Calling a lawyer about abuse in foster care can feel like a big step. Many survivors worry it means retelling everything or starting a lawsuit right away. It does not. Nothing is set in motion by asking a question, and every decision stays yours.
You also do not need to have reported the abuse, and nobody needs to have been charged. A civil claim asks what DCFS or a licensed private agency knew, what it should have known, and what it did. Attorney Ervin Nevitt, a partner at Coplan + Crane (Illinois bar registration 6319808, admitted 2014), reviews these cases.
Step one: you speak to a person
Not a form and not an intake script. You do not have to describe what happened in order to have the conversation.
Step two: we look into who had a duty
We look at which institution was responsible, what it knew, what records exist, and whether a claim can still be brought. That work costs you nothing.
In a foster care case, this step starts with the placement. A foster placement is made by an agency that is supposed to have checked it. We look at what the agency knew about the home, what checks it made, and what it did when a concern was raised.
The responsible body may be the State, through DCFS, or a private agency working under contract with DCFS. Identifying which one made and supervised the placement is the first thing to check. Where DCFS placed the child, the claim is brought against the State in the Illinois Court of Claims, under its own filing requirements and damages limits. Where a private licensed agency placed the child, the claim is brought against that agency in the ordinary courts.
These claims are usually brought against DCFS or the private agency rather than only against the individual. Negligent placement is the theory that most often carries them, though several usually run together, depending on your facts.
Step three: you decide
We tell you plainly what is possible. If you decide not to go ahead, that is the end of it, and what you told us stays confidential.
Step four: if you go ahead, we carry it
We handle the filings, deadlines, records, and the institution's insurers. Steps can be taken to protect your identity in the court record, and we explain them before anything is filed.
Common Questions Around the First Call
Do I need to have reported it? No. A civil claim requires no police report, no charge, and no conviction. Most people we speak with never reported.
What if I only remember part of it? That is ordinary. These cases are built from institutional records rather than a complete account.
Will my name be public? Steps can be taken to protect your identity in the court record.
Call (708) 671-6858 for a free, confidential case review or visit https://survivorsofabuseil.com/foster-care-abuse-lawyer-il/.
