Advertisement

Report: Mass. Child Welfare Agency Underfunded, Understaffed

06:44
Download Audio
Resume
Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services John Polanowicz, joined by the Child Welfare League of America, to present the final report on the Department of Children and Families. (Asma Khalid/WBUR)
Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services John Polanowicz, joined by the Child Welfare League of America, to present the final report on the Department of Children and Families. (Asma Khalid/WBUR)

The final report on the internal failings of the embattled Massachusetts Department of Children and Families concludes that the agency should not be held responsible for last year's death of 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver.

Released on Wednesday, the report — written by the Child Welfare League of America at Gov. Deval Patrick's request — also identifies continuing problems with the agency, including under-staffing and outdated policies and protocols.

WBUR’s Sacha Pfeiffer gets details on the report and its recommended changes for DCF.

Guest

Asma Khalid, WBUR reporter. She tweets at @asmamk.

More

Boston Globe: DCF Failures Didn't Lead To Jeremiah Oliver’s Death, Report Finds

  • "The report took a global view of the challenges of child welfare, faulting policymakers for failing to pay attention not just to DCF, but to larger issues such as poverty, drug abuse and mental illness that can lead to violence against children."

Executive Office of Health and Human Services: Selected Findings and Recommendations

  • "The CWLA team found that DCF case practice policies and protocols are largely out-of-date. In many instances optional case practice guidelines have been used to guide staff in lieu of policy updates."

This segment aired on May 28, 2014.

Headshot of Sacha Pfeiffer

Sacha Pfeiffer Host, All Things Considered
Sacha Pfeiffer was formerly the host of WBUR's All Things Considered.

More…

Advertisement

More from Radio Boston

Listen Live
Close