(The Center Square) – Gov. Janet Mills filed a bipartisan proposal to overhaul the state's child welfare laws in response to a spike in abuse and neglect related deaths.
The legislation seeks to beef up the operations of the state Office of the Child Welfare Ombudsman, which reviews child abuse and neglect cases, by
- Authorizing the hiring of more staff.
- Increasing the length of the Ombudsman’s term from one to five years.
- Requiring the state to notify the office of fatalities involving child welfare recipients.
Mills said the proposal will help "address the underlying issues that often contribute to child abuse and neglect, like substance use disorder and poverty, and to improve Maine’s child welfare system overall."
"Every child in Maine deserves to grow up in a safe and stable environment that provides them with every opportunity for success," she said in a statement.
State Rep. Michele Meyer, D-Eliot, a cosponsor of the bill, will help protect children by enhancing the state's oversight of child abuse and neglect cases.
"We have an obligation to create a pathway for ensuring our children are protected and able to thrive," she said. "Strengthening the Ombudsman's office is a critical part of achieving that goal: building capacity to review more individual cases and identify better ways to ensure child safety and advocate for evidence-based best practices."
Release of the plan follows a new state report revealing that there were 25 deaths of children attributed to abuse or neglect in 2021 – the highest number in the 14 years since the agency began tracking child fatalities. The surge in child fatalities prompted the Mills administration to call for a review of child welfare laws.
An independent report by Casey Family Services, a national child welfare research organization, identified a number of deficiencies with the state's child protective care system, ranging from staffing shortages to a lack of communication between investigating agencies.
The probe looked at several high profile child deaths last year, including the fatal beating of a 3-year-old Stockton Springs boy whose mother was charged with his death.
The group recommended improved communication between law enforcement, hospitals and child welfare agencies to investigate allegations of suspected child abuse or neglect, and enlisting more child welfare workers to reduce overall caseloads, among other changes. It also called for more engagement between parents and the welfare system.
There have been at least 143 child deaths in Maine since 2007, according to a report released in September by the state Department of Health and Human Services.
At least 30 of the deaths were determined by the state's medical examiner to be homicides while 26 were deemed "accidental" and another 18 attributed to sudden unexplained infant death. The remaining child deaths were a result of co-sleeping, when a sleeping adult accidentally smothers an infant, according to the agency.
At least 30 of the deaths were determined by the state's medical examiner to be homicides while 26 were deemed "accidental" and another 18 attributed to sudden unexplained infant death. The remaining child deaths were a result of co-sleeping, when a sleeping adult accidentally smothers an infant, according to the agency.
