Pritzker optimistic about DCFS

Posted on April 4, 2019
Gov. JB Pritzker chose Decatur as the place to celebrate Child Abuse Prevention Month. (Photo Facebook/JB Pritzker for Governor)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker Wednesday chose Decatur as the place to celebrate Child Abuse Prevention Month.

This is a touchy issue there, where a two-year-old girl died of neglect after DCFS gave her back to her mother. Pritzker said child welfare is the most important thing the state can do; that Illinois must do better but will never be perfect.

A reporter asked if simply pumping more money into the system is the answer.

“It’s the beginning. The money helps you evolve,” Pritzker answered. “It helps you hire more caseworkers. One of the things that I hear over and over again is the casework load that so many people are carrying is so high, and these caseworkers feel guilty, because they have to narrow – by a lot – the time they spend dealing with each case.”

Pritzker, who recently nominated Marc Smith — a former DCFS employee — to lead the agency, says he wants to hire 126 more caseworkers.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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