A Snapshot of an Illinois’ Broken CPS System

DCFS has taken Darlene and her 15-year-old sister into protective custody. Harris also has three adult children. A sixth child, Derrick, was killed when he was 15 in a drive-by shooting in February 1996.

DCFS hotline calls that same year alleged that Darlene, then a 1-year-old, wasn’t being fed regularly, so the agency first took protective custody. She and her siblings were placed with Harris’ sister.

Darlene had been diagnosed at birth with fetal alcohol syndrome, records state.

“Mother does appear to provide all care necessary for siblings, but has a problem following through on the care of her special needs child,” a DCFS worker wrote in a 1996 case note. Harris won back custody about three years later.

Harris acknowledged removing Darlene from special-education classes in 2000 “after DCFS left” because the mother said she wanted her daughter home with her, according to hospital records. She could not recall when Darlene last saw a doctor or had been outside.

The first hotline call had come Nov. 17, just before Thanksgiving.

The anonymous caller said Darlene was pale and losing weight, wasn’t being fed and hadn’t seen a doctor “in many years.”

The investigator knocked on Rosetta Harris’ door that next day, the DCFS case file states. She left her phone number with Harris’ brother when told the mother and daughter weren’t home.

On Dec. 21, Harris called DCFS and denied the allegations. The investigator, who told her she still needed to see Darlene, went back to the house Jan. 3. When no one answered the door, she left a note urging Harris to call.

The worker tried a third time Feb. 27. Again no one answered, records show.

When she went back to the home a fourth time, on March 14, Harris denied that Darlene was there. As the two talked, the investigator heard crying coming from inside.

Harris said it was the television, but after the investigator threatened to call police, Harris carried out her daughter, records say.

The investigator immediately called 911.

Investigators are required to make a “good faith attempt” to see a child within 24 hours. If an adult refuses access or if the child can’t be located in cases involving serious risk or harm, the investigator is expected to keep returning on a daily basis until the child is found.

The investigator was not available for comment.

DCFS reports a high compliance rate in meeting its 24-hour mandate. But the data doesn’t show how often contact is made.

Investigators must take whatever steps are necessary, including going to police, relatives, friends, schools, and searching post office, utility and government databases.

None of that was apparently done for Darlene, records indicate.

Given the family history, Cook County Public Guardian Robert Harris questioned why DCFS wasn’t more persistent.

“The allegation of medical neglect and malnourishment is exactly what happened in the first case to the same child as a baby,” he said. “That should have lit a fire under this woman to find this child. Four months is ridiculous. She should have gotten the police involved a lot earlier.”

DCFS staffing was slashed one-third in 12 years, but the demand for investigative services remains steady. There were 63,046 investigations last year, compared to 59,238 in 2002, DCFS statistics show.

As a result, there’s a backlog of cases where it’s still not known whether a child is at risk. In April, 16 percent of the open cases still lacked a resolution beyond the 60-day deadline. That’s down from 22 percent a few months earlier.

Marlowe said DCFS has sent teams of workers temporarily into troubled areas to reduce unresolved cases.

He said Director Richard Calica has told supervisors to be less liberal with approving extensions. Calica is in the midst of an agency reorganization to augment his depleted staff of investigators and reduce layers of management that he said weren’t needed.

But after lawmakers last week passed a proposed state budget that includes a reduction in DCFS staffing by 375 positions, Calica said he’ll likely be forced to eliminate important functions that aren’t legally mandated, such as child-abuse prevention services.”

History with Illinois DCFS

“Darlene, then a 1-year-old, wasn’t being fed regularly, so the agency first took protective custody. She and her siblings were placed with Harris’ sister.”

“Mother does appear to provide all care necessary for siblings, but has a problem following through on the care of her special needs child,” a DCFS worker wrote in a 1996 case note. Harris won back custody about three years later.

Harris acknowledged removing Darlene from special-education classes in 2000 “after DCFS left” because the mother said she wanted her daughter home with her, according to hospital records. She could not recall when Darlene last saw a doctor or had been outside.

The first hotline call had come Nov. 17, just before Thanksgiving.

The anonymous caller said Darlene was pale and losing weight, wasn’t being fed and hadn’t seen a doctor “in many years.”

The investigator knocked on Rosetta Harris’ door that next day, the DCFS case file states. She left her phone number with Harris’ brother when told the mother and daughter weren’t home.

On Dec. 21, Harris called DCFS and denied the allegations. The investigator, who told her she still needed to see Darlene, went back to the house Jan. 3. When no one answered the door, she left a note urging Harris to call.

The worker tried a third time Feb. 27. Again no one answered, records show.

When she went back to the home a fourth time, on March 14, Harris denied that Darlene was there. As the two talked, the investigator heard crying coming from inside.

Harris said it was the television, but after the investigator threatened to call police, Harris carried out her daughter, records say.

The investigator immediately called 911.” [Well she got that part right finally!]

Cook County Public Guardian Comments

““The allegation of medical neglect and malnourishment is exactly what happened in the first case to the same child as a baby,” he said. “That should have lit a fire under this woman to find this child. Four months is ridiculous. She should have gotten the police involved a lot earlier.”