Chicago City Wire

Rep. Brad Stephens (R-Chicago) has joined the calls of Republicans urging for a hearing regarding Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Director Marc Smith. Smith is currently being held in contempt of court for allegations he kept children in psychiatric hospitals longer than necessary and forced a child to sleep in a storage room. 

In a Facebook post Jan. 18, Stephens shared a report by Advantage News, calling out Democrat leaders for continued silence in the failures of the DCFS.

“Failed leadership at DCFS continues to harm Illinois’ most vulnerable children,” Stephens wrote in his post. “The Pritzker administration and the agency director need to be held accountable for their failures. We have called for immediate hearings and action to protect every child in our state’s care.”

According to the Advantage News, in the past year, 350 children have been held in psychiatric care for an average of 55 days after they were approved to be with families. Rep. Tom Weber (R-Lake Villa) told the news organization more than 1,120 children who had contact with the DCFS systems have died in the last 11 years. 

One of the two contempt of court orders issued against Smith focuses on a 9-year-old girl who was physically and sexually abused for years before entering the care of DCFS. A Jan. 10 report by CBS Chicago states DCFS placed the girl in a psychiatric hospital, where she remains despite the fact that she was cleared for discharge in June 2021. 

The other contempt order issued against Smith focuses on a 13-year-old boy who was reportedly forced to sleep in a storage room, CBS reports.

 As of 2019, Illinois Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children data reports there were more than 18,500 children in the care of DCFS.