A Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram analysis of newly released details going back 14 years shows DHHS had contact with most of those families before the children were killed.
child abuse
State issues report detailing deaths of 143 children since 2007, and any DHHS involvement in their cases
The information released Wednesday draws no conclusions about the agency’s performance in keeping children safe, and the amount of its involvement has varied widely.
Another child welfare crisis has gripped Maine. Is this a problem that can be solved?
The Office of Child and Family Services has pledged to continue reforms and work with several different entities that are reviewing its work.
Lawmakers set aggressive timeline for latest review of child protective services
The Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee directed its investigative arm to closely examine oversight and safety in the wake of another round of high-profile deaths of children.
Lawmakers commission probe of Maine’s child protective services
The deaths of several Maine children are a ‘call to action,’ said the state’s director of the Office of Child and Family Services.
Lawmaker cites ‘appalling’ death of 3-year-old in call for probe of Maine’s child welfare system
The Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee will meet Wednesday with state officials in child protective services.
Maine Senate votes to create separate child welfare agency
The proposal, which faces further votes in the Legislature, is a response to concerns that reforms are not happening quickly enough after several high-profile child-abuse deaths.
Lawmaker wants new state department to protect Maine kids
Sen. Bill Diamond of Windham makes his proposal in response to children’s deaths that exposed weaknesses in Maine’s system for protecting children from abuse and neglect.
Court upholds 48-year prison sentence for Marissa Kennedy’s mother
Sharon Kennedy, who was known as Sharon Carrillo at the time of her arrest and conviction, was sentenced in Waldo County to 48 years in prison for murdering her 10-year-old daughter.
Report highlights lingering problems in Maine’s child welfare services
An independent ombudsman’s report says caseworkers still struggle in assessing risk early in investigations and when deciding whether to reunite children with parents.