AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Maine’s top health and human services official said Tuesday that the state’s struggling child welfare system needs dozens more caseworkers, higher salaries, a new computer system, changes to family reunification policies and penalties for those who fail to report suspected child abuse as required under law.
Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Ricker Hamilton told the Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee that Republican Gov. Paul LePage will propose such ideas in upcoming legislation. The governor, who himself escaped abuse as child, has warned that the long push to keeping families together isn’t always in a child’s best interest.
Maine is struggling with an uptick in reports of alleged child abuse and neglect. Hamilton said workloads for caseworkers have spiked as call volumes increase and the department’s policy changes made this spring require more assessments of some allegations.
“We’ll take a look at what we’re doing and do it better,” said Hamilton, who denied that the system is “broken.” He said the department was aware that they would have to eventually ask for more resources when making policy changes this spring.
“It’s one of the most dangerous, challenging jobs we have in state government,” said Hamilton, who said lawmakers could consider increasing caseworkers’ pay. “It’s tough to go into people’s home where they don’t want you there.”
A legislative 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. The Government Oversight Committee is set to meet again July 26, and LePage’s spokeswoman said he’ll call lawmakers into a separate special session to consider child welfare reforms later this year.
Hamilton faced a bevy of questions from lawmakers about why it’s taken the state so long to address issues within the child welfare system, including concern that the state hasn’t followed up with every report of child neglect and abuse.
“And as a result, these kids continue on in an abusive situation and then we end up with kids being killed,” said Democratic Sen. Bill Diamond.
Maine’s child welfare ombudsman has for years called for improved state assessments of suspected child abuse or neglect. Hamilton, who was appointed last year, acknowledged his agency has looked into getting a new computer system to handle child welfare cases for two years.
Republican Sen. Paul Davis called for the opening of a Department of Health and Human Services office in rural Piscataquis County. Republican Sen. Roger Katz questioned why the state still hasn’t hired new public health nurses under a 2017 law.
Other lawmakers asked Hamilton whether caseloads are too high, whether caseworkers are discouraged from taking overtime and whether the department’s funding should have increased more over the last decade to better attract and retain staffers.
Hamilton said there have been cases of individuals and groups not complying with a legal requirement to report suspected child abuse. The commissioner chafed when Katz said some so-called “mandatory reporters” may feel discouraged when their reports aren’t followed up.
“If you’re telling me you’re not going to call because you didn’t hear back, come on,” Hamilton said.
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