Editorial: DCFS needs to implement audit recommendations promptly

Come Christmas Eve night, suburban children will be snug in their beds, vision of sugar plums dancing in their heads.

At least that's the storybook picture we all like to envision. In reality, many children throughout Illinois are not snug in their beds, and it's up to the Department of Children and Family Services to know where they are and help keep them safe.

Unfortunately, an audit released last week by Illinois Auditor General William Holland and reported by Associated Press says the state's child-welfare agency is not following its own procedures and therefore not keeping track of how many children disappear in a given year or the locations from which they disappear.

Numbers provided in the audit, but described as having limitations, said runaway cases involved anywhere from 2,800 to 3,100 state wards. About 230 wards were estimated to be missing each day,

"DCFS procedures state that missing wards are at great risk of victimization and exploitation and emphasize timely action in order to reduce risks to missing wards. This audit found that compliance with procedures was not always documented, there was a lack of dates to determine if reporting was performed in a timely manner, data on missing wards was not always reliable and the department had not evaluated the program to search for missing wards," the report states.

For example, in 47 of 100 cases sampled in 2011-2012, caseworkers did not complete the DCFS missing child report within two working days, as required. It averaged six days, with the longest taking 98 days. In 20 high-risk cases sampled (those involving children 13 or younger, a medical condition present or an abduction) in which timeliness is critical, completion of required documentation from caseworkers was insufficient.

These are serious defects and need to be addressed. In total, Holland's office made nine recommendations to improve the processes - all of which should be followed. These are children, after all, who need to be protected by the state.

Among the recommendations, Holland said DCFS should provide training to its caseworkers and supervisors on missing children; review its search procedures for missing children for possible modifications; and name a specific unit within DCFS to monitor actions taken by caseworkers and supervisors.

As Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner prepares to take over the reins, he needs to appoint a DCFS director who will make sure changes are made. A DCFS spokeswoman told the AP that some changes have already been made in the last two weeks, which is a good sign.

"We are revising our procedures and will provide training ... to all affected staff," said spokeswoman Veronica Resa.

Given that these audit figures date back two years, that training is long overdue.