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4/15/25, 1:00 PM - Informational Hearing: Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, State House Room, A-1 and Virtual

Status: Normal
Date/Time: 4/15/25 1:00 PM
Location: State House Room, A-1 and Virtual
Committee: Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities (JCF)
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Informational Hearing
 

The Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities will host an Informational Hearing at which agencies and government offices within the Committee’s purview will introduce themselves to the Committee and highlight their work.  

  • Commissioner Opeoluwa Sotonwa, Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing   
  • Commissioner Sarah Peterson, Department of Developmental Services  
  • Commissioner John Oliveira, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind 
  • Commissioner Toni Wolf, MassAbility  
  • Commissioner Jeff McCue, Department of Transitional Assistance  
  • Commissioner Cecely Reardon, Department of Youth Services  
  • Executive Director Jenn Valenzuela, The Children's Trust 
  • Commissioner Staverne Miller, Department of Children and Families 
  • Director Maria Mossaides, Office of the Child Advocate 

 

Written testimony may be submitted to the Committee via email to Audrey.Herrmann@mahouse.gov and Olivia.mathot@masenate.gov. The hearing will be in a hybrid format, and no bills before the Committee will be heard at this hearing. The public is welcome to attend in-person or virtually. CART services and ASL interpretation will be available. 

Note: All written testimony received by the Committee will be made publicly available, provided however, the Chairs may limit and redact testimony that includes sensitive personal information or information that may jeopardize the health, wellness or safety of the testifier or others.   

 

This hearing will be chaired by House Chair Jay Livingstone. If you have any questions regarding the hearing, legislation, format of the hearing or reasonable accommodations required to ensure people with disabilities can participate fully in the committee process, please email: Audrey Herrmann in Chair Livingstone’s Office, at (Audrey.Herrmann@mahouse.gov) and Olivia Mathot in Chair Kennedy’s Office, at (Olivia.mathot@masenate.gov). 


