- New child welfare chief aims to prioritize input from caseworkers, front-line workers (Portland Press Herald, 1/27/2023)
- The new director of the Office of Child and Family Services, Bobbi Johnson, outlined her priorities to the Government Oversight Committee, focusing on engaging with caseworkers and stakeholders to address concerns within the child protective system. Johnson plans to visit district offices to gather feedback and aims to learn from individuals with firsthand experience, including foster parents and service providers. The oversight committee is in the process of preparing policy recommendations to improve child protection for the legislature’s consideration.
- Frustrated lawmakers grill Maine’s child protection chief (Portland Press Herald, 10/18/2023)
- Lawmakers in Maine expressed frustration during a Government Oversight Committee meeting over the state agency’s failure to prevent high-profile deaths of children previously known to child protective services. The Office of Family and Child Services director, Todd Landry, faced criticism for his leadership amid reports revealing an increase in Maine’s rate of repeated child maltreatment from 15.4% in 2018 to 19.6% in 2021, double the national average. Lawmakers are considering more frequent meetings and employing broader powers, including subpoenas, to investigate the child welfare system and address its shortcomings, citing a lack of progress and inadequate training and staffing as key issues.
- Four takeaways from a probe into residential care facilities (The Maine Monitor, 11/26/2023)
- The Maine Monitor and ProPublica’s investigation into Maine’s Level IV residential care facilities reveals concerning oversight responses by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). From 2020 to 2022, DHHS cited these facilities for 59 resident rights violations, including cases of abuse and neglect, and approximately 650 additional violations. Despite having the authority to impose fines or issue conditional licenses, the state only fined a facility once, issued four conditional licenses, and, in nearly 85% of reported abuse and neglect incidents, took “no action,” raising questions about the effectiveness of the oversight system.
- State agency, legislative committee clash in supreme court hearing over records (Portland Press Herald, 12/6/2023)
- Lawyers representing Maine’s Government Oversight Committee and the Department of Health and Human Services clashed in the Maine Supreme Judicial Court over access to confidential case records involving children who died after contact with the state office. The committee sued the Mills administration for being denied access, citing the Legislature’s authority to subpoena confidential records without explicit exemptions. The state argued that there is an established framework for reviewing the child deaths, limiting information release to the committee’s investigative staff.
- Oversight panel suggests more than two dozen reforms for Maine child welfare system (Maine Morning Star, 5/10/2024)
- The Government Oversight Committee in Maine recommended over two dozen reforms for the state’s child welfare system, aiming to address issues like work conditions and child safety. The bipartisan recommendations seek to enhance resources, mental health support, and legal access within the system. Despite ongoing challenges, efforts are being made to implement these changes and improve the current state of child welfare in Maine.
