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Pritzker: New leadership, funding key to stabilizing Department of Child and Family Services

Herald & Review - 3/22/2019

March 22-- Mar. 22--DECATUR -- Gov. J.B. Pritzker said new leadership and an infusion of funding are keys to stabilizing the Department of Child and Family Services and potentially preventing tragedies like the death of 2-year-old Ta'Naja Barnes of Decatur.

Police say Ta'Naja died Feb. 11 from a combination of cold, malnutrition and neglect at the hands of her mother and mother's boyfriend. Both have pleaded not guilty. DCFS had returned the child to the couple in August and the case was closed in October. Baby TALK in Decatur made a hotline call to report concerns about the child's care in November, but the agency found that the allegations did not meet standards for further investigation.

While not speaking on the specifics in Ta'Naja's case, Pritzker told the Herald & Review editorial board on Thursday that DCFS has suffered from a lack of consistent leadership -- a problem he intends to fix.

"I would argue that there's virtually nothing about DCFS that does not deserve review," Pritzker said. "There is nothing I look at in the last four years of what happened to DCFS that I think has been well overseen."

Pritzker stressed that there are "terrific people" within the agency doing their best in difficult circumstances, and he praised the experience of Interim Director Debra Dyer-Webster.

But there have been 12 directors in the past decade, and there are not enough caseworkers, he said. Pritzker's administration conducted national and statewide searches for a new agency leader, whom he intends to announce in the coming weeks.

In Ta'Naja's case, DCFS had contracted with a local nonprofit, Webster-Cantrell Hall, to manage care of the girl and her younger half-brother. Webster-Cantrell has referred all questions back to the state agency.

Asked if there should be stricter oversight of such contractors by DCFS, Pritzker said such issues could be addressed by hiring a leaders with the right skills and experience.

"When you say what is it that I can see or do directly as governor, the answer is good leadership of the agency makes all the difference," Pritzker said.

His budget proposal, presented to the General Assembly in February, also includes funding for 126 new caseworkers.

Lawmakers have taken a special interest in the case. The House of Representatives Adoption and Child Welfare Committee held a hearing March 5 to review the state's involvement in what happened to Ta'Naja.

Speaking after the hearing, committee chairwoman Rep. Sara Feigenholtz pointed to agency underfunding and a lack of steady leadership. "We need a budget to reflect a true care for these, our children," she said. "We're committed to fixing this system because the kids in this state deserve it."

The ACLU of Illinois has also called for new agency leadership in recent weeks. "We need someone who is willing to put the resources where they are needed to actually provide the attention and care all child care cases need," Claire Stewart, the organization's staff attorney, told the Herald & Review earlier this month.

Pritzker said budget constraints prevented his proposal from being a comprehensive fix.

"It's not enough," he said, "but it's a good start in the direction we need to go."

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Contact Allison Petty at (217) 421-6986. Follow her on Twitter: @allison0512

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