A federal judge directed state officials Tuesday to maintain court-ordered child-welfare standards he said would be seriously threatened by the so-called doomsday budget under consideration in Springfield.
A federal judge directed state officials Tuesday to maintain court-ordered child-welfare standards he said would be seriously threatened by the so-called doomsday budget under consideration in Springfield. U.S. District Judge John F. Grady issued an order requiring the Department of Children and Family Services to maintain services such as psychiatric treatment, counseling and day care that could be cut under the budget plan. In Springfield, Gov. Pat Quinn cited Grady’s order in threatening to veto any budget that fails to provide for key government services. How the situation would be resolved remained unclear as the budget year dwindled down to its final hours. DCFS Director Erwin McEwen testified at a hearing before Grady on Monday night that the doomsday budget would cut child-welfare spending by 50 percent. Testifying in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, McEwen sketched a nightmare scenario in which elimination of day care payments would force foster parents to return children to DCFS. Basic standards of child welfare in Illinois are outlined in a longstanding consent decree signed by Grady. Grady cited McEwen’s testimony in his order, saying the service reductions he described would violate the consent decree. ______ Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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