Rep. Tom Weber | repweber.com
Rep. Tom Weber | repweber.com
Rep. Tom Weber (R-Lake Villa) says he looks forward to solving cases of child abuse in Illinois, and that the Illinois government has not always risen to the challenge of adequately protecting the children in its care.
“The protection of the children of this state is one of the foremost responsibilities of their parents, and when that fails, our government,” Rep. Weber said. “Unfortunately, Illinois government has not always risen to meet that challenge in the way that we must. I look forward to working with other members of this task force to determine how the state can help these organizations help us in responding to child abuse and neglect cases.”
Tom Weber announced that he has been appointed to serve on the Task Force on Children Advocacy Centers (CAC) and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children Funding, which was created this spring as a result of Senate Joint Resolution 47, according to a release. The task force is charged with ensuring that child advocacy groups are receiving adequate funding to handle child abuse and neglect cases.
Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC) is part of a network that coordinates with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), law enforcement, and other organizations to investigate and prosecute child abuse and provide mental health services to victims. CASA is a nationwide organization that works with DCFS attorneys and caseworkers to train and supervise volunteers who advocate for abused or neglected children in court. Weber will be the sole House Republican on the 16-person task force, which will issue its first report by the end of this year.
As of June 2021, there were 22,357 children in Illinois in the care of DCFS, according to data from CASA. 122 Illinois children died of abuse or neglect in 2021, despite contact with DCFS.
DCFS Director Marc Smith has been issued 12 contempt citations in 2022, CBS News reported. Most of the contempt citations are related to DCFS' failure to properly place children in its care, sometimes for months.
Alerts Sign-up