Press Statement  Statement by The Child Advocate Marisol García on the Passage of An Act Enhancing Child Welfare Protections

The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) enthusiastically supports the passage of this landmark child welfare bill. This legislation helps safeguard the wellbeing and rights of children in state care, provides our office with additional tools to review child fatalities and critical incidents, and reforms the Child Requiring Assistance system – shifting children and families toward resources rather than court involvement. The OCA is overjoyed that this legislation has passed and we look forward to its implementation. 

We are grateful to the Legislature – especially Senate President Spilka, Speaker Mariano, Senator Kennedy, Senator Comerford, and Representative Livingstone for their hard work in shepherding this comprehensive bill to passage.  

The reforms to the Child Requiring Assistance (CRA) system included in this legislation, which enhance the role of Family Resource Centers to provide community-based supports and keep children out of the court system, are based on recommendations the OCA made to the Legislature in 2022, 2024, and 2025 reports following substantial research into the harms of the current CRA system and the potential for improvements to the FRC network of services.   

We are also pleased the legislation includes a Foster Children’s Bill of Rights, complementing the Foster Parents Bill of Rights passed in 2023. The legislation requires DCF to issue a plain-language statement of these rights and protects children from retaliation for asserting them. The OCA, through our Complaint Line, already serves an important ombuds function, and we are always ready to help children who believe their rights have been violated and ensure that they get the quality state services and care to which they are entitled. 

Every child receiving state services deserves safety, stability, and the opportunity to thrive. We are extremely pleased that the Legislature is taking action to help us achieve this mission.  

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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.