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The “Poster Child”
In the early 1990’s, no one would have predicted that the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services would one day be known as a “success story”. In fact, it was a 1993 Chicago Tribune editorial that described the Department as the “poster child of government indifference and incompetence”.
The system was, by all accounts, one of the worst in the country.
§ The number of children in substitute care had doubled in only a few short years.
§ On the average, children came into care more often and stayed longer than any other state.
§ Caseloads were four to six times the recommended national standards.
§ Turnover ranged from 40-80% in both the public and private sector.
§ Staff and private agencies were scapegoated for system failures.
§ Crisis management directed toward organizational survival replaced concern for performance and quality improvement.
All signs pointed toward a continued downward spiral.
Then, in 1994, Jess McDonald was asked to assume management of the struggling system. As Director, McDonald orchestrated an unprecedented turn-around, calling upon all partners of the system to become agents of change.
From the private sector, to the unions, courts, advocates and DCFS staff, commitment to system improvement was expected. And all rose to the challenge. The need for change was embraced and work to reform the system began on many fronts.
What We Learned in Illinois
The child welfare system is the “emergency room” of human services.
Ensure that it has the necessary resources to respond to safety needs of children.
Caseworkers drive the cost of the system.
Support them so they can succeed. No one is more important to a successful child welfare system than a competent, adequately-resourced workforce.
High expectations matter.
Focus on performance and shape ongoing discussions and planning on the need to achieve improved outcomes.
Insist on quality.
Build systems that achieve accreditation. Nothing builds a better infrastructure for success than accreditation.
Partnerships are critical.
Build strong partnerships with the courts, private and public sector, advocates, foster parents, schools and communities. It is hard work. It must be done in the best of times if these partnerships are to be there in the worst of times.
Focus on safety.
The number one responsibility of the child welfare system is to ensure that all children are safe.
Pay attention to financing.
What happens in Washington, D.C. matters to state and local programs. Make it your business to educate political leadership about needs of the system.
Recognize leadership within the private sector.
The private sector has played a significant role in shaping the nation’s child welfare system.
Demand excellence.
Quality work is everyone’s responsibility.
What is most evident from Illinois’ success is the need to leverage multiple strategies simultaneously. Management of the “legacy cases” languishing in care, while also managing the challenges at the front-end of the system, was instrumental.
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