Full Text of HR0418 100th General Assembly
HR0418 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The Department of Children and Family Services | 3 | | ("DCFS" or "Department") is responsible for providing child | 4 | | protective services and programs to abused, neglected, and | 5 | | dependent children and their families; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald
| 7 | | by a Chicago police officer on October 20, 2014 shed light on
| 8 | | the inefficiencies that plague the DCFS foster care program as | 9 | | media reports revealed the instability and abuse Laquan | 10 | | McDonald experienced throughout his youth as he moved through | 11 | | the foster care system; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Last month's suspicious death of 16 month-old | 13 | | Semaj Crosby, whose body was found in her family's Joliet home | 14 | | a day and a half after DCFS case workers visited the home to | 15 | | investigate an allegation of child neglect, has elicited sharp | 16 | | criticism on how DCFS
investigates reports of child abuse and | 17 | | neglect; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Illinois has an interest in ensuring that all | 19 | | reports of child abuse and neglect are thoroughly investigated | 20 | | and that the children of this State have access to adequate and | 21 | | efficient protective services and programs; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 2 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the | 3 | | Auditor General is directed in accordance with Section 3-2 of | 4 | | the Illinois State Auditing Act to conduct a performance audit | 5 | | on the Department of Children and Family Services to review and | 6 | | assess the Department's protocols for investigating reports of | 7 | | child abuse and neglect; and be it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That the audit include a review of each abuse and | 9 | | neglect investigation conducted by the Department of Children | 10 | | and Family Services within the past 5 years, including, but not | 11 | | limited to, a review of: | 12 | | (1) the status of each abuse and neglect investigation; | 13 | | (2) the final determination or findings made by the | 14 | | Department for each abuse and neglect investigation; | 15 | | (3) the time frame within which the Department | 16 | | completed or closed each abuse and neglect investigation; | 17 | | (4) recommendations made by the Department to each | 18 | | family who was the subject of an abuse or neglect | 19 | | investigation, including any services provided by the | 20 | | Department to the child or family; and | 21 | | (5) demographic information on each abuse and neglect | 22 | | investigation, including the age, race, and gender of each | 23 | | child who was the subject of the abuse or neglect | 24 | | investigation, and the zip code and county where the abuse | 25 | | or neglect was alleged to have occurred; and be it further |
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That, upon completion of the audit, the Auditor | 2 | | General compile a detailed report that lists, by county, the | 3 | | information collected and examined under the audit, including a | 4 | | full summary on the number of lawsuits or other legal actions | 5 | | filed against the Department within the past 5 years that | 6 | | concern an abuse or neglect investigation and the number of | 7 | | lawsuits the Department settled within the past 5 years that | 8 | | concern an abuse or neglect investigation; and be it further | 9 | | RESOLVED, That the Department of Children and Family | 10 | | Services cooperate fully and promptly with the Auditor General | 11 | | in the conduct of this audit; and be it further | 12 | | RESOLVED, That the Auditor General is not allowed or | 13 | | authorized to release or disclose in his report any information | 14 | | that is prohibited from public disclosure under the Abused and | 15 | | Neglected Child Reporting Act or under any other State or | 16 | | federal law; and be it further | 17 | | RESOLVED, That the Auditor General commence this audit as | 18 | | soon as possible and submit his report, including his findings | 19 | | and recommendations, upon completion in accordance with the | 20 | | provisions of Section 3-14 of the Illinois State Auditing Act; | 21 | | and be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be delivered to | 2 | | the Auditor General and the Department of Children and Family | 3 | | Services.
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