Illinois Department of Children and Family Services

After the death of a Fairview Heights teenager, multiple women said the caseworker on the case threatened them and their children.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has refused to release a timeline or reports detailing their actions in the case — despite a law that requires DCFS to make findings and recommendations available when a child dies or is seriously injured in its care.

Illinois' newly-made Department of Early Childhood will administer several programs such as preschool funding, subsidized daycare services and home visits that are currently spread out among three different agencies.

While each state has different regulations for homeschooling, Illinois is among a small minority that places virtually no rules on parents who homeschool their children.

Illinois' Department of Early Childhood will administer programs currently spread across 3 agencies — the State Board of Education, Department of Human Services and the Department of Children and Family Services.

An Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigator receives a starting salary as high as $72,000, compared to just $43,000 for an equivalent position in Missouri.

In a progress report compiled by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for fiscal year 2023, the agency noted “unprecedented staff turnover impacts the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and consistency of ongoing assessments of risk and safety.”

There is a possibility the Illinois case plagued by procedural issues could be later retried.

The troubled Illinois agency charged with the protection of abused and neglected children will have new leadership in the new year.

Marc Smith is one of the three Illinois agency leaders to announce their end-of-year departure plans.