04/15/2025 - Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities
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Transcript
This transcript is initially posted in unedited form, edited transcript to follow.
SPEAKER128.91 -28.91 Good28.91 afternoon.29.07 Jay30.35 Livingstone,30.67 the31.95 house32.19 chair32.51 of32.75 the32.99 joint33.23 committee33.47 on33.79 children33.95 families,34.27 and34.59 I'll34.75 call34.91 this35.07 hearing35.47 to35.79 order.35.95
40.31 You40.31 can40.48 stand40.63 there.40.95
47.11 Okay.47.11 So,48.63 I48.88 welcome48.95 you.49.27 This49.67 is49.84 an49.91 oversight50.08 hearing50.55 and50.88 an51.03 informational51.11 hearing51.75 where,52.68 it's53.4 by54.36 invitation54.68 only.55.16 I'm56.04 joined56.28 by56.52 my57.48 Senate57.48 co58.12 chair,58.36 Robert58.92 Kennedy,59.32 who59.8 will60.2 speak60.44 in60.6 a60.84 second.60.92 And61.72 also61.88 joined62.2 by,62.6 many63.16 of63.48 my63.64 colleagues,63.8 representative64.84 Marcy,65.4 representative66.12 Saunders,66.68 Repisina,67.5 Leader68.85 O'Day,68.89 representative,68.94
71.97 Donahue,71.97 vice73.49 chair73.81 Garcia,74.14 and74.94 representative75.25 Mowgli.75.89 And77.97 with78.3 with78.53 that,78.69 I'll78.94 turn79.17 it79.42 over79.58 to79.81 the79.97 my80.45 co80.61 chair80.77 and81.33 then,81.57 we82.05 can82.29 call82.45 the82.61 first82.69 witness.82.93
84.29 SPEAKER384.29 -84.29 Sounds84.29 great.84.53 I'll84.85 be85.09 very85.25 brief.85.49 It's86.05 great86.29 to86.53 be86.69 back86.85 in87.09 business87.25 and87.81 kicking88.53 off88.93 another89.17 session89.57 of,90.05 the90.93 really91.09 important91.57 work91.97 that92.13 we92.29 have92.45 in92.69 front92.85 of93.11 us93.19 as93.42 a93.51 committee.93.59 So93.98 it's94.23 great94.39 to94.63 be94.94 here95.11 today95.34 with95.75 all96.15 of96.31 our96.47 commissioners96.7 and97.27 and97.42 community97.59 partners98.15 as99.03 we,99.27 level99.75 set100.06 for100.47 the,100.63 session101.03 ahead.101.42 Thank101.98 you.102.15
104.47 SPEAKER1104.47 -104.47 And104.47 with104.78 that,104.95 I'll105.19 call105.42 our105.67 first105.83 witness,106.06 doctor106.63 Elaine107.03 Fitzgerald107.99 Lewis,108.55 from109.51 the109.75 Department109.83 of110.23 Public110.47 Health.110.87
116.15 SPEAKER4116.15 -116.15 Good116.15 afternoon.116.39 Can117.11 you117.27 be117.35
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386.86 SPEAKER2386.86 -386.86 of386.86 Housing386.89 and386.93 Livable386.97
387.01 SPEAKER5387.01 -387.01 Communities,387.01 we387.04 support387.08 families387.12 experiencing387.15 homelessness.387.88
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428.89 SPEAKER1428.89 -428.89 we428.89
431.68 SPEAKER5431.68 -431.68 approach431.68 also432.07 fosters432.31 housing432.88 stability433.27 and433.92 employment434.15 access,434.8 and435.6 empowers435.83 families436.24 to436.63 have436.8 a436.95 voice437.12 in437.68 the437.92 systems438.07 and438.8 care439.12 that439.51 exists439.75 to440.24 support440.48 them.440.8
443.51 Last443.51 week443.83 marked444.31 National444.95 Public445.36 Health445.68 Week,446.69 a446.85 reminder447.01 of447.65 the447.73 vital447.89 role448.21 public448.61 health448.93 plays449.33 in449.73 protecting449.89 communities.450.37 However,451.81 federal452.29 shifts452.69 threaten453.57 this454.21 stability.454.45 Many455.57 BPHAN455.97 programs456.45 depend457.09 on457.49 time457.81 limited458.21 federal458.85 grants,459.33 and460.29 recent460.53 staff460.93 layoffs461.33 at461.87 the462.02 federal462.1 level462.43 raised463.38 concerns463.87 about464.35 continued464.58 support.465.14 While466.58 Massachusetts466.9 state467.7 funding468.02 sustains468.58 key469.14 initiatives469.38 like470.26 early470.58 intervention,470.9 WIC,471.94 and472.19 pediatric472.43 palliative472.99 care,473.46 the474.43 maternal474.66 and475.22 child475.38 health475.63
