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April 8, 2022 Human Services

AUGUSTA— Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew issued the following statement on today’s Government Oversight Committee hearing on Maine’s child welfare system:

“The Department of Health and Human Services, the Legislature, the Maine Child Welfare Ombudsman, and advocates across Maine all share the same goal and unwavering commitment – to protect the safety and wellbeing of all Maine children.

“To that end, the Department has welcomed oversight, recommendations, and reviews from national experts, the Child Welfare Ombudsman, multiple legislative committees, and advocacy organizations because we fundamentally believe that we can improve and strengthen the child welfare system by continually evaluating best practices, updating protocols, and seeking feedback.

“But rather than serve as a productive forum to advance concrete ideas or work together in a constructive manner to protect children, some lawmakers used today’s Government Oversight Committee hearing as a forum to make false claims about the Department and to question the motives of our staff. This is detrimental to our shared goal, and it comes at the expense of staff morale and a respectful, substantive discussion and debate that can improve the system and protect children.

“We welcome the feedback of the individuals who contributed to today’s hearing by providing public comment before the Committee. We hear their concerns and we take their suggestions seriously.

“This Department remains steadfast in its commitment to improve our practices and protect children, and we continue to advocate for the budget initiatives proposed by the Governor that will increase staff – particularly for night and weekend shifts – and that will allow us to implement recommended child welfare programs.

“Moving forward, we hope to engage in a respectful, productive discussion that does not question the motives of our employees and that strengthens our child welfare system. The Department remains committed to working collaboratively with the public, the Legislature, and the many partners throughout the state who join us in putting Maine children first and foremost as this critical work continues.”

Earlier this week, Governor Janet Mills signed bipartisan legislation to strengthen the Office of the Child Welfare Ombudsman. The bipartisan, bicameral bill, which was proposed by the Governor, solidifies the Ombudsman’s authority to hire additional staff at their discretion, increases the length of the Ombudsman’s term from one to five years, ensures the Department of Health and Human Services continues its practice of informing the Ombudsman of any statewide policy changes before they take effect, and codifies into law the Department’s existing practice of notifying the Ombudsman of any child fatality with child welfare involvement. The Governor has also proposed measures in her supplemental budget for the Office of the Child Welfare Ombudsman to hire additional staff, provide health coverage for staff, and allow for additional office space.

The legislation complements key budget initiatives from the Governor to bridge gaps in the child welfare workforce, fill key staffing gaps, and implement recent child welfare recommendations from a range of experts. These recommendations align with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ Child & Family Services Strategic Plan to improve policies and practices to ensure child safety.

Since Governor Mills took office, the Mills Administration has focused on supporting child protective staff by increasing their pay, by enhancing training, and by providing funding for more than 70 new staff positions to reduce their caseloads. The DHHS Office of Child and Family Services reestablished a partnership with the USM Cutler School of Public Service to help comprehensively review and update policies, assist with writing new policies, and improve training opportunities for staff. Training includes, but is not limited to, motivational interviewing and advance forensic training to improve caseworkers’ critical analysis skills. OCFS has also established workplace wellness teams, established clinical consultants in all district offices, and provided flexibility and other supports during the pandemic to further support staff.

The Mills Administration has also made systematic improvements to OCFS, including replacing the decades-old Maine Automated Child Welfare Information System with a new system, Katahdin, in January 2022 on time and on budget, streamlining work and saving caseworkers’ time. The Administration also established a Background Check Unit to improve investigations and has made major changes to the intake process, upgrading the child protective hotline system and aligning work schedules with call volume.

The Administration has also increased the number of resource (foster) families caring for Maine children by nearly 30 percent, implementing a Resource Parent Care Team, which provides services and supports to parents, and updating training for new resource parents to better prepare them for the complex work of caring for children in state custody.

The Department of Health and Human Services is also implementing its Federal Family First Prevention Services Act plan following approval in September 2021 from the Federal government. The plan will expand prevention services to help keep children and families healthy and safe and prevent the need for children to come into the care and custody of the State. Maine was the first New England state to gain approval to implement Family First and will receive approximately $2.4 million in additional Federal funding annually.

Recognizing that child safety is impacted significantly by forces outside of the child welfare system, the Mills Administration has also worked to address systemic challenges facing Maine. Upon taking office, Governor Mills prioritized responding to the opioid epidemic, expanding work to prevent drug use and enhance the availability of treatment and recovery resources – important initiatives as the pandemic has worsened the opioid epidemic both in Maine and across the country.

Governor Mills also reestablished the Children’s Cabinet, which has made significant strides in supporting early childhood development as well as successful transition of youth to jobs and education. The Governor has also directed the Department of Health and Human Services to focus on causes of child fatalities. For example, the Department tracked an increase in infant fatalities due to unsafe sleeping habits and launched a public education campaign to help parents and successfully encouraged Maine’s 26 birthing hospitals to become Safe Sleep certified, making Maine the second state in the country to achieve the milestone that protects babies from sleep-related deaths.

As part of a national awareness effort, the Governor has proclaimed (PDF) April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Maine – a time for us all to reflect on what more we can do to support families and protect children. Anyone concerned about child abuse or neglect should call the Department’s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-452-1999. Calls may be made anonymously.