Illinois DCFS: Agency didn't track kids sleeping in offices

CHICAGO (AP) - The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has acknowledged it didn't track how many children were forced to sleep in its offices until recently.

The agency reports 16 children were forced to sleep in DCFS offices between May 6 and June 28 of this year. It says it didn't track those numbers before May 6.

The agency made the disclosure a week after Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert sued the department for the information.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday that internal emails show DCFS recognized last month that it had a "deeply broken process" that led to children spending the night in office space, sometimes on the floor. DCFS tracked only those kids brought to offices to spend the night before 12:30 a.m. and who remained until 6 a.m. or later.