As police intensify their seek for the physique of Harmony Montgomery, Gov. Maura Healey ought to be a catalyst for change in the way in which the state protects and infrequently fails our most susceptible residents — youngsters.
A brand new report by the Office of the Child Advocate concludes Massachusetts has not completed sufficient to guard youngsters within the wake of Montgomery’s tragic homicide.
How many extra Harmonys should there be earlier than the state takes motion? How many extra job forces or research teams do we’ve got to have earlier than one other child dies in custody?
Now is the time for the brand new governor to intervene and appoint an impartial particular counsel to supervise reform on the Department of Children and Families and state judicial system, together with the Committee for Public Counsel Services.
The whole baby safety system, together with courts and court-appointed legal professionals, which now favors organic mother and father over the security of youngsters, ought to be Healey’s focus. Give the particular counsel the ability to research and 60 days to give you suggestions and an motion plan.
Delays on the T could also be annoying, Governor Healey, however that is extra vital.
She ought to first learn the scathing report by the Child Advocate workplace, which criticizes the judicial system and CPCS for being gradual in implementing a sequence of suggestions made within the wake of Harmony Montgomery’s homicide.
“Although the state has made progress on some of those recommendations, particularly those directed at the DCF, the OCA continues to be concerned that the welfare and best interest of the child is not adequately presented in care and protection cases, putting some children in unsafe situations,” the report concludes.
But CPCS has made clear it’s not taking accountability for any failures within the system.
“Of the 11 recommendations in the Child Advocate’s report, only five call for action by CPCS,” the state-funded company stated in a press release in response to the Child Advocate’s new report. “Several of these are at odds with the mission of our company, are rooted within the Child Advocate’s misunderstanding of the constitutional rights of oldsters and youngsters, and so they disregard the hazards to youngsters who’re within the state’s custody.
CPCS goes on to say that the company has taken motion on “several” suggestions and has “taken a number of additional steps to ensure that children and parents are provided effective representation.”
If the Office of Public Counsel goes to be concerned in shifting the blame and Twitter spats with the Child Advocate as a substitute of addressing the horrific failures resulting in Harmony’s demise, perhaps the state ought to redirect its funding someplace else.
Healey must take main motion to overview all the system, meet with courts, judges, legal professionals and give you a plan of motion.
Number one: Make the ineffective Governor’s Council should overview each judicial candidate for his or her expertise in baby welfare instances and pressure each judicial candidate to bear coaching and reply questions relating to baby custody instances.
And pressure present judges to take coaching in order that one other Harmony Montgomery doesn’t occur.
Healey ought to do that now, whereas she’s nonetheless in her 100 days honeymoon interval, and if the Legislature resists, use the bully pulpit and her political savvy to get them to cooperate.
While it’s too late to guard Harmony, there are tons of of different susceptible youngsters on the market that want saving.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”