Cook County

For years, foster children in Illinois have had to stay in psychiatric treatment facilities longer than necessary because there are no suitable placements for them.

Illinois' child welfare agency continues to fail to meet the most basic requirements of a court order meant to ensure Spanish-speaking parents understand what they need to do to regain custody of their children, preserve their bond with them and honor the family’s culture.

Racial and ethnic disparities in juvenile detention are not unique to Cook County, but data validate the need for new approaches.

Last week, Chronicle of Social Change reporter Michael Fitzgerald reported on a tragic case out of New York City where a disabled teen was kept in an emergency shelter – with ill-fitting clothes and a broken wheelchair – for more than a year, even though a family friend had stepped up to take care of him.

Last week, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention published some findings about the persistence of mental health problems among juveniles who were detained at Cook County’s detention center (Chicago area).