DCFS assessment program awaits budget outcome

Coordinators of a child abuse assessment program that incorporates SIUC students is fighting to keep its name off a list of potential social service cuts.

The Integrated Assessment Program employs social workers to investigate reports of child abuse in 84 central and southern Illinois counties while providing SIUC students the chance to witness how professionals do their job.

Mizan Miah, the program’s director, said the program’s social workers are the first to assess children allegedly abused and must report to the Department of Child and Family Services whether a child should stay within the department’s care. That decision must be made within 45 days after the incident was reported, he said.

During fiscal year 2009 — July 1, 2008, through June 30 — the department received 102,674 reports of child abuse, according to DCFS statistics. Of those, 23,899 children were identified as victims of child abuse.

Miah said the program is one of four of its kind in Illinois. The other three service providers are based in northern Illinois, which means eliminating the program would cripple child abuse assessment outside of Chicago, he said.

“As for downstate, we are the ones,” Miah said.

Miah said the program operates on grants distributed through DCFS worth nearly $5.6 million. Those grants would be eliminated if state lawmakers cannot agree on a revenue source to continue offering social service programs.

Limiting the number of child abuse assessment programs would make meeting the 45-day deadline nearly impossible and lead to a loss in federal dollars, Miah said.

The Legislature has batted around different money raising ideas to avoid the 50 percent income tax increase proposed by Gov. Pat Quinn. Those negotiations have extended passed the start of the new fiscal year.

Miah said the program’s coordinators have done extensive lobbying. Some of their representatives were in the crowd of 5,000 demonstrators that filled the Capitol rotunda on June 23 calling on legislators to approve the income tax increase.

Dean Kenneth Teitelbaum of the College of Education and Human Services said losing the program would be a great loss for the students who benefit from watching the professionals in their future job field. Though there’s little the college could do to help, he said.

“We don’t have the money, that’s for sure.” Teitelbaum said.