The Maine Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday advanced a proposal to create an independent agency to oversee child services.

If approved by the full Legislature, the Office of the Child Advocate would advise the state government on child welfare complaints, strengthen watchdog services and make recommendations to help improve the child protective system.

The new agency would replace the child welfare ombudsman program that is currently part of the state’s Office of Child and Family Services.

Maine’s child welfare system has been under a critical spotlight for years, with high-profile cases of abuse and neglect, caseworkers with high caseloads, high turnover among staff and long time frames for children to reunify with families.

The committee has been considering the proposal, LD 1893, since last spring, when the bill was introduced by Rep. Lori Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach. After a public hearing last year, the committee tabled the proposal and the bill was carried over to this session.

The committee voted Tuesday, with no debate, to recommend the bill’s passage. It now goes to the full Legislature for consideration.

If the legislation passes, the child advocate would have the authority to review and investigate complaints related to children under age 18, including those in custody at Long Creek Youth Development Center, the state’s only youth prison. The advocate would also be able to do systemwide reviews of services and programs and make recommendations as needed.

The bill creates an advisory committee that would recommend a candidate for the advocate position to the governor. The governor’s nominee would be confirmed by the Senate by July 2027.

Christine Alberi, the current child welfare ombudsman, told the committee during the public hearing in May 2025 that she supports the proposal, which she said would preserve the duties of her office while adding more oversight functions.

Alberi said the proposal could be “pivotal in addressing Maine’s struggles with older youth.”

Gramlich, who modeled the proposed agency after New Hampshire’s Office of the Child Advocate, said in her testimony that children receiving services from state systems have “lacked a truly independent, empowered voice to ensure their rights are upheld and that their needs are met.”

“By granting the child advocate the authority to receive complaints, access information, conduct investigations and make public recommendations, this legislation creates a transparent and accountable mechanism to evaluate and improve how our state serves children,” she said.