It is the responsibility of child welfare professionals to understand the organizational structure of DCFS and, if applicable, of the private agencies for which the professionals work. Most families who require DCFS intervention require the professional to navigate them through the complex state child welfare system. Child welfare professionals should have or know how to access information for the children and families related to DCFS’ role and responsibilities. Major divisions and responsibilities:

Administrative Case Review

Assists workers, supervisors, and families in:

• Recognizing practical case objectives.
• Reviewing implementation of service plans.
• Documenting family progress and efforts to provide needed services.
• Planning permanency for children.

Child Protection

• Provides a 24-hour Abuse/Neglect Hotline (800-25-ABUSE).
• Investigates allegations of child abuse and neglect.
• Determines if credible evidence of harm to children exists.
• Ensures immediate safety of children through a safety plan or taking protective custody when necessary.

Intact Family Services

• Ensures the safety of children who remain in the care of their parents/guardians.
• Helps families to resolve the issues that brought the children to the attention of DCFS. Makes referrals to obtain community services for families.

Clinical Services

• Provides access to specialized expertise, consultation and guidance for caseworkers to support their clinical judgments.
• Provide resources related to Domestic Violence, Alcohol and Other Drugs (AODA), Developmental Disabilities and Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgendered and Questioning Youth.

Foster Care and Permanency Services

• Emphasizes the importance of foster caregivers in caring for children.
• Guides DCFS efforts on permanency, including returning children home more quickly; or, if return home is not appropriate, the need to move children as quickly as possible to an alternate permanency option.
• Consolidates DCFS policy direction and planning for DCFS activities that involve foster care and permanency planning.
• Coordinates DCFS involvement in and response to various foster and parent adoptive advisory groups throughout Illinois.

Adoption, Guardianship & Post Adoption Services

• Prepares caregivers for the process of adoption and completing adoptions
• Assists caregivers for permanency through private guardianship or the KinGap guardianship program
• Offers services and support to caregivers after permanent placements

Foster Home Licensing

• Recruits foster caregivers
• Provides training for foster and relative caregivers
• Licenses and monitor foster caregiver homes

 Day Care, Agency & Institution Licensing

• Licenses and monitor day care homes
• Licenses and monitor agencies and institutions

Training and Professional Development

• Provides orientation, basic training, and on-the-job mentorship to employees new to the Department, and provides core training for lateral and promotional positions.
• Develops and delivers recruitment and retention programs, including professional degree programs, scholarships, paid field placement, advance development and certification programs, and leadership and management development programs.
• Provides Department and private agency staff with information dispersal on law, policy, and procedures, as well as in-service training programs; develops and delivers training on CERAP, licensure, and other required programs.
• Assists field administrators and supervisors with region- and division-specific training planning and delivery through performance assessment, analysis, and application of training needed to address and enhance performance.
• Ensures training development and region-based field education through a network of education partnerships with Illinois universities’ schools of social work programs; works with the Child and Family Research center to incorporate research findings into training programs.

Operations and Community Services

• Provides statewide administration overseeing services to children and families.
• Manages referrals for services purchased from private child welfare providers and community agencies.
• Provides critical follow-up services to children for whom DCFS is legally responsible, as well as to families whose children are or have been at risk of coming under DCFS care.
• Licenses foster families supervised directly by DCFS.
• Local Area Network (LAN) development

Purchase-of-Service (POS) Monitoring

• Office of Litigation Management.
• Conducts agency performance reviews.
• Performs special field audits.
• Assists private agencies with quality improvement activities.
• Issues licenses to foster families supervised by private agencies.
• Licenses day care services.
• Licenses private child welfare agencies.

Support Services

• Supports management functions of DCFS, which include:
• Budget development
• Financial management
• Contract processing and payments
• Legislative Affairs

Office of the Guardian

• Serves as legal guardian of children and youth in DCFS custody.
• Responsible for provision of consents for medical treatment and other services.
• Authorizes other individuals to act as “Authorized Agents” to sign defined levels of consent.

Office of Quality Assurance

• Conducts comprehensive reviews of DCFS direct service operations, products and evaluates outcome information.
• Responsible for Department’s accreditation compliance in association with the Office of Clinical Services.

Office of the Inspector General

• Assures accountability for services to children and families.
• Investigates allegations of misconduct, misfeasance, malfeasance, and violations of rules, procedures, or laws by employees, foster parents, or Department contractors.
• Recommends changes, including systemic changes, based on investigation results.
• Monitors compliance with recommendations.
• Investigates deaths of children in Illinois if there is an appearance of abuse or neglect when there was an open case or DCFS involvement within the previous six months.