Kathy PosnerChildren are a precious commodity, and those who need protection from their families by the Department of Children and Family Services are the most precious because they are desperately in need of an advocate. That is why the latest compliance examination report from the Office of the Illinois Auditor General is so upsetting to read.
The report that was released last week covered the two year period ending June 30, 2010. The report is not a year late in coming; it is just how the reporting periods are defined.
The summary showed that there were 13 problem areas noted, which was better than the 15 cited in the previous report, until you realize that 10 of them were repeat findings from the last audit covering 2007 and 2008. This is absolutely unacceptable!
The fact the “The Department’s initial financial statements did not comply with generally accepted accounting principles and a reclassification was necessary,” does not bother me. All agencies have financial mix-ups. But still, you have to wonder why an agency that has been around for decades does not follow GAP accounting. Still, no child is harmed by an accountant’s mistake, so this is by far the least of our worries.
These errors, however, are inexcusable:
(1) Child welfare and foster care files lacked complete documentation and it was not prepared in a timely manner.
(2) The Department’s child abuse investigations did not consistently comply with State law. For example, the Department:
--Did not always determine whether reports of child abuse and neglect were “unfounded” or “indicated” within 60 days. To be fair, though, I must mention that the Department continues to improve and the percentage of determinations deemed ‘not in compliance’ has declined.
-- Failed to initiate some investigations of child abuse and neglect within 24 hours of receipt. Again, I must insert that the Department has continued to improve over the past two years.
(3) All required child deaths were not reviewed in a timely manner and all child death review teams did not meet each quarter.
The audit of The Department’s Child Welfare and Foster Care and Intact Family Case files showed there was a lacking in required documentation and not all case procedures were performed in a timely manner. There were 57 case files randomly reviewed and it was noted that:
--5 administrative case reviews (ACRs) were not performed or were not performed in a timely manner.
- 92 ACR notifications were not sent on time or even at all.
- 7 Family Assessment Factor Worksheets were not maintained in the case file or the Department’s automated case information.
- 10 medical and dental consent forms were not completed and/or were outdated.
- 37 initial placement checklists were not completed.
- 37 Permanency Planning Checklists were not completed and maintained in the case files.
- 5 Placement and Payment Authorization Forms were not maintained in the case files.
- 7 children’s pictures were not maintained in the case files.
- 13 children’s fingerprints were not maintained in the case files.
If these errors were found in a group of only 57 randomly selected files, one shudders at the thought of how many actual errors there are in the thousands and thousands of other files!
When it comes to the life of a child, even one mistake is unacceptable. How can we tolerate this kind of ineptitude from the people who are being paid to protect society’s most vulnerable members?
Read more from Planet Posner Here......
The report that was released last week covered the two year period ending June 30, 2010. The report is not a year late in coming; it is just how the reporting periods are defined.
The summary showed that there were 13 problem areas noted, which was better than the 15 cited in the previous report, until you realize that 10 of them were repeat findings from the last audit covering 2007 and 2008. This is absolutely unacceptable!
The fact the “The Department’s initial financial statements did not comply with generally accepted accounting principles and a reclassification was necessary,” does not bother me. All agencies have financial mix-ups. But still, you have to wonder why an agency that has been around for decades does not follow GAP accounting. Still, no child is harmed by an accountant’s mistake, so this is by far the least of our worries.
These errors, however, are inexcusable:
(1) Child welfare and foster care files lacked complete documentation and it was not prepared in a timely manner.
(2) The Department’s child abuse investigations did not consistently comply with State law. For example, the Department:
--Did not always determine whether reports of child abuse and neglect were “unfounded” or “indicated” within 60 days. To be fair, though, I must mention that the Department continues to improve and the percentage of determinations deemed ‘not in compliance’ has declined.
-- Failed to initiate some investigations of child abuse and neglect within 24 hours of receipt. Again, I must insert that the Department has continued to improve over the past two years.
(3) All required child deaths were not reviewed in a timely manner and all child death review teams did not meet each quarter.
The audit of The Department’s Child Welfare and Foster Care and Intact Family Case files showed there was a lacking in required documentation and not all case procedures were performed in a timely manner. There were 57 case files randomly reviewed and it was noted that:
--5 administrative case reviews (ACRs) were not performed or were not performed in a timely manner.
- 92 ACR notifications were not sent on time or even at all.
- 7 Family Assessment Factor Worksheets were not maintained in the case file or the Department’s automated case information.
- 10 medical and dental consent forms were not completed and/or were outdated.
- 37 initial placement checklists were not completed.
- 37 Permanency Planning Checklists were not completed and maintained in the case files.
- 5 Placement and Payment Authorization Forms were not maintained in the case files.
- 7 children’s pictures were not maintained in the case files.
- 13 children’s fingerprints were not maintained in the case files.
If these errors were found in a group of only 57 randomly selected files, one shudders at the thought of how many actual errors there are in the thousands and thousands of other files!
When it comes to the life of a child, even one mistake is unacceptable. How can we tolerate this kind of ineptitude from the people who are being paid to protect society’s most vulnerable members?
Read more from Planet Posner Here......
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