Maine’s child welfare watchdog has once again found deficiencies in how state caseworkers investigate possible abuse or neglect and how they work to reunify parents with children who have been temporarily removed from homes.

“Child welfare staff continue to operate under enormous pressure,” child welfare ombudsman Christine Alberi wrote in her 2024 annual report to lawmakers.

“The systems that surround child welfare are currently unable to support children and families in the way that they should,” she said. “Most urgently, finding a safe place for a child who is unsafe with parents is an unsustainable drain on staff resources.”

Alberi specifically referenced the practice of child welfare staff having to spend days and nights in hotels rooms (or hospital emergency rooms) with children in state custody — the same concern raised by more than 100 caseworkers who last month signed a letter of no confidence in Bobbi Johnson, director of the Office of Child and Family Services.

Despite the concerns cited, Alberi wrote that she has a better working relationship with Johnson compared to her predecessor, and she credited the agency for taking steps to improve a complex system that has been under relentless scrutiny for years.

The latest report comes just days before the 132nd Legislature is set to convene, and already Republican leaders — and some Democrats — are pledging to submit bills aimed at improving the beleaguered system.

Both Gov. Janet Mills and Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Sara Gagne-Holmes have defended Johnson, who took over the top job a year ago after former director Todd Landry resigned.

In an interview Friday, Johnson said nothing in Alberi’s report surprised her. She’s been meeting monthly with the ombudsman.

“We appreciate the critical look she takes at our work,” Johnson said.

Her office also submitted a formal response to the report, which went to lawmakers.

The Child Welfare Services Ombudsman Program acts as a watchdog over the Office of Child and Family Services. It’s an arm of government but operates outside the Department of Health and Human Services. Two years ago, Mills pushed for increased funding for the ombudsman as part of a broader effort to improve child welfare services.

Throughout each year, the office fields complaints about Maine’s child welfare system and determines which complaints merit investigations. The annual report is a summary of those investigations, which means it’s inherently critical by design. It also captures only a fraction of the nearly 10,000 reports the Office of Child and Family Services receives, Johnson pointed out.

Alberi has raised similar concerns about initial investigations of abuse or neglect claims and reunification challenges in past reports.

In this year’s version, Alberi acknowledged “a reset of the relationship between the department and the ombudsman featuring an increase in collaboration and cooperation between our two offices.” Tension between her agency and the Office of Child and Family Services persisted throughout Landry’s tenure. It was often complicated by numerous outside investigations, including by the Legislature’s Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, that were precipitated by a spate of child deaths in the summer of 2021.

SOME EXEMPLARY WORK

Alberi’s report also highlighted eight examples of exemplary and thorough work by caseworkers, something that doesn’t always get much attention.

“The department has been receptive to recommendations from stakeholders and staff and has a clear idea what practice and policy issues need to be addressed,” she wrote. “The work of improvement is difficult and will not happen overnight, but currently appears to be started on the right path.”

Johnson said she, too, is confident the agency is making progress despite challenges, and said she hears often from counterparts in other New England states about the difficulty in making reforms.

Over the last year, the number of children in state custody has increased steadily — to about 2,500 currently — and the amount of time it takes to reunify children with families has gotten longer on average. Some of that extended time is attributable to a shortage of available attorneys to represent parents in custody cases.

The result has been more strain on caseworkers, who long have dealt with high rates of turnover and, until recently, inadequate pay. In addition to the strain caused by lengthy stays in hotel rooms by staff members, Alberi said the office’s new database system, called Katahdin, has put a strain on staff time.

“We are now approaching our third year with Katahdin, and the system continues to be a struggle to use, both for caseworkers entering information, and for department staff and ombudsman staff to review cases,” she wrote.

Johnson said she heard many complaints about the Katahdin system in the first half of last year but they have decreased of late.

“With any new system implementation, there are going to be challenges,” she said.

The 2024 annual report covers cases during the federal fiscal year, from Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024. During that period, 825 complaints were made to the ombudsman office, an increase of 88 from the previous fiscal year. Of those, 80 cases were opened for review and 470 were referred for services elsewhere. The rest were not assigned.

‘SIGNIFICANT ISSUES’

Among the reviewed cases, 44 had what were deemed “significant issues.” That’s in line with previous annual reports by the ombudsman’s office. Most issues involved primarily an investigation of abuse or neglect or involved the process of reunifying a child with family.

Some examples of issues in investigations included: lack of contact with schools when investigating truancy; lack of contact with other adults in the home where suspected abuse took place; failing to interview parents and children separately; and not creating formal safety plans.

Issues cited in reunification cases included: not making regular contact with parents, not considering family history to help analyze patterns of behavior; failing to conduct random drug screening; minimal face-to-face contact with children during safety assessments.

Alberi said a major ongoing problem is the lack of mental and behavioral health resources, especially more intensive resources, for children who have experienced trauma. That’s often outside the scope or control of child protective caseworkers.

“The shortage of children’s behavioral and mental health services, shortage of professional visit supervisors, ongoing issues with Katahdin, and the significant shortage of defense attorneys are having the greatest impact on child welfare staff,” Alberi concluded. “These systems must be strengthened in order for child welfare staff to have the space and time to improve child welfare practice, which in turn is necessary to ensure the safety of children.”

Johnson agreed and said she hopes to continue the work of transforming that office. She does have concerns, though, as the next Legislature approaches that some lawmakers might propose further reforms that would undo or complicate the work already being done.

“My hope is that I can partner with the Legislature,” she said.

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