Illinois Families Now and Forever

              ILLINOIS
2003 • Volume 3 Summer • Edition
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services©
Head of governor’s DCFS Task Force takes top job
New DCFS Director Bryan Samuels to tackle problems of older and troubled youth
In February, Bryan Samuels answered the
governor’s call to lead a DCFS task force. The
mission was to review the department and make
recommendations to address any problems he
and his team of experts found. When the review
was completed sixty days later, Governor
Blagojevich had a recommendation that Samuels
did not expect. Samuels was moving from the
consultant’s chair to the director’s office. He was
the governor’s pick to run DCFS and ultimately
responsible for fixing the problems detailed in the
60-page task force report.
Director Samuel’s made his first order of business
to take care of the children listed as missing or
runaways. “As the ultimate ‘parent’, we have to
know where our kids are and provide them
services,” he said.
This is no easy task, especially dealing with youth
who may decide to remove themselves from the
system’s reach. However, Director Samuels
started by first identifying children who are
missing (413 children as reported on May 13).
Next, the task force assigned to tackle the
problem researched each case to ensure records
were in order and missing persons reports were
filed. From there, caseworkers will take to the
phones and the streets to do all they can to get
children back in a setting where they can be
helped. Since the increased efforts, 191 children
have been returned to care. Additionally, in June,
a new toll-free 24/7 hotline (866-503-0184) went
live to receive phone calls about missing wards.
Beyond the immediate urgency of missing
children, Director Samuels set two additional
priorities. As the
population of
children under
DCFS care shifts to
older youth with
more complicated
emotional/mental
health problems, he
plans to shift
resources to better
meet the need. He
also will work with
the network of
private agencies and
make adjustments
in how they deliver
services.
He seems to have broken out of the gate running
hard. He has been working nights and weekends
to make the tough decisions to form an effective
management team, while still carrying on with the
day-to-day business. The new management
team was unveiled on July 9. Details are available
on the DCFS website at www.state.il.us/dcfs. “At
the end of the day, I want to bring decision-making
at DCFS into the light of day. Our
decisions have to be rational and above board,” he
said.
It seems this open, rational approach will extend
to the foster and adoptive families as well.
Director Samuels stated a willingness to listen to
the formal foster parent and adoptive advisory
boards and the youth advisory councils. He also
wants to communicate more with caregivers.
New DCFS Director
Bryan Samuels
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