East Central Reporter

Illinois DCFS director, Marc Smith, has announced his resignation following criticism of the agency's failures. In a scathing audit of DCFS, it was revealed that the Governor took days to respond and instead chose to shift blame onto others for the agency's shortcomings. Smith, in his resignation statement, highlighted the need for transparency and accountability from both the agency and the Pritzker administration to address the systemic issues at DCFS. He emphasized that the top priority should always be the well-being of the children in the state's care, with no room for excuses.

Smith's resignation comes as a blow to the agency, which has been under scrutiny for its handling of child welfare cases. The audit shed light on the Governor's delayed response and his inclination to deflect responsibility rather than taking immediate action to address the issues within the agency.

"The Governor owns the failures of this agency," said Smith. "It took him days to respond to a scathing audit of DCFS, and when he finally spoke up, his first instinct was to blame others for failures of an agency he controls. We cannot solve the systemic issues at DCFS without transparency and accountability from both the agency and the Pritzker administration. Children in the state's care need to be the top priority, no excuses."

Smith's resignation serves as a wake-up call for the Pritzker administration to prioritize the well-being and safety of children in the state's care. It is clear that a culture of transparency and accountability must be established within DCFS to address the systemic issues that have been exposed.