The mission of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is to protect children who are reported to be abused or neglected and to increase their families’ capacity to safely care for them; provide for the well-being of children in their care; provide appropriate, permanent families as quickly as possible for those children who cannot safely return home; and to support early intervention and child abuse prevention activities. If an adult has been “indicated” for child abuse or neglect, it means DCFS thinks there is sufficient evidence to show that a child was abused or neglected.
Juvenile court cases are serious matters. Statewide statistics show that many children are ultimately returned home; sometimes, this happens at the beginning of a case, but it can take a year or more depending on an individual’s willingness to jump through many hurdles or effectively prove innocence. In juvenile court cases, the burden is on the State to prove that abuse or neglect occurred (or that the child is dependent in a dependency case). Juvenile court cases can lead to the complete loss of parental rights if:
- There is a finding of abuse or neglect and
- A later finding that the parents are unfit and that it is in the child’s best interest to terminate parental rights.
Parents have a right to a lawyer and should face such a serious proceeding with a lawyer.