Press Release  Office of the Child Advocate Finds Barriers to State Services for Children and Families Who Speak Languages Other Than English

The Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) today released a new policy brief examining barriers to equitable access to state services for children and families who speak languages other than English.   

More than a quarter of Massachusetts residents speak a language other than English at home, a rate that is growing faster than the national average. For children and families navigating child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health, and other state services, the ability to communicate effectively in the language they speak is essential to accessing and receiving quality care and support.

The OCA’s research, which focused specifically on state services delivered through contracted providers, found that children and families do not always have meaningful access to services in their language. In some cases, particularly when language-access resources are not readily available, the OCA found that children are asked to interpret for their parents or caregivers. Alternatively, providers use unreliable translation tools and/or rely on bilingual staff who are untrained in the appropriate area of expertise for translation. This lack of expertise places children and their families in difficult and potentially harmful situations and compromises the accuracy and quality of information exchanged between families and providers. 

“Language should not be an additional barrier to services that children and families need and deserve,” said Massachusetts Child Advocate Marisol García. “As the child of immigrants, and a native Spanish speaker, I have seen firsthand how families thrive when they receive services in their preferred language. I have also seen how families struggle when they do not. Given the wide variety of state agency service providers and languages spoken in the Commonwealth, we need to work together to improve accessibility of these services for individuals for whom English is not their first language.” 

The Commonwealth has taken important steps to strengthen language access in recent years. In 2023, Governor Maura Healey signed Executive Order 615, Promoting Access to Government Services and Information by Identifying and Minimizing Language Access Barriers. The Executive Order directs state executive agencies to assess language access barriers, develop and implement Language Access Plans, and promote access to government programs and information for people with varying language abilities.

This brief points the way toward the next step in promoting language access. Many child-serving state programs are delivered through contracted providers under the oversight of state agencies, and the state plays a key role in making sure these services are equitably available to children and families regardless of what language they speak.

The OCA’s review found significant variation in how language access requirements and practices are implemented across these providers, creating gaps in the quality and effectiveness of services available to children and families.

The brief identifies several factors contributing to these gaps, including lack of clear and consistent state guidance and insufficient resources necessary to provide meaningful and effective language access. 

OCA recommendations include:

• Establish consistent standards and clear language access guidance through procurement and contracting processes, including ways to clarify contract language and conditions during the life of the contract; 
• Increase providers’ access to language resources, including by centralizing translation resources and coordinating access to translation services across providers, especially to improve access to less commonly spoken languages and dialects;
• Invest in child-centered language access training infrastructure, including standardized curricula and training on the application of language access practices within specific service settings; 
• Reasonably compensate child-serving provider staff who use multilingual skills to carry out contracted activities; and
• Establish a Language Access Division within the Executive Office for Administration and Finance to strengthen coordination and accountability across state government and provider agencies.

The full brief is available here.

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About the Office of the Child Advocate

The Office of the Child Advocate 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 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.

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