AUGUSTA - Rep. Colleen Madigan, D-Waterville, introduced legislation on Tuesday before the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee that would prevent exhaustion and burnout among caseworkers within the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) and protect the children they serve.
LD 1825 would require the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to ensure that OCFS caseworkers are not working more than 60 hours over seven consecutive days or 70 hours over eight consecutive days. The bill also requires DHHS to maintain a driving log while caseworkers are working.
This bill comes in response to 2021 being the worst year on record for child deaths in Maine, as 25 children died in incidents that were associated with abuse or neglect, or following prior family involvement with the child welfare system. Members of the Legislature are considering several measures to reform the child welfare system, including ways to better support the professionals working as caseworkers.
Speaking before the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee, Madigan said Maine has to do more to help caseworkers. "I don't need to remind anyone on this committee of the urgency of addressing issues in our child welfare system," said Madigan. "In my work and research, what I have come to again and again is that child protective services caseworkers need both reasonable workloads and the tools to best do their jobs. This bill attempts to address these concerns."
DHHS hired Casey Family Programs in June 2021 to conduct a report on Maine's child welfare system. The report identified the high turnover rate of caseworkers as a key area of concern, as turnover leads to higher workloads and reduces the amount of support children and families involved with OCFS receive.
The Health and Human Services Committee will hold a work session on LD 1825 in the coming weeks before the measure is considered by the full Legislature.
Madigan is serving her third term in the Maine Legislature and represents parts of Waterville and Oakland. She serves on the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Madigan], c. 812-1111