Background of the Office of the Child Advocate

The Office of the Child Advocate represents the commitment of the Governor and the members of the Legislature to improve services provided by state agencies to children and families in Massachusetts. We are an independent office that reports directly to the Governor. A law establishing the responsibilities of the OCA was passed by the legislature in "An Act Protecting Children in the Care of the Commonwealth," Section 46 of Chapter 176 of the Acts of 2008. Governor Patrick signed this law, referred to as "The Child Welfare Law" on July 8, 2008. The section describing the OCA appears in the Massachusetts General Laws as Chapter 18C.