Nov. 14 – Maine child welfare officials did not meet all requirements in 94% of abuse or neglect investigations between October 2021 and September 2022, according to a federal inspector general audit released this week.
The most common errors were failure to complete safety assessments within 72 hours, failure to complete investigations within 35 days and failure to notify parents or guardians of a finding within 10 days.
Although the audit adds to a series of critical reports on the Office of Child and Family Services, two full years have already passed since the end of the audit period. Many of the problems raised have therefore been resolved or are in the process of being addressed.
Bobbi Johnson, the agency’s director, acknowledged the challenge of keeping morale high at an agency that has perhaps come under more scrutiny than any other in state government.
“This morning I met with staff in Rockland and we talked about this,” she said in an interview Wednesday. “It is our responsibility to learn from these audits and assessments, to learn from all the feedback we get from different stakeholders on how we can improve our systems in ways that result in really successful outcomes for children.”
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General launched the audit to help determine states’ compliance with the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), which provides funding.
Maine was chosen as the first state to be audited in part because of a report from Maine’s Child Welfare Ombudsman that found a deviation from best practices. But Tammy Levesque, assistant regional inspector, said the federal agency also found that Maine ranks high in risk assessment categories, including poverty, the rate of repeat abuse and the rate of infant deaths.
“We wanted to review the process when someone calls to report child abuse or neglect to make sure it is working as intended,” she said. “The bottom line is: We did this work because this population is very vulnerable.”
Whenever a report of child abuse or neglect is made, it is assigned to an Office of Child and Family Services staff member to determine whether the claim needs to be substantiated. If so, a full investigation begins.
The audit reviewed more than 10,000 reports between October 2021 and September 2022 and then selected a random sample of 100 reports to review more closely.
Although Maine is required by law to implement a program that includes procedures for prompt screening, risk and safety assessment, and investigation of reports, the office met all requirements in only six of those 100 cases.
“Failure to comply with the requirements endangers the health and safety of children,” the audit said.
The most common error – in 92 out of 100 cases – was failing to send written notice to a parent or caregiver within ten days of an investigation.
Perhaps the audit’s most consequential finding was that in 59 of 100 reports, regulators did not complete a safety review within 72 hours of the initial context with a decision maker. These assessments are used to determine whether a child can safely remain in a home.
“Having the right documentation is just as important as making sure the steps of the process are completed,” Levesque said. “That helps supervisors make timely and informed decisions about the safety of children.”
Johnson said some of these shortcomings were due to staff learning a new data entry system.
Another concern was that 44 out of 100 cases involved investigations that were not completed within the 35 days set by law.
Johnson said this also came up during an internal department investigation and led the agency to extend the timeline from 35 to 45 days to reflect the complexity of child welfare investigations.
Levesque said Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services cooperated during the audit.
“They were very helpful and agreed with all the recommendations,” she said.
The audit shows that Maine will prepare a progress report within six months.
“We hope Maine continues to improve by taking action on our report and implementing our recommendations. And we hope that other states will take notice and take proactive steps,” Levesque said.
Recommendations include providing additional training for decision makers and supervisors on reporting requirements and developing written policies that require supervisors to review and approve documentation and monitor decision maker reports more closely.
Johnson said she is confident all of these recommendations will be followed.
PROBLEMS ARE NOT NEW
Maine’s child welfare system has long been a concern for policymakers, but current challenges can be traced back to late 2017 and early 2018.
The deaths of 4-year-old Kendall Chick in Wiscasset and 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy in Stockton Springs prompted lawmakers and then-Gov. Paul LePage to implement reforms aimed at improving child safety.
Chick had been removed from her mother’s care and placed with her paternal grandfather and his partner, Shawna Gatto. But care workers failed to supervise the girl’s care, and she later died from abuse at the hands of Gatto, who is now serving 50 years in prison.
In Kennedy’s case, child protection officials had been to her home six times in the four months before her death to investigate claims of abuse. Two days before her death, a worker said she noticed bruises, but believed the girl’s parents when they said it was self-inflicted.
These two cases revealed conflicting challenges for the Office of Child and Family Services: They did not have enough staff to handle the volume of reports of neglect and abuse, but they also struggled with inconsistent expectations about when to remove children.
Starting in 2018, the office received more resources: new positions for caseworkers and a pay increase for those already employed. Just as the agency began implementing more reforms, including better training, a new wave of child deaths in 2021 — four in the space of a month — led to further internal and external investigations, some of which lasted into this year.
In addition, the number of Maine children in state custody to protect them from suspected abuse or neglect has risen to its highest level in 20 years, increasing the pressure on child care providers and caregivers responsible for keeping children safe. taking care of children at risk. .
But Johnson believes her agency is making improvements under difficult circumstances, many of which are beyond her employees’ control.
“One of my responsibilities is to share positive work and we work with many more families where we have a positive impact than negative outcomes,” she said.
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