Reports of critical incidents soar at Massachusetts DCF amid coronavirus pandemic

Reports of emotional injury to children and young adults in state care are soaring amid the coronavirus pandemic with an 80% jump in the number of critical incidents, a new report reveals.

There were 328 critical incident reports affecting 479 children made to the Office of the Child Advocate during fiscal 2020, which includes the first four months of the pandemic, an 80-page report published Thursday revealed. A critical incident is defined as a fatality, near fatality, serious bodily injury, and emotional injury.

The increase is “largely, if not exclusively,” due to a significant increase in the number of emotional injury critical incidents from the Department of Children and Families, the report states. The OCA also noted that a change in the definition of what qualifies as emotional injury likely contributed to the rise.

The spike in reports of serious abuse come even as the year saw a “steep drop” in mandated reports to DCF as a result of schools being closed amid the pandemic, according to a letter to the administration of Gov. Charlie Baker and state lawmakers, which was included in the report.

But lawmakers said this is another window into the troubles at an agency already under fire following the tragic death of 14-year-old Fall River boy David Almond, who had autism and died of starvation in October after living in a house of squalor kept by his father John Almond and his girlfriend Jaclyn Coleman, officials have said.

David’s triplet brother Michael and half-brother Aiden also lived in the home, and both tested positive for fentanyl when police responded to the house in what the OCA has described as a “multi-system failure” on behalf of the Department of Children and Families and other agencies.

“I don’t think I can stress enough how wrong-headed and misguided it was early in this pandemic to switch to remote visits — police, fire, grocery store workers were all in-person but kids? Our kids, we say we’re not going to go to?” Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, said in a Thursday interview.

Velis said he was “not surprised” by the jump

The report says the Executive Office of Health and Human Services’ various agencies “pivoted” to meet the unique and pressing issues posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Since the COVID-19 state of emergency began in March of last year, ensuring the welfare of our most vulnerable children and families remained the OCA’s top priority,” said Maria Mossaides, director of the Office of the Child Advocate. “Recognizing that children and caregivers were under increased personal, economic, and emotional stress, the OCA quickly pivoted to meet the unique and pressing issues facing families across the Commonwealth.”

The OCA report says the pandemic triggered a statutory review of the state’s mandated reporter law — the first since the law was enacted in 1973. The OCA plans to make recommendations to the Legislature on how to improve the response to, and better prevent child abuse and neglect.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3hG7d7M