Kendall County Times

Illinois State Representative Jed Davis has called for an investigation into the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) following revelations from internal documents regarding the use of uncertified interns in child abuse investigations. Davis asserts that DCFS allowed individuals without proper certification to conduct investigations, a practice he says violates Illinois law.

“Without question, I’m correct on the following undeniable truths,” said Davis. “The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) owes Illinois families an apology for misrepresenting the truth regarding the DCFS intern debate. Official DCFS documents prove a Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL) does not satisfy the certification required under Illinois law, 225 ILCS 420 (Public Act 85-206), as argued by DCFS. DCFS broke the law: Uncertified interns are investigating Illinois families, resulting in children being removed from homes.”

Davis recently raised concerns about uncertified interns conducting child abuse investigations. He noted that while a CWEL is necessary to provide child welfare services, it is not equivalent to the certification required by state law for those who investigate families or handle specialty services.

He referenced two official DCFS documents to support his claims. The first is a 2017 report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which found that an adoption specialist was handling cases with only a CWEL but had not completed required certification. The OIG recommended, “All adoption staff are required to take this training and become certified.” DCFS agreed with this recommendation.

“The bottom line is simple: A license is not the same as certification. A CWEL allows someone to provide child welfare services, but certification under Illinois law (225 ILCS 420) allows someone to investigate Illinois families and/or handle other specialty services. Certification requires educational credentials, professional experience, and specialty training. Interns, by definition, lack the professional experience and therefore cannot be certified, meaning interns cannot lawfully act as child protective investigators,” said Davis.

A second document cited by Davis is a 2017 intern training protocol from DCFS stating that supervisors determine if an intern will be recommended for promotion to certified Child Protection Specialist after completing training and gaining necessary experience.

Davis questioned why DCFS would refer to “promotion to a certified” status if holding a CWEL were sufficient for compliance with state requirements. He added that although DCFS claimed this protocol was outdated and had been redesigned, he has yet to receive updated documentation despite requesting it over a week ago.

“These documents expose the magnitude of the systemic problem at DCFS and dismantle the narrative DCFS has been pushing,” Davis said.

He supports a full investigation into what he describes as misconduct within DCFS regarding its handling of intern qualifications and their involvement in sensitive investigations.

“If DCFS suddenly decided to implement unlawful policies, the people of Illinois deserve to know why, when, and how DCFS was able to implement those policies,” said Davis. “My colleagues and I need to understand how and where this breakdown occurred so we can create appropriate legislative responses.”

Davis emphasized that these findings come directly from official agency records rather than third-party opinions.

“A CWEL license does not equal 85-206 certification. DCFS has allowed individuals without certification — including interns — to investigate child abuse cases,” he stated.

He concluded by calling for immediate action on pending cases investigated by interns and urged leadership changes if credibility cannot be restored: “The debate is over. DCFS leadership has broken the public trust and betrayed Illinois families,” said Davis. “When the very documents DCFS wrote prove they’ve misled the public and violated the law, they forfeit the moral authority to continue leading this department.”

Davis was elected as a Republican representative for Illinois’ 75th House District in 2023, succeeding David Welter https://ballotpedia.org/Jed_Davis_(Illinois).

For more information or access to full documentation referenced by Rep. Davis, contact his office directly.