Stay on it Mr Kenneally—

the timing and environment has never been better for making some major changes with this Organization and its “power”…

Kenneally is going to personally prosecute the parents, if a plea deal isnt arranged…

he and his staffs record on; murder, sex, drug convictions in the last years has been outstanding—

he goes for the jugular, and will on this topic and for DCFS too.

Hope this does some good for the children in need of services, but I’m still never going to vote for this buffoon just because of the fiasco in Algonquin Township and his lack of integrity when it comes to political corruption.

He only takes on the easy fights.

Have to say it’s been very reassuring to hear from our States Attorney Patrick Kenneally.

He’s done a great job thus far.

As for Algonquin Township, a special prosecutor should have been called in.

Maybe that’s still possible.

The problems with DCFA have going on for decades.

Andrew Freund and Joan Cunningham got away with a lot more because of Drews friendships in the community and that includes political.

DCFS will NOT be defending Acosta and the other one that the Tribune called “indifferent and inhumane to Crystal Lake’s son AJ Freund.”

Maybe Jack Franks who defends Acosta’s actions will pay for his lawyers?

Ask him to Carlos.

After all he defended you to the media and said it was the ‘System’s Fault”.

Oh wait, wasn’t Franks part of the system for 18 years? And did nothing and now defends these awful people !

We know why Jack Franks is really defending Carlos.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2XexuDp64TA&feature=share

From: Patrick D Kenneally, McHenry County State’s Attorney

October 22, 2019

To: Senator Steve McClure, 229 S. Main St., Suite B, Jacksonville, IL 62650

and

Representative Mary Edly-Allen, 1585 N. Milwaukee Ave, Suite 7, Libertyville, IL 60048

RE: Taskforce on Strengthening Child Welfare Workforce for Children and Families

Dear Senator and Representative:

The problems with the DCFS Office in McHenry County have gotten worse over the last several months, not better.

The root of the problems, however, remain the same – a lack of accountability for inadequate performance.

To illustrate this point, consider the fact that, six months later, DCFS has yet to determine, one way or the other, whether any corrective or disciplinary action is warranted for its response to the December, 2018 complaint involving AJ Freund.

While a formal investigation by the Illinois Inspector General may be useful, so too would be strong local leadership empowered to swiftly and consistently redress personnel missteps.

A few examples may bear out the points:

Example 1:

In May of 2019, two brothers were brought to the McHenry County Child Advocacy Center (CAC) for a forensic interview regarding alleged child abuse.

The interviews were scheduled after the elder brother, who had multiple bruises, complained of having been beaten by his mother at school.

In addition to an assistant state’s attorney and McHenry City detectove, a DCFS investigator “familiar” with the family was also present.

This allegation was a Z sequence report.

Additionally, the mothers parental rights had been terminated on multiple other children, some of those termination hearings involving allegations of child abuse.

Following the interviews of the boys, the DCFS investigator indicated that she needed to speak with her supervisor.

After speaking with her supervisor and without consulting anyone else present, the DCFS investigator informed the boys that it was safe for them to go home or, in other words, that their allegations were not credible.

For the record, the rest of those present for the interview believed that something was dearly wrong and that neither of the boys should be returned to their mother’s custody until the investigation was completed, including a medical exam at MERIT and an interview of the mother.

Ultimately, the DCFS investigator was persuaded by the assistant state’s attorney and McHenry City detective to place both boys with their grandmother until police could complete their investigation.

Four days later, the boys’ mother was interviewed and admitted to striking the elder boy with a belt and frying pan.

When asked on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being hardest) how hard she had struck the elder boy, she responded, “8.”

The mother was thereafter arrested for domestic battery.

Example 2:

In July of 2019, the CAC received notice of a new report marked “action needed.”

The report indicated that a child had disclosed in her counseling session that she had been sexually touched by an older child in the home.

The CAC started coordinating with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and DCFS:

A plan was established for the DCFS investigator to meet MCSO detectives near the home and bring the children to the CAC for forensic interviews that same day.

The DCFS investigator never showed up.

We later learned that the DCFS investigator had been instructed by her supervisor to meet the DCFS mandate earlier in the day without law enforcement.

While the DCFS investigator was reporting the allegations of abuse to the victim’s guardians, the other family members began yelling at the alleged victim for making up the allegations.

It was reported that the victim was crying when the DCFS investigator left the home.

In response to a call from the CAC, the DCFS supervisor indicated that the reported abuse happened months ago and, that despite the alleged offender and victim still living in the same home, there was not an urgent need for a forensic interview.

When the MCSO detective followed-up at the victim’s home after being stranded, he was unable to locate her, any of the children, or the guardians.

After a tense period of time, they were all subsequently located and the guardians agreed to bring the children to the CAC that evening for forensic interviews.

Unfortunately and by that time, all of the children seemed coached and repeated the same or similar phrases about this all being a “misunderstanding.”

A follow-up with the counselor who had reported the abuse made clear that the child was disclosil1g sexual abuse and that the mother was already aware of it (inconsistent with the child’s forensic interview and mother’s interview).

Attempts to staff the case with the DCFS supervisor were unsuccessful.

Example 3:

In September of 2019, the CAC received notification from a father who shared custody of his six year-old daughter with her mother.

The father reported that he had found videos on his daughter’s phone depicting her in sexual positions, her mother’s drug use, and a number of unknown men in and out of her mother’s house.

Upon following up with DCFS, it was learned that the DCFS investigator had been made aware of the allegations the day before and had left the children in the mother’s care.

