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* Dave Dahl…
With children under watch of the Department of Children and Family Services continuing to die and contempt of court citations piling up, how long can Gov. JB Pritzker continue to stick with director Marc Smith? […]
Pritzker summed it up: you can’t just fire the director every time there’s a problem.
* Pritzker’s full response…
Let me remind you that there have been over a dozen leaders of DCFS over the prior years to my becoming governor. It’s important for us to bring stability to DCFS with a good leader who is bringing change. It is hard to make changes in a bureaucracy when you walk in Day One. It takes some time, and especially after you had two years of no budget, and essentially defunding of DCFS over an awful lot of years.
So we’ve increased budgeting. We brought in outside help for the agency from both the University of Chicago Chapin Hall, as well as the Annie Casey Foundation and others to make sure that we’re surrounding the leadership at DCFS with the right kinds of advisors. They bring their own experienced leaders to DCFS. And together they’ve made a lot of progress.
Are there still challenges? Absolutely. Every circumstance of a death or neglect or abuse is a tragedy at DCFS. So we’re trying to address those. And but you can’t do it by just saying every time there’s a problem, ‘Let’s toss out the director. That’s the answer, toss out the director.’
There are a lot of changes that needed to happen at DCFS. And they are happening. Do they always happen fast enough? No. But look at just the hotline at DCFS where just three short years ago, only 50% of the calls coming into that hotline, were getting answered. Think about that. Neglect and abuse charges, 50% were getting responded to immediately. Now 99% are getting responded to immediately.
And not every time that you hear about a tragedy of a child that has had some contact with DCFS is it simply DCFS’ fault that something occurred. There often are state’s attorneys involved, and sheriffs and local authorities. And DCFS is just one of a number of agencies. And yes, DCFS should take responsibility, but so too, should local authorities engaged in that child’s life, engaged in that family.
So look, we’ve got to continue to make changes. I’m dedicated to that. I’ve stood out front here on this issue when many governors have tried to bury DCFS, put it aside and not stand up for our most vulnerable children. That’s something that matters a great deal to me, and I will continue to stand up for them and make the investments necessary.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
Have at it.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 10:50 am
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I don’t know if that statement cuts the mustard, politically. Having a friend that works at DCFS, who tells me things are improving, I agree with Pritzker’s take. You can’t just flip a switch or wave a wand to get instant results. No matter who is in-charge, DCFS is going to take many more years to fix.
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 10:57 am
It’s a reflex
JB has to blame Republicans for every problem 3+ years into in his administration
Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:08 am
Constantly shaking things up at DCFS doesn’t help. Having heads roll may make you feel better but it doesn’t help the kids, which I assume is the goal here, not political points, right?
Comment by Perrid Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:10 am
It’s a problem not having enoug of the skilled people and the physical facilities to do all that they need to do. Yes you have to spend more money on it. No, the voters don’t support the taxes to pay for that. Voters really don’t care about agencies that don’t affect them personally, and conservatives as a rule don’t fully support social services.
Comment by Give Us Barabbas Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:17 am
The important question is what is the Governor’s plan to get DCFS fully staffed and fill the hundreds of vacancies that exist which is creating a massive strain on the agency and the agency’s staff.
Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:20 am
“And yes, DCFS should take responsibility, but so too, should local authorities engaged in that child’s life, engaged in that family.”
This is the statement that stuck out to me. I get it that agencies and local authorities may be overwhelmed themselves… but so is the child in these circumstances. All involved need to do better if a child is in a situation, whether family or agency created, where they need to seen as a priority not as paperwork.
Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:24 am
He’s not wrong. By the time the issue comes to DCFS, the child has engaged with over 10 adults that have failed them. JB could always be doing more, but the issues is bigger than one director or one quick solution.
Comment by DissapointedVoter Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:28 am
I respect JB for this. Turning the Director into a scapegoat and firing them for problems outside their control doesn’t solve the problem. It makes the problem worse because it requires bringing in a new management team, who will want to try out their own different approaches. Providing more expert support for the Director, like JB is doing, is the right course of action.
Comment by City Guy Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:35 am
I think some in his leadership group or perhaps he, himself, are not really reading the room so to speak on this DCFS ongoing catastrophe. I suppose the governor’s statement detailing the complexities will make many dedicated long suffering employees of DCFS feel better understood which is good. But, to laymen seeing this statement it feels like there are just no answers and that the plight of the poor kids who land in DCFS care is pretty much hopeless and intractable.
Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:39 am
@LP - where did JB blame republicans? I didn’t see that.
When the issue is about addressing perhaps the most tragic victims in our society, you still need to claim victimhood for your tribe. Talk about reflexes.
Comment by Henry Francis Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:39 am
I think that is a solid, honest, and accurate answer. They are making progress (particularly the improvement in the immediate response rate, assuming those numbers are accurate). They have more to do. Re-starting with another new director to appease the “off with their heads!” reflex isn’t helpful (when the problem isn’t actually the director); you just lose ground.
Comment by Leslie K Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:40 am
JB has to blame Republicans for every problem 3+ years into in his administration
It’s not blaming when it’s factual. When a department has ran poorly for a long time and then you bring that person in to fix it. It’s not going to happen over night. DCFS didn’t become a disaster of a department in a month or a year. It was years of mismanagement that created the problem.
It’s easy to say fire the Director and bring in someone new with more degrees and better ideas. Until that person doesn’t fix it on your timeline then fire him and bring someone else in. You might as well make it a temp position if you want to manage that way. Wouldn’t that be Slot Machine Management?
Comment by Club J Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:43 am
==JB has to blame Republicans for every problem==
Says the guy who blames Democrats for everything. You don’t even try to be an honest person.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:44 am
I think the Governor is trying to bail water out of a ship that has sunk. The bottom line is that there are things that have happened under the current Director. Right or wrong the buck stops at him. It’s time for a leadership change.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:45 am
You don’t even try to be an honest person.
You type this with a straight face?
Comment by Birds on a Bat Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 11:59 am
i think it’s fine not to fire the director, but the last few years doesn’t inspire me to give Pritzker the benefit of the doubt on this question. We’ve seen problems at several different agencies fester well beyond the time for gubernatorial intervention. The executive inspector general report made it clear that Linda Chapa la Via was nowhere to be found while COVID spread through LaSalle. The open civil war at the tollway went on for months. IDES never got executive intervention after nearly collapsing in 2020. And now, 3 years and multiple contempt citations in, this is when Pritzker decides he needs a “czar” to help right the ship at DCFS?
Evidence is starting to pile up that Pritzker lets large swaths of the government operate on autopilot until and emergency forces the issue. Pritzker either doesn’t have his office organized in a way that gets ahead of these problems, or he’s intentionally trying to avoid responsibility for problems that don’t have easy solutions. Either way, it’s a big blind spot.
Comment by vern Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 12:04 pm
And Sullivan had to resign over an email in 24 hours. There’s different rules for different people here.
Comment by Almost the Weekend Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 12:10 pm
For the deliberately obtuse: # years in he is blaming the prior administration for the failures.
“It is hard to make changes in a bureaucracy when you walk in Day One. It takes some time, and especially after you had two years of no budget, and essentially defunding of DCFS over an awful lot of years.
So we’ve increased budgeting”
Like a lot of issue JB thinks the problems are fixed because his administration is spending more money. He is not capable of accepting accountability, just deflecting it.
Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 12:11 pm
I give JB a lot of credit for this. It’s the approach of someone who wants to solve the problem and not just score political points. Let’s all hope he selected the right person for the job.
Comment by Original Rambler Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 12:33 pm
C’mon LP. Nowhere does JB call out Republicans. The first sentence of his statement references over a dozen leaders of DCFS over the years prior to him becoming Governor. I don’t remember Rauner having over a dozen of leaders at DCFS. So that means JB is not picking on Rauner, but rather multiple past administrations (most of which were democratic).
Yes he mentions the state not having a budget for 2 years. But he said it matter if factly. He didn’t blame Rauner or the republicans for that (but apparently you do).
And of course, we know personal responsibility is a Republican trait. That is why 3 years into his term as Governor, Rauner was still claiming that he wasn’t in charge. https://tinyurl.com/3r3w4ddd
Comment by Henry Francis Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 1:05 pm
He’s right that DCFS needs stable long term leadership.
People are also right that JB doesn’t seem (I use the word seem because we all don’t know what happening out of view of the public) to be sufficiently engaged in the problems at DCFS.
Want to delegate? Fine, but get weekly or daily reports. Then use the Governor’s bully pulpit to publicly lobby the General Assembly for the needed resources, be it funding, staffing, or other resources. JB needs to be visible every week on this issue, even if it is just a couple of line press release about the progress made that period. Otherwise he might win the agency battle but still lose the re-election war.
Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 1:54 pm
Who is minding the store here? How many state agencies remain understaffed? And he is bragging how he has now surrounded state employees with staffers to guide them? In a mere month after 3 years of chaos?
How many other DCFS Chairs have been cited for contempt by judges over the years at least 8 or more times, while kids with behavioral and psych issues get bounced around or remain stuck in hospitals after being discharged? Only seems to be happening with the Pritzker Administration. There are lives at stake here and he seems to remain oblivious.
Wake up Governor!
Comment by Louis G Atsaves Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 2:03 pm
I disagree that DCFS ran poorly for a long time—it was not run poorly under Bryan Samuels or Erwin McEwen or George Sheldon or BJ Walker they just were never given enough time to right the ship, but they each had a clear strategic plan…..what is Marc Smith’s Plan? We never hear that we just hear that the hotline is doing better at answering calls
Comment by long time observer Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 2:21 pm
Personnel is policy.
The reality of this administration is a consistent and real issue to agency work and personnel finding their own way(s) to highlight the real issues and challenges of agencies meeting their missions.
I’ve said when it came to a previous director to another agency that the governor waited far too long to act.
With this director I stated that a change was likely necessary, or more pointedly that change was needed.
I don’t back off from that.
What I really respect is when loyalty is real. That’s what’s here. Loyalty. Loyalty and a crisp understanding of “what and how” change means in an agency like DCFS, and the pool of those that could quickly aid in a turnaround.
Governors own. They always do.
To that, if the governor owns this, and keeps on as is currently configured, that owning, can’t ask for more.
Even if the idea is (and very true) that previous administration(s) failed in the mission, this governor is owning the policy… the policy of personnel.
I respect the idea here by the governor. We may disagree, but owning the policy here, the personnel here, it’s all I can ask in accountability, and both can be true, owning personnel and recognition of past administration(s) failure(s) adding to challenges today.
All can be true.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 2:25 pm
F.
Sure, you can’t just fire the director every time there is a problem.
But when there are nothing but problems, you fire the director.
Comment by AlfondoGonz Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 2:56 pm
@Vern. Your response made wish that Pritzker’s people read this column. And acted on it.
Comment by DMC Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 3:46 pm
@long time observer -
George Sheldon was forced to leave DCFS under a cloud of corruption and ineptitude.
BJ Walker was hardly better. Her last act was to hand a no-bid contract to the incoming DCFS director’s current employer, so that she could be allowed to exit gracefully and I assume return to life as a consultant.
Both stood silently as child abuse reports skyrocketed and Rauner dismantled the agency. Even Rauner’s wife agency was critical as I recall.
Comment by Jayne Adams Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 3:59 pm
The director is not up to the job and DCFS needs stability. Likely both are true.
Comment by fedup Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 5:25 pm
How anyone expects a new director to solve years of understaffing and underfunding in a year or two is simply not grasping reality. DCFS, like a number of other agencies has long been left to wither. Even pouring money in doesn’t help when new hires take months to be hired, then add training time before they are ready for their duties. Firing the director for not doing the impossible is a joke, and JB is right to point out reality for those missing it.
Comment by thisjustinagain Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 6:40 pm
=== How anyone expects a new director to solve years of understaffing and underfunding in a year or two is simply not grasping reality. ===
Or three right, but who is counting?
How about four years. What if we said “we are going to give Marc Smith 4 years to reduce child abuse to pre-Rauner levels.”
And then I said to you, “Just show me 25 percent progress each year.”
Would that work for you?
Comment by Jayne Adams Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 8:05 pm
Impossible? If that is the case then abolish DCFS and let those it is supposed to protect fend for themselves? I don’t think so.
Comment by Louis G Atsaves Wednesday, Apr 13, 22 @ 2:44 am
=== Firing the director for not doing the impossible ===
Child abuse in Illinois has gone up every single year under Marc Smith, and this year it will be higher than last year.
Illinois has gone from 36K victims in FY 19 to 42K victims in FY 21 and this year we will end up at 45k.
That is a 25% increase in three years.
Given how much Griffin plans on spending, there is absolutely no way that fact does not end up in a campaign ad. At which point JB will have to fire Marc Smith and his chief of staff anyway, but by then it will be to late politically.
JB might wish for “stability”, but he is not going to get it, not if he wants to remain governor. And if Marc Smith is going to be forced to resign, it is best he do so now.
Comment by Three Blind Mice Wednesday, Apr 13, 22 @ 8:29 am