DCFS reports faster hotline response, backlog reductions and two legislative priorities

Secretary Harris of the Department of Children and Family Services told the House Select Committee that DCFS has made measurable operational improvements since becoming a standalone child‑centered agency on Oct. 1, 2025.

"The average wait times have decreased by 91% from almost 19 minutes to a little over 1 minute," Harris said, and the department reported that abandonment rates dropped from 12.3% to 5% after call‑center improvements and training. Harris also said average investigatory response times fell from 8.5 hours to 3.5 hours and that the investigation backlog declined by about 40% (from 3,652 to 2,218 cases).

Operational changes: DCFS said it implemented a second shift, reorganized staff to reduce caseloads (cases per worker fell from ~30 to 18), deployed mobile investigative tools, and will roll out a unified child‑welfare system to replace multiple fragmented platforms.

Prevention and placement: The department announced a plan to place a DCFS employee at Woman’s Hospital to coordinate care and supports at discharge for newborns and their mothers, citing better outcomes when families are connected to services immediately.

Legislation preview: DCFS said it will sponsor two bills. House Bill 943 would allow DCFS to intercept certain lawsuit settlement payments to satisfy child‑support arrearages; HB 575 would give youth aging out of foster care priority access to state surplus vehicles to help with transportation and stability.

Committee response: Members praised the operational gains and asked for materials on program parameters; DCFS said the youth bill of rights and other materials would be posted and that staff would provide additional details.