480.28 at480.28 the480.36 department,480.44 relies482.2 on482.84 federal483 resources.483.56 A485.08 reduction485.24 in485.8 funding486.04 would486.76 directly487.08 impact487.64 our488.28 ability488.52 to488.92 deliver489.08 high489.88 quality490.12 care,490.6 support491.79 Massachusetts492.26 families,492.99 and493.63 addressing493.79 emerging494.82 health495.31 needs.495.54 Therefore,496.58 we497.06 must497.31 secure497.63 and498.1 strategically498.43 allocate499.14 state499.63 resources500.02 to500.82 ensure500.99 continued501.31 support501.87 for502.19 families.502.35 The503.87 Bureau504.28 of504.4 Family504.52 Health504.84 and505.08 Nutrition505.24 is505.72 currently505.88 developing506.28 its507.32 title507.56 5507.88 state508.12 action508.44 plan508.76 to509.48 guide509.72 our510.2 priorities510.6 over511.4 the511.64 next511.72 5512.12 years.512.44 As513.64 we513.8 shape514.12 this514.44 road514.68 map,514.92 we515.48 remain515.64 focused516.04 on516.52 1516.76 goal,517 ensuring518.2 every519.25 infant,519.5 child,520.46 and520.93 family521.17 receives521.98 the522.3 comprehensive522.54 care523.25 and523.34 support523.5 they523.89 deserve524.13 to524.7 lead524.86 healthy525.17 lives.525.58 Today,526.93 I527.5 wanna527.65 highlight527.98 just528.46 a528.77 few528.86 of529.25 those529.42 priorities529.74 that530.62 demonstrate530.86 the531.49 significance531.73 of532.29 this532.45 work.532.61 Our534.05 plan534.29 will534.53 prioritize534.77 standardizing535.65 care536.37 for536.93 families537.09 experiencing537.65 substance538.21 use538.53 disorder538.85 and539.33 infants539.65 with539.97 prenatal540.21 substance540.77 exposure541.17 in541.81 partnership542.05 with542.53 DCF,542.69 providers543.89 and544.29 families,544.53 so545.41 that545.58 we545.74 can545.82 ensure546.05 evidence546.46 based,546.86 compassionate547.41 support548.05 is548.38 available.548.53 Expanding549.89 access550.53 to551.01 respite551.25 care551.74 for552.21 families552.46 raising552.93 children553.25 with553.65 medical553.82 complexities.554.21 Replacing555.67 a555.99 fragmented556.39 system557.03 with557.83 equitable,558.15 family558.87 centered559.35 supports559.83 for560.55 over560.79 12,000561.11 children562.07 in562.55 need.562.71 Expanding563.99 the564.47 Mass564.71 Start564.95 program,565.35 a565.91 free566.07 consultation566.47 service,567.11 ensuring567.75
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2953.26 SPEAKER92953.26 -2953.26 Absolutely.2953.26 So,2954.62 you2955.26 know,2955.34 staffing2956.14 remains2956.54 a2956.86 challenge2957.02 across2957.41 the2957.74 board,2957.82 and,2958.22 self2958.86 direction2959.1 is2959.82 no2960.14 different.2960.45 However,2961.18 you2962.7 know,2962.94 the2963.1 families2963.26 and2963.58 individuals2963.74 who2964.14 choose2964.3 to2964.54 self2964.7 direct2964.94 have2965.34 some2965.66 more2965.82 flexibility2966.14 in2966.78 terms2966.94 of2967.18 the2967.34 rate2967.5 that2967.66 they2967.82 pay.2968.06 And2968.3 so2968.46 sometimes2968.7 they2969.26 can,2969.58 you2971.1 know,2971.26 get2971.5 somebody2971.74 who2972.3 is2973.02 a2973.18 natural2973.34 support2973.82 or2974.14 someone2974.38 in2974.62 their2974.78 community2975.02 who2975.51 can2975.66 provide2975.9 those2976.22 services.2976.55 I2978.63 do2978.78 think2978.94 that2979.34 self2979.59 direction,2979.82 in2980.46 addition2980.7 to,2981.11 some2983.26 of2983.42 the2983.59 services2983.74 through2984.22 technology2984.46 that2984.94 we2985.11 have,2985.18 assistive2985.42 technology2985.82 and2986.3 remote2986.55 supports2986.86 and2987.26 monitoring,2987.42 that2988.53 those2988.69 are2988.93 really2989.25 the2989.57 main2989.73 ways2990.05 that2990.45 we're2990.69 going2990.93 to2991.17 be2991.25 able2991.41 to2991.57 get2992.29 away2992.53 from2992.77 the2993.09 residential2993.33 service2993.97 model2994.37 that2994.77 we2994.93 have2995.09 been2995.25 wedded2995.49 to2995.81 for2995.97 such2996.21 a2996.37 long2996.45 time.2996.77 And,2997.57 12999.01 of2999.17 the2999.33 challenges,2999.49 I3000.05 will3000.13 say,3000.37 however,3000.61 is3001.27 that,3001.43 some3002.31 families3002.55 are3003.51 concerned3003.82 about3004.31 self3004.55 directing3004.79 services3005.27 because3005.91 they3006.63 have3007.27 to3007.51 take3007.59 on,3007.82 you3008.39 know,3008.55 additional3008.7 roles3009.18 of3009.59 finding3009.74 and3010.31 being3010.55 the3010.79 employer3010.95 for3011.51 people.3011.66 So3011.99 we're3012.22 really3012.47 trying3012.63 to3012.95 build3013.03 out3013.27 our3013.44 infrastructure3013.6 at3014.24 DDS3014.48 in3015.28 order3015.52 to3015.76 assist3016 those3016.32 families3016.64 through3017.12 that3017.28 process.3017.52 We3018.08 have,3018.24 placed3019.36 a3019.76 a3020.16 support3020.24 broker3020.56 at3020.96 each3021.2 13021.36 of3021.52 our3021.68 233021.84 area3022.32 offices3022.72 who3023.12 specialized3023.44 in3024.08 self3024.24 directed3024.56 services.3025.44 And3027.2 I3027.53 think3027.68 that3027.84 you'll3028.01 see3028.24 in3028.48 terms3028.64 of3028.96 growth3029.2 where3029.53 we've3029.68 grown3030.09 that3030.57 program,3030.72 about3031.2 22%3031.44 over3032.32 the3032.64 last3032.72 year,3033.05 that3033.61 I3033.84 think3033.93 that,3034.09 you3034.57 know,3034.72 strides3035.05 are3035.44 being3035.53 made3035.76 in3036.01 that3036.24 area,3036.48 and3036.72 I3036.96 hope3037.13 that3037.28 we3037.44 can3037.53 continue3037.76 that.3038.16 Thank3039.61 you.3039.84
