(WTTW News)
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, along with several other state agencies, are holding a job fair Thursday at the UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work.
DCFS is hiring for positions including child protection specialists, child welfare specialists, daycare licensing representatives, office associates, paralegal assistants, reimbursement officers and public service administrators, according to a news release.
All positions require a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
The job fair is set to take place on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work, 1040 W. Harrison St., 4th Floor, Room 4013.
The hiring event comes as Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert recently said in an interview last month on “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices” that DCFS is failing to meet the needs of kids in its care and that the situation is getting worse.
DCFS saw a nearly $75 million increase in its budget in order to hire 192 staff positions, expand training and protection, increase scholarships for youth in care and improve facilities, according to the fiscal year 2024 budget Governor J.B. Pritzker signed in June.
DCFS said in a news release that 3,450 employees work for the department, the highest it’s been in more than 15 years.
Other state agencies expected to be in attendance at the job fair include the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois Department of Corrections and Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.
The job fair coincides with a broader health and social service hiring event sponsored by the UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work’s Committee for Advancing Diversity, Inclusion and Equity and the UIC Urban Health Program.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]
