Illinois DCFS couldn't show it did most of the home safety checks a law requires when sending foster kids home.

A follow-up performance audit by the Illinois Auditor General, released September 2, 2026, found DCFS could not provide 329 of 399 (82%) Home Safety Checklists required by a 2019 state law passed after a toddler died months after being returned home from care — in a sample of 50 cases from 2023-2024. Auditors also found no documentation for 63% of required hearing screenings and 51% of dental exams for children in care, three children who waited 298, 300 and 524 days to start recommended therapy, and a 27% worker vacancy rate in the Permanency Division.