DCFS

The Illinois agency responsible for investigating child abuse has updated its system for accepting online reports of neglect and abuse. Leaders of the Department of Children and Family Services said the changes include clearer instructions and fewer necessary clicks, aiming to reduce the amount of time required to complete abuse reports. “The earlier suspected abuse or neglect is reported, the…

Two former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services employees who oversaw AJ Freund’s case have been released on bond after they were arrested Thursday, according to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. NBC 5’s Chris Hush reports.

Illinois prosecutors are investigating a former child welfare agency employee who supervised an abuse claim involving a 5-year-old suburban Chicago boy later found beaten to death, documents show. Prosecutors are exploring whether to charge Andrew Polovin with child endangerment related to Andrew “A.J.” Freund, The Northwest Herald reported. McHenry County state’s attorney investigator Robert Diviacchi filed a search warrant affidavit this...

While most stay home to stay safe, doctors are scared for children whose homes are not havens.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has fired a contractor who shackled a child during transport despite a DCFS ban on the practice since late last year.

A state child welfare worker who investigated an abuse claim months before a 5-year-old suburban Chicago boy was found beaten to death has defended his record.

A lawsuit claims the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and Chicago Lakeshore Hospital “turned a blind eye” to sexual and physical abuse inflicted upon children at the psychiatric hospital.

A lawsuit claims the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and Chicago Lakeshore Hospital “turned a blind eye” to sexual and physical abuse inflicted upon children at the psychiatric hospital. NBC 5’s Christian Farr reports.

After four juvenile girls were charged in the beating of a young Chicago girl with special needs, the victim’s father is speaking out for the first time.

The father of the victim in a beating caught on video spoke out for the first time tonight, and NBC 5’s Patrick Fazio was there. 

A foster mom is speaking out after the 20-month-old child she was fostering died just weeks after the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services returned her to her family.

A foster mom is speaking out after her 20-month-old child she was fostering died just weeks after DCFS returned her to her family. Now she says the agency must make changes to avoid more tragedies. NBC 5’s Michelle Relerford has the details.

Governor J.B. Pritzker is promising swift action after receiving a critical new report which portrays the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as an agency beset by red tape, where workers feel pressure to keep families together, lack adequate oversight, and are blocked by internal procedures from sharing critical information about endangered children.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday ordered an independent review of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and nominated a new director after the recent deaths of toddlers who were under the child welfare agency’s care.

A county public guardian in Illinois is suing the state’s Department of Children and Family Services over what it contends is the “immense harm” the agency is doing to mentally ill foster children that are kept in psychiatric hospitals beyond their medical discharge dates.

An Irvine synagogue was defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti overnight Tuesday, just days after the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Employees arriving for work spotted the vandalism about 9 this morning at Beth Jacob Synagogue, 3900 Michelson Drive.

Officials with Illinois’ Department of Children and Family Services testified before a Senate committee Tuesday on reforms being made in wake of the Semaj Crosby investigation, where a young girl was found dead hours after investigators checked on her at a Joliet home.

It’s been almost three months since the body of 17-month-old Semaj Crosby was found inside her Joliet home, and to this date no charges have been filed. On Tuesday, officials from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services answered questions on reforms in the wake of her death. NBC 5 Investigates’ Katie Kim reports.

It has been more than two months since 1-year-old Semaj Crosby was found dead inside her home after a massive search in a Chicago suburb and yet few answers have been released on what happened to the young girl.