CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker today announced the appointment of Heidi Mueller as the Next Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. The following statement can be attributed to Heidi Dalenberg, Interim Legal Director of the ACLU of Illinois and lead counsel in a lawsuit against DCFS:
Director Mueller will assume the helm of the Department of Children and Family Services at a crucial moment. DCFS must embrace the challenge of finding a safe place to stay – preferably with the child’s family members – when it is necessary for the Department to assume care for a child. DCFS also must provide services to meet children’s individual needs, and turn away from the use of large, impersonal institutional settings. This is a challenging job that requires a leader with vision and a commitment to transformational change.
We look forward to working with Director Mueller toward these goals.