Lake County Gazette

Representative Tom Weber (R-Antioch) voiced his concerns about how Illinois handles supporting its children after controversies rose from agencies such as the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

“The protection of the children of this state is one of the foremost responsibilities of their parents, and when that fails, our government,” Weber said on his website. “Unfortunately, (the) Illinois government has not always risen to meet that challenge in the way that we must. I look forward to working with other members of this task force to determine how the state can help these organizations help us in responding to child abuse and neglect cases.”

One way Weber is contributing is by joining a task force and advocacy groups dedicated to providing children support.

Weber announced that he has been appointed to serve on the Task Force on Children Advocacy Centers (CAC) and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children Funding, which was created this spring as a result of Senate Joint Resolution 47, according to a release. The task force is charged with ensuring that child advocacy groups are receiving adequate funding to handle child abuse and neglect cases.

CAC is part of a network that coordinates with the DCFS, law enforcement, and other organizations to investigate and prosecute child abuse and provide mental health services to victims. CASA is a nationwide organization that works with DCFS attorneys and caseworkers to train and supervise volunteers who advocate for abused or neglected children in court.

Weber will be the sole House Republican on the 16-person task force, which will issue its first report by the end of this year.

CAC is an advisory group. They can make recommendations to DCFS on ideas to improve their work for children.

As of June 2021, there were 22,357 children in Illinois in the care of DCFS, according to data from CASA. 122 Illinois children died of abuse or neglect in 2021, despite contact with DCFS.

“The (CAC) first began operations in the basement of the old Hanover Park Police Department,” Hollie Ross, the center’s marketing manager, said to Journal & Topics. “In 1992, Michael O’Malley, the mayor of Hoffman Estates, and the Chicago Trades Council rehabilitated the current CAC facility and in 1993, the agency began providing services from 640 Illinois Blvd. in Hoffman Estates.”

DCFS Director Marc Smith has been issued 12 contempt citations in 2022, CBS News reported. Most of the contempt citations are related to DCFS' failure to properly place children in its care, sometimes for months.