Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Independent reporting on CPS, foster care, adoption and family court — the cases the system would rather keep quiet.
Illinois DCFS Director Held in Contempt for Hiding Dead Foster Youth’s Records
A judge held Illinois DCFS Director Heidi Mueller in contempt for willfully defying an order to release records about the care of an 18-year-old who died in a foster home.
Illinois DCFS Sued After Aunt Martha’s Manager Convicted of Sexually Assaulting 5 Kids
A former DCFS ward abused at Chicago’s Aunt Martha’s facility is suing the state after a manager with a prior felony was convicted of sexually assaulting five children.
Illinois DCFS Fined, Director Ordered to Court Over Files in Foster Teen’s 2024 Death
A Sangamon County judge found Illinois DCFS willfully broke the records law by withholding caseworker files tied to Mackenzi Felmlee’s death and ordered the director to court.
Illinois DCFS Can’t Produce 82% of Required Home Checks Under Ta’Naja’s Law
Six years after Ta’Naja’s Law, an Illinois audit found DCFS couldn’t produce 82% of required home safety checklists and often couldn’t show children got basic health screenings or aftercare.
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