IL Department of Children and Family Services Investigator Caseloads Too High

A new analysis from the Chicago Tribune finds caseloads for Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigators are too high.  The Tribune reports the biggest trouble spots are in southern Illinois, Cook County, and the counties around Chicago. The newspaper says its analysis found the department is violating a 1991 federal consent decree that sets monthly limits on new cases for investigators.  Investigators should handle about two dozen cases at a time, but the newspaper's survey found they often have 40 or more cases.  DCFS spokesman Kendall Marlowe says it would be a mistake to attribute the recent deaths of two Chicago-area children to worker caseloads. Marlowe says if that were the case, hiring more investigators would solve the problem.  But he says "it won't."