On september 26th 2023 DCFS removed children from a home in Du Quoin, Perry County. The family offered safe, willing relatives for kinship placement, but DCFS has moved to place the children with unrelated foster families and is pursuing termination of parental rights. The parents and relatives report they were not given timely access to counsel and that kinship placement options were not meaningfully considered. Community members are also concerned about the pace and handling of hearings in the Perry County juvenile court (presided over by Judge Campanella).

We ask for immediate, specific action to protect family unity and ensure a fair, transparent process:

Our requests
1. Immediately suspend (stay) any termination-of-parental-rights proceedings and related deadlines in this case until an independent review is completed (recommend within 30–90 days).  
2. Immediately place the children with the qualified relatives identified by the family (kinship placement) pending review and further court proceedings, unless clear, documented, verifiable evidence shows immediate danger.  
3. Require DCFS to provide the family with all removal paperwork, case numbers, and written documentation of the legal basis for removal within 48 hours.  
4. Ensure parents and proposed kinship caregivers have immediate access to legal counsel and that the court ensures meaningful notice and opportunity to be heard at every hearing.  
5. Commission an independent, transparent review of this case and other recent Perry County cases to determine whether DCFS policies and juvenile-court procedures were properly followed, and publish recommendations for corrective action.  
6. Request administrative review of courtroom procedures in this case, including any practices that may have limited the family’s ability to present their case, by the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts or other appropriate oversight body.

Why this matters
Removing children from family members and moving toward termination without fully exploring kinship placement causes deep, long-term trauma. Children benefit most from stable placements with relatives when safety allows. We are asking public officials to act now to protect children’s well-being and ensure a fair process.

How signatures will be used
Signatures and a summary of community concerns (with any submitted documents redacted to protect minors) will be delivered to:
- Director, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services  
- Office of the Governor of Illinois  
- Perry County Board / County Chair  
- Perry County State’s Attorney  
- Illinois General Assembly member representing Perry County  
- Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (for judicial oversight requests)

Privacy & safety — please read before signing or sharing
- Do NOT post children’s full names, school names, medical records, or other identifying details of minors online. Use “the children of Heather Dale” or initials if you must identify them.  
- Avoid posting unverified allegations about specific DCFS staff or court personnel; this petition requests investigation and transparency rather than accusations.  
- If you share documents publicly, redact minors’ names and identifying information.  
- Encourage the family to obtain legal counsel immediately; if they cannot afford one, request a court-appointed attorney and contact Illinois legal aid resources.

One-line ask (for the petition “ask” field)
Suspend termination proceedings, place the children with qualified relatives pending review, and commission an independent investigation of DCFS and court handling of this case.

PETITION FOR REFORM OF ILLINOIS CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES
To the Honorable Members of the Illinois General Assembly
Date: December 4, 2025
Presented by: The Undersigned Citizens of the State of Illinois

Introduction
We, the undersigned citizens of Illinois, respectfully petition the General Assembly to enact comprehensive reforms to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and the statutory framework governing child protective interventions. Our objective is to ensure children are protected while preserving family integrity, guaranteeing due process, and providing timely, effective supports that prevent unnecessary removals.

Concise statement of need
Independent audits and litigation have documented systemic failures within DCFS: inconsistent investigations, inadequate consideration of exculpatory evidence, coerced “safety plans,” and insufficient access to services required for reunification. These deficiencies too often result in unnecessary family separations, long-term trauma for children, and avoidable harm to parents’ liberty and livelihoods.

Key legislative reforms requested
1. Clarify statutory standards (Amend ANCRA, 325 ILCS 5/)
- Narrow and clarify definitions of “neglect” and “injurious environment” to distinguish willful parental misconduct from conditions attributable to poverty, disability, or cultural practice, and to prioritize remedial supports over punitive responses.
- Require documented consideration of both inculpatory and exculpatory evidence and raise the evidentiary standard for findings that lead to placement on the State Central Register to a more rigorous threshold appropriate to the consequences (e.g., preponderance of the evidence).

2. Strengthen due process and procedural protections
- Require written advisals of parental rights at the outset of any investigation and prior to proposing any safety plan, including notice of the right to counsel and the right to seek judicial review.
- Prohibit removal of a child from the home without prior judicial authorization except where there is an objectively demonstrable and imminent risk of physical harm that makes securing a court order impracticable.
- Ensure parents’ access to records, meaningful notice of hearings, and the right to be present and heard at adjudicatory and dispositional proceedings absent a specific, documented judicial finding narrowly tailored to immediate safety concerns.

3. Guarantee early, effective legal representation
- Provide qualified, state-funded legal counsel to parents at the earliest practicable stage of an investigation or before any placement decision that could lead to separation or an indicated finding.

4. Mandate and fund robust family support services
- Require DCFS to fund and deliver timely access to services identified in service plans (mental health treatment, substance use programs, parenting supports, housing assistance, transportation).
- Reallocate and increase DCFS funding for prevention and front-end services designed to stabilize families and reduce avoidable removals, and for intensive reunification services to facilitate safe, prompt reunification when removals occur.

Rationale and expected outcomes
These reforms will reduce needless trauma to children, protect parental liberty interests recognized by Illinois and federal law, and make DCFS interventions more accurate, equitable, and effective. Clarified standards and enhanced process will limit investigator discretion that can be influenced by poverty or bias. Early counsel and funded supports will improve family stabilization and reduce the fiscal and social costs of unnecessary foster care placements.

Conclusion and call to action
We urge the Illinois General Assembly to adopt these reforms promptly to restore fairness, transparency, and accountability to the child welfare system. Doing so will better protect children, honor parental rights, and ensure scarce state resources are used to support families rather than needlessly separate them. We respectfully request hearings and prompt legislative action on these proposals.

Signatures:
(For collection and submission to the Illinois General Assembly)