a) Investigations by the Office of Inspector General (OIG)

1. 1) The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Children and Family Services investigates allegations of, or incidents of, possible misconduct, misfeasance, malfeasance, or violation of rules, procedures or laws by an employee, foster parent, service provider, or a contractor of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, or employees of the service provider or contractor. Any investigation conducted by the Inspector General shall be independent and separate from an investigation mandated by the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act [325 ILCS 5].
2. 2) The Inspector General investigates deaths or serious injuries in foster homes, child welfare institutions, independent living programs and other facilities licensed by the Department, as well as deaths or serious injury when there was an open child welfare service case or child protection investigation by the Department within the preceding 12 months.
3. 3) The Inspector General investigates complaints relating to child welfare employee licensure pursuant to this Part and 89 Ill. Adm. Code 412 (Licensure of Direct Child Welfare Services Employees and Supervisors).

b) Operation of the Office of Inspector General (OIG)

1. 1) The OIG shall be independent of the operations of the Department and shall report to the Director and perform all other duties the Director may designate.

   1. A) The files of the Inspector General shall remain separate from other files of the Department and shall not be open for review by the Department or the general public.
   2. B) Investigations will be conducted separately from any Department investigations, including Independent Utilization Reviews and reviews or audits conducted pursuant to 89 Ill. Adm. Code 434 (Audits, Reviews and Investigations).
2. 2) The Inspector General shall have access to all information and personnel necessary to perform the duties of the office.
3. 3) The Inspector General shall be the primary liaison between the Department and the Illinois State Police. As such, Department management personnel shall report all known criminal acts impacting on professional duties of employees to the Inspector General, who will coordinate with the Illinois State Police.

4. 4) A full OIG investigation consists of:

   1. A) Retrieval of relevant records, either through subpoena, impounding or voluntary production;
   2. B) Review of all relevant documentation; and
   3. C) Interviews of all relevant persons.