Report: Maine's child welfare system still struggling 3 years after deadly abuse cases

PORTLAND (WGME) -- It's been three years since two deadly cases of child abuse prompted widespread reform, but a report finds the state’s child welfare system is falling short in two crucial areas.

Marissa Kennedy was 10 years old. Kendall Chick was four.

Both girls were killed by the adults who were supposed to be taking care of them. Both were victims of ongoing abuse.

"It just, it tears my heart out," Senator Bill Diamond (D-Cumberland) said.

Diamond sat through the murder trials in both cases.

"Had they had the proper visitation, supervision and follow up, those kids could have been alive today, cause their abuse was so obvious," Diamond said.

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Their deaths, in 2017 and 2018, exposed failures in the child welfare system and triggered reforms.

"We’re doing a better job of quickly identifying problems and getting the appropriate help," Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew said.

She points to improvements in the intake process, plus more training and staff.

"We now have 60 more people in the Office of Child and Family Services," Lambrew said.

But a report by the Child Welfare Ombudsmen finds the state is still falling short.

"This is a slightly less positive report than last year's," Christine Alberi said. "It’s not where I had wanted to be at this point."

Alberi's 2020 report says the department continues to struggle at two crucial points: when deciding whether a child is safe during the initial investigation and once reunified with parents.

She cites several examples where assessments failed to recognize risks in the home.

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"There’s been some progress, but I think we have a long way to go," Alberi said.

Marissa Bodnar: "Do you agree with that assessment?"

Lambrew: "Her job is to help look over our shoulder to make sure we are tracking what’s important, so we are responding to each of those concerns raised in the report."

One of the department’s own reports says 42 more caseworkers are needed to manage the workload.

"We have more work to do," Lambrew said. "This is not going to happen overnight."

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Diamond proposed a bill this session to create a separate Department of Child and Family Services.

"We need to pull it out of that morass," Diamond said. "The largest, most complex agency in state government."

But the legislation was voted down in committee.

"We think that would take time, distract resources from these children," Lambrew said.

Diamond acknowledges that may not be the answer, but hopes it will still spark change. He says more needs to be done to keep kids safe.

"I just don’t want us to stay in the same position, another kid is murdered, and we say, 'We’re gonna fix it,'" Diamond said.

Lambrew says the department is also in the process of updating a very outdated computer system used to track child welfare cases. It's expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Maine DHHS tracks child welfare data here.