Are we doing all we can to protect Maine's children?
With the death of two girls awaiting trial, an opioid epidemic looming over us, and radio silence from Maine's Department of Health and Human Services, you demanded answers. We sat the experts down to get them.
(NEWS CENTER Maine) - With the murder of two Maine girls awaiting trial and the opioid epidemic looming over us, the people of Maine have demanded answers and explanations about the state Department of Health & Human Services. "Protecting Maine's Children" is an open, honest conversation involving key players in Maine’s child welfare system about the challenges facing our kids, and the solutions needed to fix them.
A note from the team: Welcome to our landing page for "Protecting Maine's Children." The conversation doesn't end with our panel. We encourage you to get involved. In addition to our four main topics of discussion that you saw on TV, explore never-before-seen video, related links, browse through resources, and see the stories that spawned this conversation.
Meet our panelists
Chris Costa and Kristina Rex host the conversation between four key players in child welfare.
Joining the conversation:
- Janet Mills, Maine Attorney General
- Amy Harfeld, National Policy Expert
- Shawn Yardley, Former Child Protective Caseworker and Supervisor
- Mary Mayhew, Former DHHS Commissioner
...and YOU. We want you to join the conversation. Think our panelists missed something? Have a tip you want us to investigate? Reach out to us on Facebook or email the team at askNOW@NEWSCENTERmaine.com.
'A big nothing-burger'
"I think it’s really really important to, at the end of the process, however long it takes, is that the public has confidence in the systems in place. If the public does not have confidence, they are less likely to report, because what’s the use?" - Shawn Yardley, former CPS caseworker
The alleged murder of 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy and 4-year-old Kendall Chick sparked an immediate investigation into Maine's Department of Health and Human Services by the state's government watchdog agency. A preliminary report was released on May 24. It left lawmakers frustrated because of a lack of detail due to confidentiality laws.
"I don't want a witch hunt." - Joe Kennedy, grandfather of victim Marissa Kennedy
"[Investigators] only had a couple of short months to start on this work, and I know that it involves voluminous data, voluminous records from a lot of different sources, and so we are trying to balance the process of the criminal case with OPEGA’s very necessary and very vital investigation." -Janet Mills, Attorney General
'It's always competing priorities'
"When I was a supervisor, probably half of the cases that warranted investigation went unseen. They were unassigned." - Shawn Yardley, former CPS caseworker
Maine's Department of Health and Human Services currently has 326 child welfare caseworkers. In a five year span, caseworkers experienced a major jump in workload: from 47 annual investigations to 73.
"This has been a problem dating back 20, 30 years. Let’s be clear, there is almost no higher priority in state government than protecting our children." - Mary Mayhew, former DHHS commissioner
Maine receives funding annually from the federal government through the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). In fiscal year 2017, the state received approximately $99,000. When paired with the amount of children under CPS care that year, it averages to about $9.77 per Maine child in the system.
'The biggest challenge facing child welfare'
"It takes years for parents to hopefully get on that pathway to recovery, and meanwhile, a child’s life is in limbo." - Mary Mayhew, former DHHS commissioner
Maine's opioid epidemic killed 418 people in 2017 - and it shows no signs of stopping. A side effect: opioid orphans, kids left without parents because of substance abuse. According to DHHS, approximately 60 percent of kids who come into state care are as a result of parental substance use.
This epidemic has led to a spike in a new phenomenon: grand families. An estimated 2.6 million grandparents across the country are raising their grandkids, many due to parental substance use.
"Those grandparents are in dire need, too. We want to avoid those kids having adverse childhood experiences that might tend to make them more vulnerable to substance use disorder later in life." - Attorney General Janet Mills
'It's always the right thing to do'
“Keeping families at home and reunifying children with their families is always the right thing to do when it’s safe.” -Amy Harfeld, National Policy Expert
In response to the deaths of Marissa Kennedy and Kendall Chick, Governor LePage announced he wanted the priority to shift away from family reunification. "If I had been reunified with my family a third time, either myself of my father would not have lived," he said. Hear our panelists debate the merits of reunification in this online exclusive.
'It's tough to be a parent'
"There’s always these shows after deaths. There’s always new laws, there’s always hopefully new funding, but then it dies down and people aren’t paying attention." - Shawn Yardley, former CPS caseworker
It's not about finger pointing - it's about solutions. Our panelists discuss what's on the top of their minds going forward.
Get help: Resources
Do you know someone who is struggling? Here is a list of resources to help.
Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-452-1999
Domestic Abuse Hotline: 1-866-834-HELP
