DCFS Missing 3100 Children

An audit of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) revealed that up to 3100 kids who were under the care of DCFS were missing in 2011 and 2012. The Illinois Review revealed the results of report.

The report found:

• DCFS did not have reports for management on the total number of missing wards during the year and the location from where the wards went missing

• DCFS estimated 2,800 to 3,100 wards went missing 26,500 to 29,200 times during 2011-2012 (combined) but the data had limitations and was not complete

• Procedures establish specific time requirements for caseworkers to report to specific parties, such as “immediately” or “within two working days,” but a key date for determining timeliness of search procedures was not recorded, such as the date when the caseworker learned that a ward was missing

• Caseworkers sometimes learned about a missing ward first but did not inform the DCFS Child Location and Support Unit for Missing Children (CLSU).

• There was a lack of documentation to indicate if supervisory review of missing child cases had been performed.

The audit was requested after a series of stories featured in the Chicago Tribune detailed the sexual and physical abuse of kids in the foster system.