Our Mission
The OCA is an independent executive branch state agency with oversight and ombudsperson responsibilities, established by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2008. The OCA’s mission is to ensure that children receive appropriate, timely, and quality state services, with a particular focus on ensuring that the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable and at-risk children can have the opportunity to thrive. Through collaboration with public and private stakeholders, the OCA identifies gaps in state services and recommends improvements in policy, practice, regulation, and/or law. The OCA also serves as a resource for families who are receiving, or are eligible to receive, services from the Commonwealth.
The OCA executes its mission by:
- Overseeing and monitoring the services delivered by child-serving state agencies;
- Improving the collection, use, and transparency of state agency data;
- Identifying gaps in and concerns with how state agencies and systems serve at-risk children, and recommending and advocating for solutions, including changes to improve coordination across agencies;
- Advising on and leading efforts for systemic change in policies, programs, and practices affecting vulnerable and at-risk children;
- Partnering with state agencies to improve service quality through the development and launch of innovation and incubation projects;
- Offering training and technical assistance to child-serving agencies to support policies, programs, and a workforce that are trauma-responsive.
- Serving as an ombudsperson, including providing information and referral support, for families who are receiving, or are eligible to receive, services from the Commonwealth; and
- Promoting child and family well-being.