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* Lots of good stuff at DCFS lately…
Child protection investigators in Illinois can now get hands-on training in the state’s capitol.
George Sheldon, director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, helped dedicate the training center Monday at the University of Illinois Springfield.
The small blue house on the University of Illinois Springfield campus is no ordinary home. It’s a training center for state child protection investigators. The training center also has a mock courtroom where case workers experience the legal process. […]
“Training needs to be more than just a textbook,” [Sheldon] said.”That’s what this house does and that’s what the simulation in the courtroom does.”
* More on the training center…
The courtroom utilizes a judge — usually retired Sangamon County judge John Mehlick — real prosecutors and defense attorneys and witnesses (a volunteer actor and actress from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine) to train investigator-witnesses.
Retired Sangamon County assistant state’s attorney Sheryl Essenburg, who specialized in crimes against children when she was a prosecutor, designed the courtroom experience and works with the program.
“Those who have gone through it say it’s the most real experience they’ve had,” Sheldon said.
Mehlick said he likes being able to tell the trainees what they could do to improve their testimony — something he couldn’t do when he was presiding over a real case.
* Let’s move along to another topic…
The state is unveiling new opportunities for kids coming out of foster care. DCFS is starting a career readiness program.
Illinois Building Futures is expanding work and career training opportunities. The expansion is evident in places like Champaign, Peoria, Rockford and others.
Young adults in the program will have access to training and employment services through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
* More…
Gov. Rauner unveiled a test program Wednesday designed to provide mentoring, training and jobs for young adults aging out of the state’s foster care system.
The Illinois Department of Commerce will identify businesses willing to hire and help former wards of the state. Rauner said the idea is to ensure children who didn’t grow up with encouraging parents or educational opportunities still have the chance to enter the workforce and support themselves.
“We can’t let these young people fall through the cracks,” Rauner said during a news conference at his Capitol office. “Too often (these children) end up being homeless, they have to resort to crime to feed themselves, and it’s a tragedy of terrible proportion.
“You got to have the experience, you got to have the opportunity to go work, and know what that really means, and what’s involved and the discipline that requires,” Rauner added. “You can’t be thrown out at 21. I don’t think you’ll be able to take care of yourself.”
* And make sure to watch Part 1 and Part 2 of WGN TV’s “New hope for fixing Illinois’ broken child welfare system.”
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, May 6, 16 @ 10:25 am
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Those are definitely positive developments in reforming the DCFS system. Well done by the administration and the agency.
The UIS training center is also an excellent development.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, May 6, 16 @ 10:33 am
I’ve heard that DCFS improvement is one of Rauner’s quiet success stories. That kind of competence is what people who elected Rauner were looking for.
Too bad we aren’t seeing more of it across the board.
Comment by RNUG Friday, May 6, 16 @ 10:37 am
How can they do this without appropriations??? Is the Governor paying for this himself?
Comment by Say It Ain't So!!! Friday, May 6, 16 @ 10:37 am
And isn’t Dir. Sheldon the agency head who went to Washington and found substantial federal funds for older youth that previous DCFS administrations (Democratic appointees for over a decade) had, er,not noticed or fogotten about. Millions annually, I believe. But who’s counting when state tax money is pouring in and legislators and bureaucrats are on spending sprees. If the money from the taxpayer ATM is inexhaustible, why bother doing the work.
Anyway, we need more of this kind of behavior among Dir. Sheldon’s fellow state agency chiefs and their staffs.
Comment by Cassandra Friday, May 6, 16 @ 10:39 am
Good thing DCFS remains under a federal consent decree. Can’t just walk away from it and pretend that you’re powerless to do anything about it. The judge will use that gavel like a hammer.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, May 6, 16 @ 10:39 am
Yep that’s good stuff. I am pretty jealous. Our training(s) are nightmares. We used to call one of our trainings “Reading Rainbow” because the teacher would literally read the training manual and not teach us anything on the actual system. We are using 30 year old legacy software systems. It’s actually PRE-WINDOWS! We CODE our changes and when we process cases. It’s what “starving the beast” does to a social service. We do what we can as fast as we can. But we are losing caseworkers fast. Two more will be gone this month. You thought I was lying about the workforce collapsing. Nope. I hear about people in other agencies leaving all the time. You have to understand that a lot of families have multiple state workers in them, especially the older workers.
Comment by Honeybear Friday, May 6, 16 @ 10:48 am
++ And make sure to watch Part 1 and Part 2 of WGN TV’s “New hope for fixing Illinois’ broken child welfare system.”++
Rich, is there anyway to get WGN to allow ‘New Hope’ Parts 1 & 2 to air downstate?
Comment by Mama Friday, May 6, 16 @ 10:51 am
Hang in there Honeybear. The public does not understand how bad things are for the state workers. Keep informing them of what the real world looks like inside the state agencies.
Comment by Mama Friday, May 6, 16 @ 10:56 am
++The state is unveiling new opportunities for kids coming out of foster care. DCFS is starting a career readiness program.++
When will these programs be up and running statewide?
Comment by Mama Friday, May 6, 16 @ 10:56 am
Capitol? I believe you mean “capital” young Sarah.
-takes puff on pipe, replaces leather bound grammar tome on shelf-
Comment by LizPhairTax Friday, May 6, 16 @ 10:58 am
As a retired DCFS Employee this is indeed good news. DCFS employees and private agency staff are dedicated to the children and families of Illinois. The most recent problems in this agency have been related to the turnover at the director level. Congratulations to Director Sheldon for his leadership.
Comment by Johnnie C Friday, May 6, 16 @ 11:02 am
What percentage of the services Rauner cut for DCFS youth 18-21 does Illinois Building Futures replace?
Comment by crazybleedingheart Friday, May 6, 16 @ 11:24 am
In Central Illinois, DCFS is down 36 investigators, with instead of 15 investigations per worker, its over 45 and getting higher. I think DCFS leadership is trying, but they have a long way to go. In addition, with the lack of funding and cuts to statewide Youth service programs like CCBYS more youth are being pushed into the Child Welfare system needlessly.
Comment by independent Friday, May 6, 16 @ 11:48 am
As someone who has directed more than a few wags of the finger at the Governor, I am happy to give him a tip of the cap. I hope to be able to do so again soon.
Comment by SAP Friday, May 6, 16 @ 12:10 pm
== I hear about people in other agencies leaving all the time.==
Yeah, we lost 67 agency wide last year, and there are 4 going for sure this year from my region alone. I don’t know what we’ll do when our 1 wastewater guy for 14 counties decides to get out. He can go any time.
But I do find it amazing when people call and there is nobody here for them to talk to because they are out in the field, they no longer take it out on me. Most immediately complain and blame Rauner now.
Comment by HangingOn Friday, May 6, 16 @ 1:17 pm
Yes, please, more.
Comment by burbanite Friday, May 6, 16 @ 3:57 pm