ILCS » Chapter 325 · Act 5
Illinois Compiled Statutes

325 ILCS 5/7.3 (2026)

(a) The Department shall be the sole agency responsible for receiving and investigating reports of child abuse or neglect made under this Act, including reports of adult resident abuse or neglect as defined in this Act, except where investigations by other agencies may be required with respect to reports alleging the abuse or neglect of a child by a person who is not the child's parent, a member of the child's immediate family, a person responsible for the child's welfare, an individual residing in the same home as the child, or a paramour of the child's parent, the death of a child, serious injury to a child or sexual abuse to a child made pursuant to Sections 4

✓ current as of May 2026
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(325 ILCS 5/7.3) (from Ch. 23, par. 2057.3)
    Sec. 7.3. (a) The Department shall be the sole agency responsible for receiving and investigating reports of child abuse or neglect made under this Act, including reports of adult resident abuse or neglect as defined in this Act, except where investigations by other agencies may be required with respect to reports alleging the abuse or neglect of a child by a person who is not the child's parent, a member of the child's immediate family, a person responsible for the child's welfare, an individual residing in the same home as the child, or a paramour of the child's parent, the death of a child, serious injury to a child or sexual abuse to a child made pursuant to Sections 4.1 or 7 of this Act, and except that the Department may delegate the performance of the investigation to the Illinois State Police, a law enforcement agency and to those private social service agencies which have been designated for this purpose by the Department prior to July 1, 1980.
    (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Department shall adopt rules expressly allowing law enforcement personnel to investigate reports of suspected child abuse or neglect concurrently with the Department, without regard to whether the Department determines a report to be "indicated" or "unfounded" or deems a report to be "undetermined".
    (c) By June 1, 2016, the Department shall adopt rules that address and set forth criteria and standards relevant to investigations of reports of abuse or neglect committed by any agency, as defined in Section 3 of this Act, or person working for an agency responsible for the welfare of a child or adult resident.
(Source: P.A. 101-583, eff. 1-1-20; 102-538, eff. 8-20-21.)

    
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 13 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1996–2026 · leading case: People v. T.T., 892 N.E.2d 1163 (Ill. App. Ct. 2008).
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People v. T.T., 892 N.E.2d 1163 (Ill. App. Ct. 2008). · cites it 2× “325 ILCS 5/7.3 (West 2000); 89 Ill. Adm. Code §300.”
People v. T.T., 815 N.E.2d 789 (Ill. App. Ct. 2004). “325 ILCS 5/7.3 (West 2000); 89 Ill. Adm. Code § 300.”
Doe v. Dimovski, 783 N.E.2d 193 (Ill. App. Ct. 2003). “325 ILCS 5/7.3 (West 2000). Thus, once school personnel suspect or should suspect that a child may be sexually abused, they are divested of any discretion to determine what constitutes “reasonable cause to believe” or whether such abuse actually occurred.”
Cavarretta v. Dep't of Child. & Fam. Servs., 660 N.E.2d 250 (Ill. App. Ct. 1996). “(325 ILCS 5/7.3, 7.7 (West 1994).) After DCFS receives a report of suspected child abuse or neglect, DCFS forwards the report to the State register.”
Lipscomb v. Sisters of St. Francis Health Servs., Inc., 799 N.E.2d 293 (Ill. App. Ct. 2003). “See 325 ILCS 5/7.3 (West 2000). The conduct here is not similar to the reporting activities conducted by the defendants in Pryweller.”
Julie Q. v. Dep't of Fam. Servs., 963 N.E.2d 401 (Ill. App. Ct. 2011). “Under clearly defined allegations, a family is less likely to suffer disruption because a DCFS caseworker subjectively determined that the family's minor children were placed in an "environment injurious.”
In Re Tt, 892 N.E.2d 1163 (Ill. App. Ct. 2008). “325 ILCS 5/7.3 (West 2000); 89 Ill. Adm.Code § 300.”
In Re Tt, 815 N.E.2d 789 (Ill. App. Ct. 2004). “325 ILCS 5/7.3 (West 2000); 89 Ill. Adm.Code § 300.”
Small v. Bd. of Educ. of Streator Twp. High Sch. Dist. No. 40, 2022 IL App (3d) 210113 (Ill. App. Ct. 2022). · cites it 2× “3d at 297 (citing 325 ILCS 5/7.3 (West 2000)); In re J.C., 2012 IL App (4th) 110861, ¶ 22 ; Julie Q.”
Paulinski v. Link, 2026 IL App (1st) 250326 (Ill. App. Ct. 2026). “) 325 ILCS 5/7.3(a) (West 2024). To fulfill its responsibility, DCFS “shall be capable of receiving reports of suspected child abuse or neglect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
People v. Acosta, 2026 IL App (2d) 240364 (Ill. App. Ct. 2026). “” 325 ILCS 5/7.3(a) (West 2018). ¶ 84 The Act requires DCFS to establish Child Protective Service Units (CPS Units) by geographic region, which are required to be adequately staffed and “organized in such a way as to maximize the continuity of responsibility, care and service of…”
Doe v. Dimovski (Ill. App. Ct. 2003). “325 ILCS 5/7.3 (West 2000). Thus, once school personnel suspect or should suspect that a child may be sexually abused, they are divested of any discretion to determine what constitutes "reasonable cause to believe" or whether such abuse actually occurred.”
Show all 13 citing cases →
— 325 ILCS 5/7.3(a) — 3 cases
Small v. Bd. of Educ. of Streator Twp. High Sch. Dist. No. 40, 2022 IL App (3d) 210113 (Ill. App. Ct. 2022). “3d at 297 (citing 325 ILCS 5/7.3 (West 2000)); In re J.C., 2012 IL App (4th) 110861, ¶ 22 ; Julie Q.”
Paulinski v. Link, 2026 IL App (1st) 250326 (Ill. App. Ct. 2026). “) 325 ILCS 5/7.3(a) (West 2024). To fulfill its responsibility, DCFS “shall be capable of receiving reports of suspected child abuse or neglect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
People v. Acosta, 2026 IL App (2d) 240364 (Ill. App. Ct. 2026). “” 325 ILCS 5/7.3(a) (West 2018). ¶ 84 The Act requires DCFS to establish Child Protective Service Units (CPS Units) by geographic region, which are required to be adequately staffed and “organized in such a way as to maximize the continuity of responsibility, care and service of…”
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