Maine has the worst rate of child maltreatment in the nation. We can’t stand for this. Despite historic investment in recent years, key indicators on child welfare aren’t improving. Improvements haven’t come fast enough for the thousands of children without permanent homes, the burnt-out case workers watching children fall asleep in hotel rooms overnight, the foster parents who feel marginalized in decisions around reunifying a child with his or her parents. They haven’t come fast enough for the constituents I hear from each year. And they haven’t improved fast enough for me, a legislator and Senate chair of the Government Oversight Committee (GOC).

From September 2023 to February 2024, along with House Chair Jessica Fay, I facilitated a series of intense GOC work sessions to understand the extent of needed reforms to our child welfare system after the tragic deaths of young children in state custody.

We heard from case workers, Guardians ad Litem, foster families, biological parents, mandated reporters, former agency heads and child welfare advocates. It became clear that workers are overwhelmed, and the general state of staff burnout, turnover and vacancies increase the risks of negative consequences for the safety and well-being of vulnerable Maine children.

It also became apparent that case workers, foster parents and other advocates who raise red flags about their ability to make sound decisions or to connect families with critical services for a variety of reasons were dismissed or, at times, discouraged.

Our legislative report echoes the frustrated experiences of all stakeholders highlighted in reporting on families, like the Unangsts and Watsons and complex cases involving foster care and juvenile justice placements, like Austin’s. While these stories are being heard, there are dozens more in my district not being shared in the news. I know there is a disconnect between our constituent’s experiences accessing services to support children and the assurances from DHHS that reform is underway.

Our work last year resulted in a clear set of recommendations entitled “Frontline Perspectives in Child Protection as Catalysts for Reform” to stabilize the child protection workforce rapidly since nothing else will improve if they aren’t at full capacity. Not only did we invest in programs to improve access to behavioral health providers in rural Maine, but we also increased funding for foster care and adoption assistance programs and passed a law requiring state and military authorities to share information on investigations of child abuse or neglect. This will reduce the likelihood that children living in military installations fall through the cracks of the child welfare system.

We have already shined a light on every aspect of the child welfare system. We have seen the compassion and dedication within child protective staff and wanted to give them a voice in the reform process. We were serious when we promised staff and stakeholders that we would see and hear them.

While I still have faith in the skills and commitment of the staff in general, I want to see Maine’s DHHS show the agility needed in this moment. With the appointment of a new DHHS Commissioner and the impending release of the report from the Blue Ribbon Commission to Study the Organization of and Service Delivery by DHHS we need to see more action. I will support new Commissioner Sara Gagné-Holmes in the mighty task ahead as the department makes the structural changes needed to improve our systems to better protect and serve Maine’s children.

Make no mistake: As a lawmaker serving on the watchdog committee responsible for government oversight, I know we have more work to do. I will continue working hard to ensure we are holding all government agencies accountable to the people we represent.