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Governor’s office says Senate Republicans are “spreading falsehoods” with their calls for DCFS audit (Updated)

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* 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.

posted by Isabel Miller
Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 11:24 am

Comments

What’s JB afraid of? if there are sufficient remedies taking place fine - but why not let the Auditor General take a look at DCFS? Absent the Auditor General we would never know the the level of negligence in terms of past and continuing fraudulent claims paid by another of JB depts the IDES

Comment by Donnie Elgin Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 11:40 am
===why not let the Auditor General take a look at DCFS? ===

That’s a legislative decision.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 11:43 am
Of course somebody needs to get to the bottom of this. But what this story really tells me is how desperate the GA Republicans are for an issue. Any issue. And if they can follow the national line of framing the dems as the pedophile party, so much the better.

Comment by Excessively Rabid Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 11:58 am
How long is the statute of limitations on the Administration using former Governor Rauner in their talking points to avoid taking responsibility of their own? Asking for a friend.

Comment by ModerateGOP Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 12:14 pm
There’s a reason Curran wants an Auditor General investigation but gave a non-answer answer to the criminal investigation question. One could be used to bludgeon a political opponent, and one can’t. Furthermore, considering the amount of times police were at the facility already, it would be a damning indictment of Curran’s ideological allies in law enforcement and their failures to take their duties seriously. Not protecting children in danger is routinely one of Big Policing’s failures.

Comment by Google Is Your Friend Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 12:14 pm
All of a sudden, Senate Republicans care about poor kids in the city? Amazing.

Comment by low level Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 12:31 pm
GOPies ask for audit? Curious, quaint.
How about calling state police? Executive Inspector General?
In his prime David Jackson has done good work.

Comment by Annonin' Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 12:37 pm
=How long is the statute of limitations on the Administration using former Governor Rauner in their talking points to avoid taking responsibility of their own?=

When we pay off/fix all of the damage he did as governor he can be off the hook.

Comment by JS Mill Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 12:57 pm
This would be the logical outcome for a governor whose primary concern is his personal political victories.

Comment by SWSider Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 1:20 pm
Every time our greatest governor ever gets squared up for not living up to his hype, you can count on three things:

A noun, a verb, and Bruce Rauner.

Comment by JB13 Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 1:25 pm
The Crime
Are we saying that the actual sexual assaults have not been investigated by a police agency and prosecutors office?
If that’s true, that would be shocking and needs to be fixed asap.

The Process
Good government, setting aside extreme ideologies, has to be constantly honed to keep these vulnerable kids safe.
That is a moral imperative believed by all.
There should be a proper airing of the mistakes made.
As the leader of the state, Pritzker should be at the front of these corrections, not running from them.

It reminds me of the internal machinations of a church administration that isn’t handling sexual predators correctly.
For decades.

Comment by 40,001 ft Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 1:33 pm
I am not sure what the definition of “subcontractor” is over at DCFS, but David Jackson reported that Marc Smith signed a no-bid contract with A-Alert.

That $7 million contract between A-Alert and DCFS is listed on the Comptroller website, Contract #44100177579.

Mueller would be wise to purge everyone brought in by Marc Smith from the leadership of that organization.

Between Jackson, Sun-Times, and Chicago Tribune, someone will find out whose political connection got A-Alert their contract. The feds are about to be involved, those were federal dollars DCFS paid that contract with. Was Sol Flores consulted?

Creating fake documents is not just a fireable offense, that supervisor needs a criminal lawyer.

Comment by James McIntyre’s Ghost Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 1:41 pm
ModGOP, you’re missing the point. The GOP didn’t make a peep when Rauner was eviscerating DCFS and the entire social services sector of Illinois. Their outrage today is transparent political theater.

Comment by Carpe GM Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 1:53 pm
== This would be the logical outcome for a governor whose primary concern is his personal political victories.==

You really don’t like the guy, do you?

Comment by low level Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 2:15 pm