DCFS of Illinois accepts an outpatient clinic in a psychiatric hospital where children have reported abuse
DCFS of Illinois accepts an outpatient clinic in a psychiatric hospital where children have reported abuse
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services on Monday accepted a full, independent evaluation that involved children in their care at a Chicago mental hospital shaken by allegations of abuse and assault.
DCFS and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois have been negotiating since Thursday about the research at Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital and about how the child welfare agency would ensure the safety of their children hospitalized there, especially those who stayed in the hospital despite having been acquitted. for the discharge.
In a written response to the ACLU on Monday, DCFS said it would allow the independent review to "address the safety, care and treatment of DCFS youth" at the hospital. The ACLU said it welcomed the change in direction of the agency.
"We are happy that the department has accepted this, but we must remain vigilant," said ACLU attorney Claire Stewart. "This is a small step in a longer solution, but it is a step."
DCFS agreed on Friday to suspend the delivery of children to the hospital, but said it wished that any review of the facility would be limited to the 16 allegations of abuse or neglect involving children in the hospital that the agency has investigated since January. An investigation by ProPublica Illinois last week revealed those complaints and other problems in the installation.
The ACLU, which oversees DCFS as part of a decree of consent of a federal court decades ago, called the proposal inadequate. The group threatened to take the agency to court this week if it did not respond satisfactorily to a list of seven lawsuits. Those lawsuits included a comprehensive review to determine whether Lakeshore maintains a safe environment and follows protocols for the treatment of children, according to an email that ACLU lawyers sent to DCFS on Sunday.
With DCFS agreeing to a full review, the immediate threat to return to court has been eliminated.
DCFS and the ACLU said they would work together to appoint a reviewer and determine the scope of the investigation. DCFS has asked Casey Family Programs, based in Seattle, to provide a list of potential experts, which it said it expects to receive this week. If the two groups can not agree on both points this month, they said they will send recommendations to a judge.
Stewart said the review process should be quick, adding that it was a pity that he took on the threat of a lawsuit for the DCSD to accept what could have been resolved last week.
DCFS Acting Inspector General Meryl Paniak initially requested an independent review of Lakeshore, and several state lawmakers last week echoed his request.
Lakeshore officials have said that an independent review would find that they "operate to the highest standards." They said the reviewer should be "familiar with the unique situation in which Chicago Lakeshore Hospital operates, including an intimate understanding of trauma, DCFS and acute care."
The ACLU on Monday also reiterated its demand that DCFS prioritize and commit to do everything possible to move children who were hospitalized at Lakeshore beyond their release dates to a more appropriate setting.
DCFS has sent 241 children to Lakeshore since January, authorities said. Until Sunday, 18 of those children remained in the hospital, including two beyond their discharge dates.
The agency said it will continue with its daily visits to the hospital to monitor the children in its care, provide detailed reports on those children to a court-appointed expert and continue working to find locations for DCFS children who are still in the hospital. hospital.
Charles Golbert, the acting public tutor of Cook County, voiced his concerns Monday in a four-page presentation to US District Judge Jorge Alonso. Any criticism, he wrote, "should be the totality Innumerable problems identified in Lakeshore, including the misuse of psychotropic medications, the risks of suicide and security cameras in the corridors that do not always work.
Federal and state regulators are investigating the hospital for infractions related to patient monitoring and medication consent. The hospital has until the end of November to correct deficiencies or face a loss of federal funds, which hospital officials said would force them to close the facilities. The hospital has submitted an "acceptable" correction plan, but has yet to receive an unexpected visit from regulators, a federal spokeswoman confirmed on Monday.
"It is alarming that DCFS has waited so long to resolve the serious problems at Chicago Lakeshore Hospital," Golbert wrote. "But it's not surprising."
Each year, about 1,200 children in DCFS care require psychiatric hospitalization, and Lakeshore accepts about a quarter of them, wrote Golbert. Since his office represents the majority of DCFS children who require treatment in psychiatric hospitals, he said that DCFS should also consult his office, as he selects a reviewer.
But that is only a short-term solution, said Golbert. DCFS must address its chronic shortage of placements and services that have led hundreds of children to remain hospitalized beyond what is considered medically necessary. ProPublica Illinois revealed this problem for the first time in June.
State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, a Democrat from Chicago, joined lawmakers last week to ask DCFS to appoint an independent reviewer at Lakeshore, and said Monday she will look more broadly at the issue of children receiving DCFS care in hospitals. psychiatric
"These children are not disposable," said Feigenholtz. "They stay in these hospitals and they deteriorate."
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