Press Release  Massachusetts Child Advocate Releases Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Report

BOSTON, MA — The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) released its Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Report today. This year’s Annual Report includes data related to the OCA’s core mandated functions over the past two fiscal years, including reviews of Critical Incident Reports and reports of child abuse and neglect in institutional settings, and the operation of a Complaint Line to respond immediately to concerns about the delivery of state services to children.

Overall, the OCA was contacted through its Complaint Line on 519 individual cases in FY22, a 21% increase from FY21 to FY22. The OCA also received 300 supported reports of abuse and neglect involving 588 children in out-of-home settings, the highest volume of reports since FY19. The number of Critical Incident Reports (CIRs) received by the OCA was down slightly from FY21 (320 down from 347), although that is still a substantial increase since FY19 (196).

“Children and families are struggling,” said Maria Mossaides, Director of the Office of the Child Advocate. “Increasingly, the OCA is one place they can turn to in challenging times to get help navigating complex state systems. Ensuring the welfare of our most vulnerable children and families remains our top priority.”

The report also highlights the OCA’s investigation into the case of Harmony Montgomery and updates the public about the status of the OCA’s recommendations in the wake of that tragedy. The OCA devotes significant resources to its role as overseer, using the OCA’s unique position and access to information to see the system of child services with a bird’s eye view. To that end, the OCA’s March 2022 report on the status of implementation of recommendations made following the OCA's 2021 investigation into the death of David Almond is also highlighted in this report.

Additionally, the report describes the way the OCA continues to expand its partnerships with state entities on projects designed to improve service quality, including:

• a partnership with UMass Chan Medical School to launch the Center on Child Wellbeing & Trauma; 
• a partnership with the Department of Youth Services to create the Massachusetts Youth Diversion Program;
• a partnership with the Department of Public Health to improve the Child Fatality Review process; and
• a partnership with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services on a project to provide housing support services to youth aging out of foster case to prevent youth homelessness.

The report also discusses the work of a variety of OCA-led and co-led Board and Commissions including:

• the Juvenile Justice and Policy Board (JJPAD), which evaluates and makes recommendations regarding juvenile justice system policies and procedures;
• the Childhood Trauma Task Force, which studies and makes recommendations to improve the Commonwealth’s response to childhood trauma; and
• the Child Welfare Data Work Group, which reviewed and eliminated unnecessary Department of Children and Families reports and improved its reporting processes.

Other key areas where the OCA made impact this year include system reviews of the Department of Children and Families’ foster care review program and the family support and stabilization program.

 “We are grateful to our partners across the Commonwealth for working with us to improve the lives of children in Massachusetts,” Mossaides said. “I think many people would be surprised by the breadth of work the OCA does every day.”

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About the Office of the Child Advocate

The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) is an independent state agency that serves children and families across the Commonwealth. The OCA’s mission is to ensure that children receive appropriate, timely and quality services, with a particular focus on ensuring that the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable and at-risk children 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. Learn more about the OCA: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/office-of-the-child-advocate

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