* On September 20, Injustice Watch published a story alleging cases of abuse at Aunt Martha’s Integrated Care Center…

Soon after Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker took office in 2019, his administration elevated Aunt Martha’s Integrated Care Center on Chicago’s South Side as a model for how Illinois would serve abused foster children with mental health diagnoses. […]

But in a stunning move this summer, the Pritzker administration abruptly shut down the facility amid well-publicized allegations of sexual assaults by two staffers beginning as early as August 2023. […]

“None of A-Alert’s staff have been cleared through the DCFS background check/clearance process,” wrote Raul Garza, Aunt Martha’s CEO, in a three-page letter to Mueller in March.

Brian Dougherty, DCFS general counsel, fired back his own four-page internal response to Mueller saying Garza was unfairly criticizing the state’s background checks.

“This is not true, but DCFS acknowledges that a misunderstanding likely existed,” Dougherty wrote to Mueller. “The department is now requiring a full CANTS and LEADS check” — a reference to checks of Illinois’ Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System and the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System.

A former Walmart worker, Hopkins was hired as an A-Alert guard despite prior arrests for domestic violence and child endangerment, as well as an order of protection by his wife, court records show.

* Senate Republican Leader John Curran held a press conference today calling for an audit of DCFS to investigate the allegations…

Leader Curran: The governor’s office has refused even comment on the horrific findings of this investigative report, and as a result, we are stepping up and calling for the Auditor General to conduct an audit of DCFS handling of contracts and administration related to Aunt Martha’s in A-Alert Security Services.

This includes abuse background checks, staff hiring back dating of protected plans to determine the extent to which contracts were monitored, whether staff were properly screened and hired, and whether all allegations of abuse and mistreated mistreatment were properly investigated.

We are also asking for an examination of the spending of state funds at Aunt Martha’s in A-Alert Security Services, and whether Illinois State officials acted outside the law regarding the allegations of abuse and oversight.

* Greg Bishop asked Curran why there hasn’t been more local or state criminal investigations into the allegations…

That article was recent. The last two weeks, we are calling for that investigation. This should have already occurred. It appears from the article that the governor, within the governor’s administration, they’re conducting an investigation.

But I think what we want to see is an actual investigation outside of the governor’s administration into this, and that’s why we’re we filed this resolution requesting that the Auditor General take a look at this.

* Pritzker Press Secretary Alex Gough…

The protection of our most vulnerable children is a responsibility that must be taken seriously. So, it’s disappointing that Leader Curran would rather play political games by spreading falsehoods in public than have meaningful conversations with the Director he and his caucus voted to appoint

The administration has made investments in the agency not seen in a generation. After supporting Bruce Rauner’s disastrous cuts and failing to support any of Governor Pritzker’s major investments, Senate Republicans have no legs to stand on and must result to grandstanding.

They know full well that many of the claims in the article that are prompting this action are demonstrably inaccurate and misleading. The insinuation that DCFS improperly or nefariously acted to obscure facts in its administrative paperwork is false. It is up to department grantees to earnestly and diligently oversee their own subcontractors. So, once confidence in the model and operations were lost, the administration took decisive action and terminated the contract with Aunt Martha’s Integrated Care Center.

…Addding… Leader Curran’s response…

“Histrionics aside, will the Governor support an outside independent investigation of these serious allegations?”

…Adding… DCFS response…

The Injustice Watch story misrepresents key facts and makes allegations of misconduct on the part of DCFS staff that are demonstrably false. Many of the accurate facts were communicated on multiple occasions to the reporter, David Jackson, while working on this story and were largely ignored in the published article. DCFS relies upon its grantees to earnestly and diligently oversee its own contractors. In this instance, DCFS carried out its responsibilities related to background checks and oversight of Aunt Martha’s ICC. DCFS made the decision to cease operations with ICC when confidence in the model and the operations was lost.

Key Points - many of these facts were communicated to Jackson on 07/23/24; 09/04/24; 09/10/24; 09/13/24; and 09/16/24, all prior to the article’s publication:

• Upon becoming notified of issues at the ICC via a hotline call in August of 2023, DCFS
responded immediately including the institution of a protective plan and regular check-in
meetings with Aunt Martha’s. Prior to and following August of 2023, DCFS engaged in
regular monitoring of the facility.
• Aunt Martha’s had unilateral authority and responsibility for terminating the contract
with A- Alert – not DCFS. As issues were raised with A-Alert, DCFS worked with Aunt
Martha’s to ensure that all security needs were being properly met.
• Pursuant to its contract with DCFS, Aunt Martha’s staff was required to supervise youth
in care at all times – such supervision could not be satisfied by third-party security
contractors like A-Alert. As the DCFS contract with Aunt Martha’s was structured, A-
Alert security should never have been alone with youth at any point and therefore were
not required to undergo background checks pursuant to regulation.
• The story implies malintent behind a DCFS staff worker’s administrative clean-up of
comprehensive protective plan documentation which is inaccurate and misleading.
• The story portrays all unusual incidents are dangerous; an “unusual incident report”
(UIR) as anything that is outside the treatment plan for the youth (e.g., refusal to take
medication, misuse of social media, allergic reaction, involved in an accident,
etc.). DCFS providers file such UIRs as a means to communicate with DCFS staff and
document what is happening with youth.

Lots more at the link.