This document reports on the status of children who remain in psychiatric hospitals, emergency shelters, and detention facilities in Illinois, US. In 2015, there were approximately 168 children who were hospitalized beyond medical necessity; 380 children who remained in emergency shelter beyond 30 days, and the audit reported “no available data” on children who remained in a detention facility solely because placement cannot be located.
The audit examined samples of the different populations and found that children in the populations examined had issues in their past that made placement difficult, which included multiple placements, behavior issues, mental health issues, and criminal history. Children who were placed in facilities had administrative delays, lack of available placement issues, wait lists, lack of youth cooperation, parent refusal to allow the kid back home, and lack of timeliness of initial planning meeting.
The auditor recommended:
1) The Department of Children and Family Services should review existing administrative rules and internal policies and procedures on the placement of children, and the Department should make necessary revisions to update the rules and procedures to reflect current practice and to implement any needed changes.
2) The Department of Children and Family Services should ensure that required forms are being utilized and that required documentation is consistently maintained in case files. The Department should also explore the feasibility of maintaining forms in its primary case management system.
3) The Department of Children and Family Services should implement policies and procedures for its matching process to ensure that the planning meeting is held promptly and to improve the timeliness of the matching process.
4) The Department of Children and Family Services should make necessary changes to track information in its computer systems to ensure processes are working and better monitor children in its custody. These changes should enable DCFS to readily report information.
