I get it! Maine’s governor really doesn’t want federal money.
His DHHS brought guards and pepper spray to Riverview Psychiatric Center and lost millions of federal dollars. Their public comments suggested they didn’t really understand what happened or why.
Now LePage says Maine shouldn’t abide by federally mandated priorities for keeping families together. So Maine loses many millions of federal dollars. Not a problem! He’ll just reduce education and revenue sharing to make it up, and local taxpayers can just cough it up …. again!
Or maybe someone will do their homework, and discover that the courts can exempt DHHS from the need to reunify in “extenuating circumstances” in which it is clear the family cannot be made safe. Maybe OPEGA can look into it.
Or LePage could see that DHHS has competent administrators that actually have the knowledge needed.
Child welfare work is among the most difficult. We owe a great debt to caseworkers who do their best in a system that does not support them very well.
Dean Crocker
Manchester
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