No attempt to contact the police or schedule a CAC interview had been made.

DCFS workers are inserted into a countywide, multi-disciplinary investigatory system, which includes police, prosecutors, judges, social workers, CASAs, child advocacy center employees, foster parents, and guardian ad litems.

It is the collective responsibility of all these participants to protect children.

DCFS, by Investigating a suspected cases of child abuse and neglect play a critical role in having the first contact with the mandated reporters’ allegations.

Through its investigations, DCFS is responsible for bringing those children in need of protection to the attention of the other participants who, through the system, provide that protection.

In order for the system to work effectively, there needs to be a certain degree of coordination and coherence among participants, especially with respect to ultimate goals and results.

In this regard, however, DCFS is somewhat insoluble.

I do not mean to suggest that many DCFS workers are not deeply concerned with the well-being of children and doing their jobs right.

However, problems and shortcomings with the other DCFS workers that effect the whole system are not easily resolved because DCFS workers, who are ultimately State employees, are not part of the local system in a strict sense.

[To be continued at a later time.]

The 19 member task force

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

State of Illinois

Appointment website

appointments.illinois.gov > view all boards and commissions

Task Force on Strengthening Child Welfare Workforce for Children and Families

Categorized as Health & Human Services – Families & Children (aka DCFS) on the appointments website.

The following is from the Task Force’s section of the appointments website.

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Meeting information:

​The Task Force shall meet no less than 6 times.

The Task Force is dissolved on January 1, 2022.

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Contact Title: Department of Children and Family Services

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Function:

The Task Force on Strengthening Child Welfare Workforce for Children and Families is intended to study the compensation and workload of child welfare workers to determine the role that compensation and workload play in the recruitment and retention of child welfare workers, and to determine the role that staff turnover plays in achieving safety and timely permanency for children.

The Task Force shall submit a preliminary report to the General Assembly and the Governor no later than October 1, 2019, and a final electronic report, along with recommendations and any proposed legislation, to the General Assembly and the Governor by January 1, 2020.

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Senate Confirmation: No

+++++++++++

Composition:

Members of the Task Force shall include:

2 members appointed by the Governor;

2 legislative members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be designated as Co-Chairperson;

2 legislative members appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be designated as Co-Chairperson;

2 legislative members appointed by the President of the Senate, one of whom shall be designated as Co-Chairperson;

2 legislative members appointed by the Senate Minority Leader, one of whom shall be designated as Co-Chairperson;

the Director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, or his or her designee;

the Director of Children and Family Services, or his or her designee;

the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee;

the Principal Investigator for the Child Protection Training Academy at the University of Illinois;

a person appointed by a labor union that represents State employees;

a current private sector employee appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and one person appointed by the Governor who represents a person representing a non-profit, statewide organization that represents private sector child welfare providers;

and 2 persons appointed by the Governor who each serve as a chief executive officer or chief administrator of a private sector child welfare provider.

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Authority: 325 ILCS 70/10 [Strengthening the Child Welfare Workforce for Children and Families Act]

As a side note, 325 ILCS 70/10 was created as a result of Public Act 100-0879 (PA 100-0879).

More on that later.

+++++++++

Following are the 19 task force members

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Member Name – Term Expires – Member Since – Appointed By – Position – Title

-Paola Baldo – blank – 9/30/2019 – Statute – Member – Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority

Rep. Mary Edly-Allen – blank – 8/7/2019 – Speaker of the House – Co-Chair – blank [State Representative]

Betsy Goulet – 1/1/2022 – 10/1/2019 – Statute – Member – Principal Investigator for the Child Protection Training Academy, University of Illinois

Anne Irving – 1/1/2022 – 9/20/2019 – Statute – Member – Labor Union Representing State Employees [Ms. Irving is the Director of Public Policy at AFSCME Council 31]

Lisa Jones – 1/1/2022 – 10/1/2019 – Statute – Member – Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

Royce Kirkpatrick – 1/1/2022 – 10/1/2019 – Statute – Member – Director of Children and Family Services

Rep. Michael Marron – blank – 9/19/2019 – Minority Leader of the House of Representatives – Member – blank [State Representative]

Sen. Steve McClure – blank – 9/25/2019 – Minority Leader of the Senate – Co-Chair – blank [State Senator]

Sen. Julie Morrison – blank – 10/7/2019 – President of the Senate – Co-Chair – blank [State Senator]

Sen. Robert Peters – blank – 10/7/2019 – President of the Senate – Member – blank [State Senator]

Rep. Steven Reick – blank – 9/19/2019 – Minority Leader of the House of Representatives – Co-Chair – blank [State Representative]

Vacant – blank – blank – Governor – Member – blank

Vacant – blank – blank – Governor – Member – blank

Vacant – blank – blank – Speaker of the House – Member – Private Sector Employee

Vacant – blank – blank – Governor – Member – Rep. of a non-profit, statewide organization that represents private sector child welfare providers

Vacant – blank – blank – Governor – Member – Chief executive officer or chief administrator of a private sector child welfare provider

Vacant – blank – blank – Governor – Member – Chief executive officer or chief administrator of a private sector child welfare provider

Rep. Karina Villa – blank – 8/7/2019 – Speaker of the House – Member – blank [State Representative]

Sen. Craig Wilcox – blank – 9/2/2019 – Minority Leader of the Senate – Member – blank [State Senator]

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https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/bac/SitePages/AppointmentsDetail.aspx?BCID=1176