Paxton among 30 DCFS offices set to close
PAXTON – The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is closing 30 of its offices across the state, including one in Paxton, as a cost-cutting measure that DCFS officials stressed would have no impact on the services the department provides.
But officials in Paxton, who work closely with local DCFS caseworkers, are decrying the plan, saying it will be a hardship on the families the office serves.
"It would be sad if it happens, but given the state of the economy and the cuts the state is having to make, I feared it would," Ford County State's Attorney Matt Fitton said.
DCFS expects to save $3.7 million through closing the offices and consolidating them with others, agency spokesman Kendall Marlowe said Friday. The plan is part of the $4.4 million in administrative cost reductions that were called for in the department's fiscal year 2010 budget, Marlowe said.
The consolidations will not result in any layoffs of the employees at the offices affected, Marlowe stressed. Also, even though the caseworkers will relocate to other offices, they will continue to serve their respective communities and be visible there, he said.
"There will be no reductions in services or reductions in staff associated with these office consolidations," Marlowe said. "We understand the concerns of citizens who appreciate having a DCFS office nearby," he added, "but it's important to know that DCFS services are generally provided in the field – in the home and in the community – not in the administrative offices.
"DCFS staff have access to mobile telephones and mobile wireless laptop computers, and so their work is therefore much more mobile than it's ever been in the past. ... While office space and other administrative supports are obviously important, this is ultimately a people business, and we are committed to continuing to serve the people of Paxton."
The Paxton office is slated to close in February, Marlowe said, and its three caseworkers will be moving to the office in Urbana. The DCFS will save about $21,000 annually through the consolidation of the Paxton office, he said, through not having to pay the rent and other costs such as utilities and telephone services.
Gov. Pat Quinn has already approved the consolidation of the office in Paxton, along with 17 others, including those in Monticello, Sullivan, Pontiac, Watseka, Macomb and Paris. Some of those 18 offices, but not the ones listed above, have already been consolidated. Twelve more have been proposed for consolidation, but have not been finalized, Marlowe said.
Marlowe said most of the 18 offices that have been approved for closure would likely be consolidated this winter.
"In general, it's in the realm of December, January, February for most of these," Marlowe said.
The DCFS will continue to maintain 68 offices in Illinois after the consolidations, Marlowe noted.
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