DCFS and potential 'heater cases'

Child deaths that have the potential to bring bad press are referred to by state workers as "heater cases."

"The label 'heater' implied that the child's death would have been insignificant if it weren't for the possible negative press,'" Inspector General Denise Kane wrote in her 2006 annual report.

Kane's Office of the Inspector General investigates child death cases handled by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and is similar to a police department's internal affairs division.

Kane said she learned about heater cases after a DCFS worker warned supervisors about potential media fallout in a staff report on a child's death.

"The death of any child, especially through violence, negligence or accident, is a tragedy," she said.