Offices and Services

Office for Child Abuse Investigations and Review

Who We Are

The Office for Child Abuse Investigations and Review (CAIR) works to provide a compassionate and thorough process to receive and investigate reports of abuse against personnel of the Archdiocese of Chicago. CAIR and the Independent Review Board were instated in 1992 by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin. Though the office title has changed through the years—initially titled the Office of Professional Fitness Review, and later named the Office of Professional Responsibility—the mission remains the same.

You have the right to report your story, and we are here to help, listen and connect you to the right services. To ensure the best resources and investigation practices are engaged, we encourage all allegations concerning the abuse and/or neglect of minors are reported to the DCFS Hotline (1.800.25.ABUSE) and/or the local police department first before reaching out to the Office of the Protection of Children and Youth (OPCY). If you need to report historical abuse, please contact Nelly Bonilla at 312.534.5205.

CAIR is one of four offices that make up the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for the Protection of Children and Youth (OPCY). Each office works together to ensure cases are handled properly and by the most appropriate public authority, office and/or entity. CAIR is available to all individuals who choose to report their abuse as children or who have the knowledge of the abuse of children in the Church.

What We Do

  • Receive, review and investigate allegations of the sexual abuse of minors by clerics, lay employees and volunteers of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
  • In cases where the reported abuse took place outside of the Archdiocese of Chicago and/or by personnel not of the Archdiocese of Chicago, CAIR staff connects individuals reporting abuse with the appropriate public authority and/or entity.
  • Guide and advise on reporting non-sexual abuse and/or neglect to the appropriate public authority and/or entity. 
  • The CAIR staff and fellow members of the OPCY observe mandated reporting requirements in the state of Illinois. Per archdiocesan policy, CAIR staff cooperates with public authorities investigating matters of the abuse of minors.

Contact Us

Nelly Bonilla, LPC, CPAIP, CDVP
Director of Child Abuse Investigations and Review
312.534.5205
[email protected]