Gov. J.B. Pritzker joined child welfare and university leaders Thursday to announce Southern Illinois University and will be the university partner for the Department of Children and Family Services’ third simulation training center statewide.

After years of budget and staff problems, the Pritzker administration boasts that it has begun to rebuild DCFS, with an emphasis on enhanced training and education for caseworkers on the ground. Over the past year, all caseworkers have been retrained – over 3,000 in total – and additional trainings are required for both DCFS staff and private agency partners each year.

Pritzker secured a 7.9 percent increase in funding for the agency for FY 2020 and proposed a $147 million increase in FY 2021.