Outgoing Child Welfare Director 'Proud Of The Profound Progress' At Troubled Agency

By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square

ILLINOIS — Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith is set to resign at the end of the year. Legislators say this is after years of mismanagement.

Smith has been in the position since 2019 and has been held in contempt of court several times for issues regarding the late placement of children. Smith announced his resignation on Wednesday after a recent Auditor General report showed continued issues, including a failure to notify sexual abuse to the appropriate authorities in a timely manner.

In early January, a 248-page report released by the Illinois Inspector General shows that in 2022, nearly 50 more children died under supervision of DCFS than in 2021.

Smith released a statement Wednesday through Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office, saying he is proud of the work he has done.

"The governor and his administration have been incredible partners. Together, we confronted the longstanding challenges at DCFS head-on, with both optimism and pragmatism, so we can help families and children thrive," Smith said. "I am profoundly proud to have had the opportunity to lead and work alongside the amazing team of professionals at DCFS that have dedicated their lives to protecting and supporting our most vulnerable children."

State Rep. Charles Meier, R-Okawville, said the move is a long time coming.

"This is long overdue. This administration has repeatedly turned its back on fixing its problems," Meier told The Center Square. "It tries to sugarcoat them. Look how many times the auditor general has come in with reports against DCFS."

Meier said the next hire will be important to the direction of the agency.

"Find the right person to run these different agencies and run them, and the people underneath, if they are not working, then fire them," Meier said. "In the past, they move people around. They do not fire them."

Pritzker's office on Wednesday also announced shakeups in the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Illinois Department on Aging and Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

The focus of the work of The Center Square Illinois is state- and local-level government and economic reporting that approaches stories with a taxpayer sensibility. For more stories from The Center Square, visit TheCenterSquare.com.