The Illinois Child Welfare Agency accepts an independent consultation at a psychiatric hospital where...
The Illinois Child Welfare Agency accepts an independent consultation at a psychiatric hospital where children report abuse
On Friday, the state child welfare agency accepted an independent review of cases in which children reported abuse at a Chicago psychiatric hospital, although it is unclear whether the agency will accept a full hospital review.
The decision of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services came a day after state legislators and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois demanded the agency allow an external expert to conduct a thorough investigation of Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital on the north side of the city.
That demand continued a report from ProPublica Illinois who found numerous allegations of sexual abuse and assault on children, as well as regulatory violations related to the health and safety of patients.
DCFS investigated 16 allegations of abuse or neglect with children in the hospital since January, according to records obtained by ProPublica Illinois. The agency said it has found sufficient evidence to support four of the allegations and continues to investigate five. The remaining seven were not justified.
State Sen. Julie Morrison, Democrat of Deerfield, sent a letter to DCFS acting director Beverly "B.J." Walker, on Friday, requesting a third-party investigation into Lakeshore and its practices.
That review, he wrote, should include children who reported abuse and neglect in the hospital. Three Chicago lawmakers filed a similar lawsuit Thursday.
DCFS Acting Inspector General Meryl Paniak urged the agency to conduct the review.
"An independent and impartial organization must review not only complaints made by or on behalf of children under DCFS, but all complaints from children informed to DCFS about the facility," wrote Morrison, who chairs the Human Services Committee of the Senate. to walker
"I think we're all tired of seeing these situations repeat themselves and we want a plan that generates significant and lasting changes," he added.
The hospital has said it works to provide a safe and therapeutic environment for its patients and that it will cooperate with any investigation. I was confident that a review would find that it works with the "highest standards".
In an email to Morrison, Walker said the department is working to begin an independent review of "any child involved in allegations of abuse at Lakeshore." That review, he wrote, "will help validate" that DCFS investigations into allegations of abuse and neglect in the hospital "have been comprehensive and have helped uncover any corrective measures the Hospital must take to ensure the health and safety of the patients. children".
The agency, Walker wrote, will continue its daily review of children who receive DCFS care at the hospital to "ensure that we are providing additional clinical care to each child" while state and federal regulators investigate the hospital.
"I assure you that at DCFS we take the safety and well-being of the children of our state seriously," Walker wrote, adding that the problem has its "urgent attention."
Neil Skene, Walker's special assistant, said the department will release more information later on Friday, including details on the scope of the review.
Paniak said that Walker's response was inadequate.
"That's not what I was asking for," he said Friday. "That's not an independent review, I do not know what you're going to accomplish when you review the investigations that were done, that's what you should be doing anyway."
Paniak said he wants to see a complete review of Lakeshore by someone who has experience in psychiatric hospitals and child welfare and who can evaluate systemic problems.
Charles Golbert, acting interim custodian of Cook County, said he also wants to see a broader and more holistic review. He said that research would examine a variety of problems, including the inappropriate use of potent psychotropic medications, lax supervision and repeated hospital failures to make video available on the security camera.
"I want an exhaustive independent investigation," he said, not several agencies "that focus on a narrow part of the problem in a vacuum."
Meanwhile, DCFS has until the end of Friday to respond to the ACLU, which sent DCFS a list of lawsuits on Thursday that included an independent evaluation of the hospital and placed an immediate suspension of new admissions of DCFS children into the hospital. The ACLU said it has not heard from Walker yet.
The ACLU, which oversees DCFS as part of a consent decree by a federal court, said it would go back to court next week if DCFS does not respond satisfactorily.
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