Rep. Brad Stephens (R-Chicago) said the Legislative Audit Commission questioned Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith about repeated deaths and contempt of court citations.
"Since December 2021, nine children have died under DCFS' watch. Meanwhile, DCFS Director Marc Smith has been held in contempt of court 12 times for failing to place children in state care appropriately," Stephens said Monday in a Facebook post.
"On Tuesday, Director Smith and DCFS staff appeared before the bipartisan Legislative Audit Commission to answer for troubling missteps outlined in recent state audits of the agency. Director Smith and Governor Pritzker bear responsibility for the failures at DCFS to properly care for, place, and protect children in state custody. House Republicans have demanded accountability and action for months, as the failures at DCFS have continued to get worse," he said.
Rep. Brad Stephens said, "the failures of the DCFS continue to get worse."
| Stephens' Facebook
Governor J.B. Pritzker defended the record of the DCFS.
"You're ignoring all of the progress that's been made at DCFS, and so is the decision to hold the department in contempt," Pritzker said. "The head of the Department of Children and Family Services, and I, and the judge are frustrated with the challenges that we face for our most vulnerable children."
DCFS is responsible for roughly 20,000 children and operates with an annual budget of $1.5 billion. Nine children who were intended to be on DCFS's watch have died since December, and Smith has been issued 12 contempt of court citations since the beginning of 2022. Audits have revealed additional concerns: of the children who have been victims of abuse or neglect related to substance abuse, 48% did not have their cases sent to state attorneys for review.
Out of all the children in DCFS's care, 88% are missing dental exams, 18% are missing physical exams, 14% have missed vision screenings and 56% have missed hearing screenings. Smith asserted that Pritzker continues to express confidence in his leadership. DCFS Director Marc Smith has been issued 12 contempt citations in 2022, CBS News reported. Most of the contempt citations pertain to DCFS' failure to properly place children in its care, sometimes for months.
Pritzker appointed Marc Smith to the position of acting director of the Department of Children and Family Services in April 2019. The Illinois Senate confirmed Smith as director in June 2021.
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