Most First Calls to Illinois DCFS Get Sent to Message Service UPDATED

In 2001, seventy percent of people received a specialist on their first call. Now, the percentage is less than forty percent of the time.

The “majority of callers to Illinois’ child abuse hotline — a front line in protecting battered and neglected children — don’t initially get through to someone who could dispatch an investigator, the Tribune found.

Instead, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services took messages for the majority of its more than 236,000 calls logged over an 11-month period ending May 31.
The percentage of callers who reach a specialist on the crucial first attempt has plummeted over the last 11 years. It’s now less than 40 percent, compared with nearly 70 percent in 2001, the newspaper determined.
Authorities said the agency does not track average callback times, but hotline workers as well as police, teachers and doctors told the Tribune it can take several hours during peak periods to get a response.
Experts say the system is fraught with potential risk for children who may be left in dangerous situations longer. In fact, inadequate staffing of the hotline was cited in the death of one child in Kankakee in 2010.
The inability to handle a call promptly also takes a toll on workers who struggle with chronic understaffing.
“When school was in, there were times when we were running five to six hours behind,” said Kim Abner, a 14-year specialist. “We were working a lot of overtime. It was nothing to stay two to three hours after your shift ended to try to help your co-workers get caught up.”
Ed Cotton, who helped set up the hotline in 1980 and now advises other states as a child-welfare consultant, said the message-taking system was used sparingly early on to whittle down the number of calls left on hold at the busiest times. The idea was to reduce hang-ups, but it was never supposed to be standard operating procedure, he said.
“It’s horrible,” Cotton said of the Tribune’s findings. “That’s not a hotline, in my opinion.”
DCFS officials said budgetary constraints, constant staff turnover and outdated technology have fueled problems.
The Tribune examination of the hotline also found:
•An increase in complaints to DCFS’ inspector general’s office during the last two years.
•Calls no longer are recorded for quality assurance because of broken equipment.
•A committee of medical professionals, frustrated with delays, has asked DCFS to set up a separate phone line dedicated to police, hospitals and other mandated child-abuse reporters.
Problems with response times at what Director Richard Calica calls his agency’s “front door” underscore continued challenges as DCFS also struggles with high caseloads for critical front-line staff members who investigate the hotline reports.”

Problems for DCFS Child Abuse hotline

[Chicago Tribune 7/8/12 by Christy Gutowski]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update: “An upgraded hotline to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect in Illinois has met with mixed success since its launch six months ago.

 

Data for April show more callers reached a specialist on their first attempt, which is considered vital in alerting authorities a child may be in danger. As a result, fewer hotline users were forced to leave a message and wait for a returned phone call — a once-common occurrence.

 

But an increased rate of hang-up calls in the $474,000 system is confounding child welfare officials.

 

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said callers are on hold an average of 91 seconds before a specialist answers. Despite the modest wait time, the rate of abandoned calls has tripled.

 

In 1980, Illinois became one of the first states to centralize its hotline with a single toll-free number, 800-25ABUSE, which rings into the Springfield-based call center. It remains among the country’s busiest, with 250,000 annual calls.

 

But the hotline had been operating with the original telephone technology since its first call 33 years ago.

 

The Tribune reported last summer that less than 40 percent of callers in the prior 11 months were interviewed by a specialist on the first attempt. For the majority, the hotline took a message and a specialist called back — sometimes several hours later.

 

The backlog, critics warned, was fraught with potential risk for children.

 

Under a new digital phone system, nearly 60 percent of callers in April reached a specialist on the first attempt, according to DCFS statistics. In comparison, 50 percent of first-time callers in April 2012 were successful. Though thousands of calls each month still result with an initial message and callback, the improvement came at a time when statistics show the hotline was understaffed and reports were on the rise.

 

Bruce Dubre, a union leader who represents hotline staff, said workers see positive potential in the new setup but are concerned about the high increase in abandoned calls. They question whether the reported improvement in first-time answered calls has led to delayed callback times when a message was taken.

 

DCFS spokesman Dave Clarkin disagreed. He said callback response has been reduced from up to 24 hours at peak times under the former setup to two to three hours currently. Still, Clarkin cautioned drawing too many conclusions from the new preliminary statistics because of differences in the two systems and in data gathering.

 

“Comparing the hotline system 30 years ago to today’s system is like trying to compare the 1982 Chevrolet Cavalier to the new Chevy Volt,” he said. “Different people will have different anecdotes, but it’s very clear the new system is much better in terms of answering calls and making callbacks.”

 

Dubre said hotline workers also have noticed fewer children are calling to report possible mistreatment.

 

“We haven’t been able to quantify that, but it’s a very real concern of staff,” he said.

 

Clarkin and Dubre agree the mixed results should improve once 14 more workers are added to the hotline staff of about 70. The vacancies are being filled as part of DCFS Director Richard Calica’s agency reorganization.

 

Officials said the modernized hotline includes dual computer monitors so specialists can take calls, fill out reports and monitor incoming traffic simultaneously. It also allows management to record, measure and monitor each call and wait times.

 

The majority of callers are mandated reporters who work in schools, hospitals and in law enforcement. If a caller’s complaint meets specific legal criteria, specialists take a formal report and immediately relay it to the appropriate DCFS regional office.

 

An assigned investigator then must make a good-faith effort to locate the child within 24 hours — or immediately in the most serious cases. DCFS launches formal investigations in about one-fourth of calls.”

 

Illinois’ upgraded DCFS abuse hotline sees mixed results

[Chicago Tribune 5/28/13 by Christy Gutowski]