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‘A monumentally huge and cruel problem’: Number of children in DCFS care who remain in psychiatric hospitals after being cleared for release continues to grow

Chicago Tribune
Sep 12, 2020

The number of children in Illinois Department of Children and Family Services’ care who have remained in psychiatric hospitals after being medically cleared for release continues to grow, even as Gov. J.B. Pritzker has vowed to address the many problems facing the long-troubled agency, according to a new report from the Cook County public guardian.

During the state budget year that ended June 30, 314 children -- one as young as 3 years old -- remained in a mental health facility “beyond medical necessity,” according to the report. The public guardian filed a federal class-action lawsuit against DCFS over the issue in December 2018, and the case is ongoing.

The agency has struggled for years to find placements for children in less restrictive settings after they no longer require intensive inpatient psychiatric care, but the problem mushroomed in recent years after the agency discontinued contracts for 500 residential beds, Public Guardian Charles Golbert said.

The 314 children staying longer than necessary in psychiatric hospitals last year was up from 75 in the state’s 2014 budget year, a more than fourfold increase. And those children are being held longer after their release dates: an average of 50 days last year, compared with 28 days in 2014.

DCFS has promised to address the issue but has not, Golbert said.

“They have to build the placements,” he said. “This boils down to they don’t have the placements they need for their kids. This is not rocket science.”

The 314 children cited in the report represent a small portion of the more than 18,000 kids who were in the agency’s care as of July 31.

However, “in the scheme of things, I don’t consider this a smaller issue at all,” Golbert said. He called it “a monumentally huge and cruel problem.”

The coronavirus pandemic has created an even more urgent need to find placements because being in a hospital setting puts the children at a greater risk, he said.

“As of yet, I’ve not learned of COVID-19 outbreaks affecting DCFS kids at these hospitals,” Golbert said. “But I think that’s fortuitous.”

Despite the immense pressure COVID-19 has placed on the state’s finances, the budget Pritzker signed in June increased funding for DCFS by nearly $152 million. Some of that funding is targeted toward increasing residential and foster care capacity.

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DCFS spokesman Bill McCaffrey pointed much of the blame for the problem at previous administrations, citing a reduction in available residential beds and 2,300 fewer foster homes since 2015.

“This administration is reversing course and thanks to the governor and bipartisan members of the General Assembly, the department is working to establish a system of care to rebuild the network of living environments for young people ready to leave psychiatric hospitals,” McCaffrey said in a statement.

There are currently 34 children waiting for placement despite having passed their medical release dates, McCaffrey said, and the agency has placed 61 others since July.

“These longstanding challenges will not be overcome overnight, but we will continue to rebuild and expand this network to ensure our first priority, which is serving every child in this state who needs our help," he said.

The lack of adequate residential and foster care placements is a contributing factor in many of the major problems facing DCFS, Golbert said. He acknowledged that increasing the placements available for children who are ready to be released from psychiatric care would be somewhat costly upfront.

But Illinois taxpayers would save money in the long run because hospital stays are the most expensive kind of care and the federal government does not reimburse the state for any time kids remain in care after it’s no longer recommended by doctors, he said.

dpetrella@chicagotribune.com

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