office of child and family services
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PublishedSeptember 1, 2024
Number of Maine children in state custody rises to 20-year high
There are 468 more children in protective custody now than 6 years ago, when state officials faced fresh scrutiny in the wake of 2 high-profile child deaths. What's driving the increase?
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PublishedApril 23, 2024
Proposal for separate child welfare department dies after Maine House fails to take action
The measure passed the Senate in a bipartisan 22-8 vote but was never taken up in the House. 'We could have at least had the conversation,' said the bill's sponsor.
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PublishedDecember 24, 2023
Maine foster families say pressures are overwhelming
Problems in the state's child welfare system are spilling over into the foster care network, leading to a decline in licensed homes and adding more strain to other front-line workers trying to keep Maine children safe.
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PublishedNovember 29, 2023
Errors made in death of 6-week-old boy similar to other cases, advocates say
The Legislature's Government Oversight Committee met Wednesday for the first time since Todd Landry resigned as the director of the embattled Office of Child and Family Services.
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PublishedNovember 27, 2023
Maine’s embattled child welfare director resigns
Todd Landry, whose leadership had been questioned by lawmakers, cited "personal reasons" for his resignation, which is effective immediately.
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PublishedOctober 18, 2023
Frustrated lawmakers grill Maine’s child protection chief
They point to a report showing that the Department of Health and Human Services is getting worse at preventing repeated abuse and neglect of children.
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PublishedOctober 11, 2023
DHHS again facing scrutiny as another child dies despite contact with the agency
The Office of Child and Family Services investigated a report of suspected abuse two months before 3-year-old Makinzlee Hanrahan was allegedly beaten to death.
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PublishedMay 10, 2023
Lawmakers hear proposal to fix Maine’s broken child care system
The bill would tackle the state's child care shortage by increasing monthly stipends for child care workers and relax the income limits for families to apply for a state subsidy.
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PublishedMay 5, 2022
Maine Voices: We need a DHHS that is open to legislators, Maine’s people
Legitimate legislative scrutiny sparked by the state watchdog’s report on the Office of Child and Family Services has resulted in a circling of the wagons.
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PublishedApril 8, 2022
Oversight panel members express frustration over hunt for ambitious child welfare reform
Suggestions ranged from creating a taskforce to review the circumstances of last year's child deaths, to creating a whistleblower program to flush out government shortcomings.
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