The below statement can be attributed to Heidi Dalenberg, Director of the Institutional Reform Project, ACLU of Illinois:
“Today’s reporting about the treatment of children under the care of DCFS at out of state institutions is infuriating. DCFS has failed to ensure proper treatment of children placed out of state dating all the way back to the filing of our litigation – nearly three decades ago. DCFS recognized this problem, moving almost all of the children back to Illinois by the early 2000s. Returning to out of state placements only guaranteed a report such as today’s.
The answer to these problems is to develop services and systems that serve these children in Illinois, in their home communities. The federal government has made funding available to help states achieve that goal, and we urge DCFS to move in this direction – now.
We hope never to see another investigation reveal conditions like this again. But DCFS must fundamentally change its approach if that is to be a reality.”
