Mass. creates new office for children’s services

BOSTON – A new watchdog agency will advocate for children served by Massachusetts, under an order signed by Gov. Deval L. Patrick.
Called the Office of the Child Advocate, it will be an independent agency within the Mass. Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
The office “will be in a position to look at policies and practices across agencies, so that the commonwealth can best promote and protect the safety, health and well-being of our children,” Patrick said. It also will probe incidents involving children who are in state custody or receiving other EOHHS services.
The child advocate will be appointed by the governor from a list of three nominees. An ad hoc panel of child welfare experts and advocates will present nominations to the governor by the end of February.
“It’s critical that we do the very best we can for the children and families we serve,” added Mass. Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby. “The child advocate will serve as a watchdog to help us do that.”
The new office is “the most appropriate means of addressing potential systematic issues in the way the Commonwealth serves children,” the governor’s office said.