The Department of Children and Family Services has formed a new partnership with NIU called the Integrated Assessment System.

As part of this partnership, NIU-employed psychologists, early childhood experts and social workers will be conducting evaluations of children and families in the northern DCFS region when they first come into the system to plan better for their futures, said Sharon Freagon, a professor in the College of Education and director of NIU’s Center for Child Welfare and Education.

The Integrated Assessment System isn’t the first partnership NIU has formed with DCFS. The Education Access Project has been a partner with NIU for about 10 years.

The EAP was the launching initiative for the College of Education’s Center for Child Welfare and Education.

For this statewide partnership, DCFS came to NIU to ask for assistance because of the educational advocacy reputation of Freagon and the college.

DCFS is a state department designed to protect children who have been abused and neglected, Freagon said. Upon receiving and investigating reports of abuse and neglect, DCFS protects the best interest of the child to ensure his or her safety and well-being.

“DCFS came to NIU for this partnership, as it is using the expertise in other universities in other regions as well to conduct the assessments,” Freagon said. “Part of DCFS’ mission is to provide for the educational well-being of its children in custody. Because DCFS doesn’t have the educational expertise necessary to advocate for its children, it came to NIU for the EAP.”

NIU receives about $3.8 million annually to implement these programs.

“NIU administration is very supportive of these two partnerships because they meet the mission of the university for public service, for research and for outreach,” Freagon said. “This is an excellent learning opportunity for NIU students. Children who are abused and neglected have often been revictimized by other systems once they are taken into care.”

Freagon believes this program not only benefits NIU students but children in the community as well.

“The more students who graduate from NIU understanding these children and their background, the more likely it is they will have more advocates and less incidents of revictimization.”