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Why does the Office of the Inspector General fully investigate some child deaths and not others?
When it comes to the investigative arm of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, it's not the severity of the crime but whether caseworker error or neglect are suspected.
Records showed that 780 children involved with the DCFS died between July 1998 and January 2005. Of these, the inspector general carried out full investigations in 77 cases.
The majority of child deaths are the result of medical problems or accidents, not child abuse or neglect.
According to the agency's procedure, a full investigation begins with notification of a death from the State Central Register -- the branch of the DCFS that includes specially trained operators who handle the state child abuse hot line calls. The death notice is then screened by the inspector general's staff to determine whether it meets the criteria for a full probe.
In cases that don't meet the criteria for a full probe, the investigation is limited to a review of DCFS and police records by the inspector general's office. These reviews generate what is called a "child death summary," a report that usually consists of a few paragraphs.
If it is determined that DCFS worker error or faulty procedures were not factors, no further action is taken.
But if the death is singled out for a full investigation, staffers from the inspector general's office are dispatched to seize the records from the local DCFS office involved. This impounding is allowed under state law without a subpoena. DCFS officials do not have access to seized records or other confidential reports produced during an investigation.
The resulting report, which usually takes one to three years to be published, is released in an annual report to the governor and General Assembly. These reports contain no names and give no specific details on when or where these child deaths occurred.
The reports conclude with a section that contains the inspector general's recommendations for discipline and improving procedures, and the DCFS response.
DCFS administrators are not required to accept the suggestions, but in most cases, DCFS officials agreed to adopt these measures.
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