REPORT HIGHLIGHTS THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES CHILD SAFETY AND WELL-BEING PURSUANT TO PUBLIC ACT 101-0237 (TA’NAJA’S LAW) FOLLOW-UP PERFORMANCE AUDIT Release Date: September 2, 2026 State of Illinois, Office of the Auditor General CHRISTOPHER B. MEISTER, AUDITOR GENERAL To obtain a copy of the Report contact: Office of the Auditor General, 400 West Monroe, Suite 306, Springfield, IL 62704-9849 (217) 782-6046 or TTY (888) 261-2887 This Report Digest and Full Report are also available on the worldwide web at www.auditor.illinois.gov BACKGROUND: Public Act 101-0237 (Act) was enacted on August 9, 2019, and it amended both the Children and Family Services Act (20 ILCS 505) and the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (325 ILCS 5). The Act also directs the Auditor General to conduct a performance audit one year after the effective date of January 1, 2020. The audit was to determine if the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is meeting the requirements of the Act. Within two years of the audit’s release the Auditor General was to conduct a follow-up performance audit to determine if DCFS has implemented the recommendations within the initial performance audit. On May 5, 2021, House Resolution 165 was passed, which renamed Public Act 101-0237 to “Ta’Naja’s Law” after Ta’Naja Barnes. Ta’Naja was a two-year-old child who died approximately 6 months after custody was remanded to her mother. Her death was due to dehydration, malnourishment, physical neglect, and cold exposure. Public Act 101-0237 required Home Safety Checklists, Aftercare Services, and immunization checks to better protect the children exiting foster or substitute care and returning to the custody of his or her parent or guardian. Key Findings: • DCFS was unable to provide 329 of the 399 (82%) of the required Home Safety Checklists within our sample of 50 cases. A Home Safety Checklist is to be completed by DCFS whenever it is determined by a court that a child who has been court ordered into foster or substitute care can return to the home of the parent or guardian. Home Safety Checklists are home safety assessments and educational tools that assist in promoting the safety of children. • In 4 of 30 (13%) cases tested, auditors could not find evidence of at least 6 months of aftercare services provided to the family after reunification compared to 29 of 50 (58%) cases tested during the prior audit period. Aftercare services are to be provided to the child and the child’s family by DCFS or a Child Welfare Contributing Agency (Purchase of Service Agency) and should begin on the date upon which the child is returned to the custody or guardianship of the parent or guardian. • Children in DCFS’ care are not receiving well-child visits/check-ups as required. For the 50 cases sampled, auditors could not find supporting documentation for: 31 of the 196 (16%) required physical examinations; 33 of the 114 (29%) required vision screenings; 52 of the 82 (63%) required hearing screenings; and 171 of the 336 (51%) required dental examinations and cleanings. Auditors also found that for 3 of 30 (10%) cases sampled, it took an excessive amount of time for a child to receive mental health services after a need had been identified. • During the previous audit period, immunization testing could not be completed due to unreliable immunizations data in SACWIS (DCFS’ case management system). However, during this audit period, auditors determined that the immunizations data within SACWIS was sufficient and reliable enough for testing. Overall, documentation could not be found for 51 of the 295 (17%) required immunizations for the 30 children sampled. • In order to determine the number of staffing vacancies for the Divisions of Child Protection, Intact Family Services, and Permanency, auditors reviewed the December 5, 2024 Caseload and Vacancy Reports for each Division. Auditors found that overall, there was a worker vacancy rate of 13 percent (167 of 1,238) for these three operations divisions. The Permanency Division had 113 positions that were vacant out of the 412 (27%) positions needed. Auditors also reviewed the supervisor vacancy rate for these divisions and found that there were 56 vacancies out of 295 (19%) supervisors that were needed. The Permanency Division had the highest supervisor vacancy rate at 28 percent, or 35 supervisor vacancies out of 123 supervisors needed. Key Recommendations: The audit report contains six recommendations directed to DCFS, including: • The Department of Children and Family Services should complete Home Safety Checklists as required by Public Act 101-0237 and DCFS Administrative Procedure Number 25. • The Department of Children and Family Services should ensure that: ­ at least 6 months of aftercare services are provided for families after a child is returned home; ­ a Service Plan is completed within 30 days prior to a case closure; and ­ the child’s family is informed to contact the Permanency Worker if the family requires services, in accordance with Public Act 101-0237 and DCFS Permanency Planning Procedures Section 315.250(d). • The Department of Children and Family Services should ensure that all children in care receive their well-child visits/ check-ups, including physical examinations, vision screenings, hearing screenings, dental examinations and cleanings, and mental health assessments. The Department should also ensure that all well-child visits/check-ups are entered into the system of record (SACWIS) as required, including instances of screenings occurring at schools or other institutions that do not currently upload into the system of record (SACWIS). • The Department of Children and Family Services should ensure that every child that is in care receives their age- appropriate immunizations as required by DCFS Procedure 302.360(h). • The Department of Children and Family Services should take steps to ensure that the operations divisions are adequately staffed in order to meet caseload demands. Additionally, the Department should ensure that there are an adequate number of supervisors in order to ensure a thorough review of employee work and to provide adequate guidance to employees when needed. This performance audit was conducted by the staff of the Office of the Auditor General.