Embattled Illinois DCFS Director Marc Smith Steps Down

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Marc Smith, the embattled director of the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services, resigned on Wednesday and will leave the post at the end of the year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced.

Smith, who was appointed as the director of DCFS in 2019, announced to staff members on a conference call that he was stepping down, prior to Pritzker’s official announcement. Smith’s announcement comes more than a week after the department was the target of a scathing report by the Illinois State Auditor’s Office claiming that DCFS had significant delays in reporting the neglect and abuse of children to local prosecutors and school officials.

In a town hall meeting with DCFS employees, Smith called the agency “the premier child welfare agency in the country” and told employees that the department was running and working at the highest level it had in its history.

“Do not let anybody take that away from you because I’m sure as hell not letting them take it away from me,” Smith said on the call, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Smith was charged with contempt of court nearly a dozen times this year, according to media reports on Tuesday after failing to follow court orders to find children appropriate placement in a timely manner.

Smith, 54, was being paid $210,000 per year in his role after receiving a 5 percent raise this year and was called a reflection of “the best in state government”, said Pritzker, who said that Smith and two other department heads who are stepping down “people who have sacrificed to help millions of constituents through their dedication to service.”

Pritzker did not name a successor for Smith.

Prior to his appointment, Smith served as the executive vice president of foster care and intact services at Aunt Martha's Health & Wellness, Illinois' largest provider of services to families in crisis, since 2009, according to a news release announcing Smith’s resignation.

During Smith’s tenure, DCFS created a capital program investing in youth service providers and sought federal opportunities for funding, grew the agency budget to stable levels after years of disinvestment, and increased transparency and accountability to the public,” the news release said.

Earlier this year, the department said that it has made significant changes in the way it investigates child abuse thanks in part to the death of A.J. Freund, the Crystal Lake youngster who died at the hands of his parents four years ago.

Since the death of the 5-year-old boy, DCFS collaborated with the Office of the Inspector General and experts from around the state to create a multi-disciplinary Child Death Review Team, officials announced this year.

However, prosecutors found that two DCFS employees failed to review 19 police reports that were written in connection with A.J.'s case, which led to both workers facing criminal charges.

Despite mounting criticism of the department by state agencies and by Republican lawmakers, Smith said on Wednesday that the department has made “profound progress” since he was appointed by Pritzker.

"When I joined this administration in 2019, my mission was clear. Build a child welfare system in Illinois that keeps kids safe and supports families in crisis,” Smith said in a statement issued on Wednesday. "DCFS continues making a difference where it matters most — by keeping children safe, creating brighter futures for the youth in our care, and giving hope to families in crisis that need support.

He added: “We are on our way to building a child welfare system in Illinois that will once again serve as a national model. The governor and his administration have been incredible partners. Together we confronted the longstanding challenges at DCFS head-on, with both optimism and pragmatism, so we can help families and children thrive. I am profoundly proud to have had the opportunity to lead and work alongside the amazing team of professionals at DCFS that have dedicated their lives to protecting and supporting our most vulnerable children."