Supporting parents to prevent maltreatment is key to decreasing the need for child protective services in Maine.
maine department of health and human services
Posted inLocal & State, News
Child welfare ombudsman’s report lays out familiar problems, challenges facing front-line workers
Most of the findings in Christine Alberi’s report, formally submitted this week, have been the subject of debate among policymakers for months.
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Posted inEditorials, Opinion
Our View: Maine’s child welfare system needs better oversight
Criminal prosecutions of abusive caregivers don’t shed enough light on the agency charged with protecting children.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: We know what works to keep Maine kids safe. Now it’s time to act.
‘Kinship care,’ increasing the availability of treatment foster homes and intervening with high-risk families succeeded before – and can again.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
State outlines steps to improve its child protection system
The Department of Health and Human Services says it is responding to the recommendations of Casey Family Programs, a national nonprofit that reviewed practices after a series of children’s deaths this summer.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Report recommends broad improvements in Maine’s child protection system
But the 29-page report from Casey Family Programs does not detail specific failures related to the deaths of five children in June.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Maine providing $73 million in grants to stabilize state’s ‘crucial’ child care industry
Working families in Maine are struggling to find child care as facilities close or limit enrollment because of staffing shortages worsened by the pandemic.
Posted inMaine Voices, Op-Eds, Opinion
Maine Voices: Two actions could save our children’s lives – now
Starting with kids 2 and under, all DHHS referrals should get an in-home assessment, and all open cases should receive a ‘desktop’ audit.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Federal government approves Maine’s ‘Family First’ child welfare reforms
The state sought approval of its plan at a time when it is implementing numerous child welfare reforms in response to multiple high-profile abuse deaths.
Posted inLocal & State, News
State issues report detailing deaths of 143 children since 2007, and any DHHS involvement in their cases
The information released Wednesday draws no conclusions about the agency’s performance in keeping children safe, and the amount of its involvement has varied widely.