AUGUSTA (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- The head of Maine's Department of Health and Human Services answered questions for the first time since the deaths of two children that received support from the state's child welfare system.
Commissioner Ricker Hamilton testified Tuesday in front of the Government Oversight Committee, the group of legislators charged with reviewing an external review of DHHS.
He said Governor LePage intends to propose a bill that involves a sweeping overhaul of the child welfare system, addressing wait times on the child abuse reporting hotline, as well as caseworker overload.
House Representative Jennifer DeChant (D - Bath) appeared to mock the proposed bill, calling it a "nebulous, incredible bill," saying she was "optimistic."
The investigation comes after 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy, and 4-year-old Kendall Chick, were allegedly killed by their caretakers. Chick's grandfather's partner and Kennedy's parents are both facing prosecution.
The Government Oversight Committee subpoenaed Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Ricker Hamilton to appear before the panel Tuesday, after he did not attend a meeting at the end of June to which the Governor decided Commissioner Hamilton should avoid due to confidentiality concerns regarding the children and the ongoing prosecutions.
Maine is struggling with an uptick in alleged child abuse and neglect. Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability Director Beth Ashcroft says workloads for caseworkers are increasing as call volumes increase and new policy changes require more assessments of some allegations.
The child welfare system takes in thousands of "referrals" a year: calls or reports of child abuse and neglect. Those cases are then analyzed to determine whether state intervention is necessary. The state lists three outcomes: inappropriate for intervention, assign to alternative response, or assign for Child Protective Assessment.
Of the 19,567 referrals in 2017 (the highest inb the past six years since 2014), 7,288 were assigned for child protective assessment.
The Office of Child and Family Services noted an increase in intake reports and assessment activity since December 2017 in accordance with policy changes, including: conducting a child protective assessment upon receiving a third report deemed inappropriate in a six-month timeframe; creating a new report through intake for reports received while cases are open; and assessing cases previously assigned alternative response when that alternative response is unsuccessful.
To handle this increase in reports, OCFS is assigning Permanency and Adoption workers to assist with assessments.
DHHS reported that, on average, Assessment workers carry about six cases per month, and Permanency workers carry about 12 cases per month. Below is the caseload standard:
The OCFS reports that since March 2018, child abuse and neglect reports have gone up, as well as resulting assessments. As of May 30, 2018, DHHS had 326 filled caseworker positions, and 66 filled supervisor positions.
The watchdog agency is investigating Maine's child welfare system following the deaths of 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy in February in Stockton Springs and 4-year-old Kendall Chick in December in Wiscasset.
