following the death of 2-year-old Ta’Naja Barnes, who died approximately six months after being returned to her mother’s custody.
The audit found that despite years of warnings and previous recommendations for improvement, significant deficiencies remain.
Among the most troubling findings, DCFS was unable to provide 329 of the 399 required Home Safety Checklists within auditors’ sample of 50 cases. Only 70, or 18 percent, of the required checklists could be provided.
Home Safety Checklists are intended to promote child safety and are required in cases that include when a child is being returned home. According to the Auditor General, failing to perform the checklists as required increases the risk that a child could be living in an unsafe environment without that danger being identified.
Auditors also identified significant gaps involving health care for children in DCFS’ care. In the cases sampled, supporting documentation could not be found for 31 of 196 required physical examinations, 33 of 114 required vision screenings, 52 of 82 required hearing screenings, and 171 of 336 required dental examinations and cleanings.
Mental health services also raised concerns. In three of the 30 cases sampled, auditors found excessive delays between when therapy was recommended and when a child actually began receiving services. Those children waited 298 days, 300 days, and 524 days, respectively.
Staffing remains another significant challenge. Based on December 2024 reports, auditors found an overall worker vacancy rate of 13 percent across the Child Protection, Intact Family Services, and Permanency divisions. The Permanency Division alone had 113 vacant positions out of 412 workers needed, a vacancy rate of 27 percent. The division also had 35 of 123 needed supervisor positions vacant, or 28 percent.
The latest findings are not simply another bad audit at one state agency, but the latest example of a larger pattern of failed leadership and inadequate oversight under the Pritzker Administration.
Illinoisans should be able to expect that when state government identifies a serious failure, particularly one involving the safety of children, the Governor’s Administration will correct it. After nearly eight years in office, Governor Pritzker must take responsibility for the performance of the agencies he oversees and deliver the accountability Illinois families deserve.
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