A state senate committee is continuing its probe of Illinois child abuse and neglect cases.
More than 100 children died last year from abuse or neglect -prompting a series of state senate hearings.
The fifth senate hearing on the matter took place Monday. The committee heard three hours of testimony from advocates, attorneys, and staff. State senators once again asked the Department of Children and Family Services what’s being done to address the issue. Acting Director Denise Gonzales outlined some general goals for change. She says she’s trying to fill vacant investigator positions more quickly and wants to give more training to those who are mandated to report suspected child abuse.
But other speakers told senators there are ongoing problems with the way DCFS collects data and in how few bilingual case workers it employs.
