Will County Gazette

State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) recently took to social media to call for an investigation into the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

He posted a link to a WIFR story about protesters who had gathered at the state Capitol to call for state leaders to make changes and hold the DCFS accountable in the wake of the deaths of several children under the agency's watch, and the court holding the agency's director in contempt a dozen times. 

"The health, safety, and well-being of children in state care has to be a top priority," Batinick said in an Aug. 30 Facebook post. "It's time to fully investigate the policies and leadership at DCFS to ensure our state's most vulnerable children are protected."

DCFS is responsible for around 20,000 children and operates with a $1.5 billion annual budget. Last month, state lawmakers grilled DCFS Director Marc Smith, who's been held in contempt 12 times this year amid allegations of insufficient care of children, CBS Chicago reported.

CBS Chicago asked Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) in March how many more times Smith would be issued contempt citations before action was taken. At the time, Smith had been issued eight citations. Pritzker told the news outlet it was "ignoring all the progress that's been made" at the agency and that everyone, including Smith, was frustrated with the challenges the children in state care face.

Pritzker chose Smith to serve as acting director of DCFS in April 2019 and he was confirmed as director by the state Senate in June 2021, according to the agency's website.