The situation is hardly unique. A state report released in May found that nearly half of all first-time callers between 2015 and 2017 had to leave messages and wait several days for a callback — even in cases that were deemed emergencies by department standards. Such delays matter because DCFS will not begin investigating a case until a hotline worker talks with the caller during a process known as intake and determines whether further action is warranted. Messages are taken when call volume is high and there are no workers available to complete the intake.