Illinois’ child welfare agency—DCFS—is broken
Illinois law—put in place in 1997 and strengthened in 2008—clearly mandates DCFS publicly release incident-specific reports for every child death or serious injury under its watch, with findings and policy recommendations attached. These reports are meant to prevent further tragedies by exposing failures, recommend reforms, and help prevent future tragedy. But since 2018, DCFS hasn’t followed the law—not once.
That means over 1,200 child deaths and 3,000 serious injuries have gone without the mandated public review. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who sponsored the law mandating transparency while serving in the state house, stated, “DCFS’s inaction is reckless, stunning, and irresponsible.”
Unfortunately, we know of horrific individual cases like Mackenzi Felmlee, an 18-year-old who died in May 2024 while in foster care. Doctors say she died from a blood clot—but her body told a deeper story of severe dehydration, multiple bruises across her face, neck, legs, and shoulders, and a shockingly low weight of just 90 pounds. DCFS refuses to release a report on her death, claiming it must wait until a criminal case concludes—despite state law requiring a public report within six months, regardless of prosecution status.
This isn’t just neglect. It’s a systemic failure—rooted in a culture of secrecy and incompetence. And it’s happening on Governor Pritzker’s watch. This is a leadership failure on a dangerous scale.
The people of Illinois deserve better. Our kids deserve protection, not excuses. It’s time for real accountability, real transparency, and real leadership.
Enough excuses. Investigate. Report. Reform. Fix DCFS—or get out of the way.