New federal data shows Maine’s foster care population grew at the fastest rate in the nation
OFCS Director Bobbi Johnson cited the agency’s response to high profile child deaths in 2017 and 2018, as well as a lack of attorneys to represent parents and a dearth of support services, as reasons for the increase.
May ‘radio hour’ discusses child welfare, health care
The show offers a behind-the-scenes look at recent Maine Monitor reporting.
Maine lawmakers grapple with what constitutes child neglect
The debates in Augusta center on concerns that Maine is unnecessarily investigating poor families and, in some cases, removing children for symptoms of poverty that are unfairly classified as neglect.
Child care providers say the state is months behind in reimbursement payments. Lawmakers are investigating.
“When you have one kid, one spot, who's not being paid for essentially or not being paid for consistently, you can't pay your bills,” said one child care provider.
New federal data shows Maine’s child welfare agency is moving against national trends
“We’re flooding the system,” said one child advocate, arguing that Maine is failing to keep kids safe not because it is investigating too few families but because it is investigating too many.
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