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3047.89 SPEAKER123047.89 -3047.89 Good3047.89 afternoon,3048.13 commissioner.3048.53 Thank3049.01 you3049.25 for,3049.49 the3049.97 information3050.21 you3050.69 provided3050.93 to3051.33 us3051.49 this3051.73 afternoon.3051.97 Within3053.25 my3053.65 office,3053.81 some3055.01 of3055.25 the3055.33 challenges3055.49 that3056.13 we3056.34 have3056.59 received3056.98 from3057.39 constituents3057.7 has3058.34 been,3058.59 and3059.14 I3059.3 I3059.55 apologize3059.7 if3060.34 you3060.59 spoke3060.74 to3061.07 this,3061.14 but3062.26 but3062.42 respite3062.74 care.3063.22 And,3064.34 you3064.98 know,3065.14 and3065.39 then3065.63 getting3065.86 into3066.11 conversations3066.42 with3067.39 with3067.63 the3067.86 families3068.11 and3068.59 with3068.82 the3068.98 workers,3069.14 and3070.34 there3070.59 oftentimes3070.66 seems3071.63 to3071.86 be3072.11 sort3072.19 of3072.43 a3072.51 disconnect3072.67 between3073.23 what3073.71 the3073.87 expectations3074.11 are,3075.15 what3075.55 the3075.87 actual3076.11 rule3076.83 of3077.07 thumb3077.15 is.3077.39 And,3078.35 and3078.99 I3079.23 guess3079.39 my3079.63 question3079.87 to3080.43 you3080.59 is,3080.75 you3081.15 know,3081.39 where3082.59 is3082.83 the3083.15 the3083.39 agency3083.55 today,3084.19 with3085.68 numbers,3086.09 you3086.64 know,3086.8 available3087.28 folks3088.24 for3088.64 respite?3089.05 And,3090.16 you3090.57 know,3090.72 criteria3091.2 seems3092.01 to3092.41 me3092.57 to3092.8 be,3092.97
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3110.52 SPEAKER93110.52 -3110.52 Sure.3110.52 Thanks,3110.84 representative.3111.16 The3112.36 the3112.76 respite3113.4 services3113.8 are3114.44 primarily,3114.95 provided3116.55 through3117.03 our3117.43 family3117.67 support3118.16 centers.3118.55 And,3119.67 in3120.64 terms3120.8 of3121.19 actual3121.51 numbers3121.91 and3122.39 and3122.64 wait3122.88 list,3123.11 I'd3123.36 have3123.51 to3123.67 get3123.76 back3123.91 to3124.07 you3124.32 in3124.47 terms3124.64 of3125.11 of3125.51 that3125.67 particularly.3125.99 But3126.95 it's3127.19 really3127.36 about3127.59 finding3127.84 the3128.16 right3128.32 match.3128.55 So3129.51 as3129.91 I3130.17 mentioned,3130.25 the3130.57 department3130.65 serves3131.21 almost3131.53 50,0003131.85 people3132.49 throughout3132.97 the3133.29 state,3133.53 and,3133.93 our3134.73 obligation3134.89 is3135.53 really3135.61 to3135.85 provide3136.01 individualized3136.81 service3137.69 plans3138.09 for3138.49 those3138.65 people.3138.89 So3139.21 you3139.37 can3139.45 imagine3139.69 it3140.65 can3140.81 be3140.97 tricky3141.13 to3141.61 find3141.77 the3142.22 right3142.38 match3142.61 for3142.86 the3143.18 for3143.41 the3143.66 person3143.82 who's3144.14 seeking3144.45 it.3144.7 And3144.93 sometimes3145.18 what3145.89 it3146.06 comes3146.22 down3146.45 to,3146.61 unfortunately,3146.93 is3147.82 not3148.06 having3148.22 the3148.93 right3149.09 placement3149.34 available3149.89 for3150.54 that3150.93 person3151.26 or3151.66 that3151.82 family3152.06 at3152.45 the3152.61 time3152.78 that3152.93 they3153.18 need3153.34 it,3153.49 particularly3153.82 if3154.3 they3154.45 have3154.61 complex3155.26 medical3155.58 needs.3156.06 So3156.94 I'm3157.18 assuming3157.42 that3157.9 some3158.06 of3158.22 those3158.38 challenges3158.62 that3159.02 you're3159.26 hearing3159.42 are3159.82 not3159.98 only3160.22 due3160.46 to3160.7 capacity,3160.86 but3161.74 perhaps3161.98 due3162.54 to3162.78 the3162.94 level3163.02 of3163.34 need3163.5 and3163.74 what3163.98 we3164.3 have3164.38 in3164.62 terms3164.86 of3165.1 capacity3165.26 that3165.74 might3165.98 be3166.06 available3166.22 for3166.7 someone.3166.86
3167.58 SPEAKER123167.58 -3167.58 Yeah.3167.58 I3167.82 think3167.9 it's3168.14 a3168.3 little3168.47 bit3168.55 of3168.7 both,3168.86 but3168.95 I3169.27 guess3169.43 what3169.59 concerns3169.83 me3170.22 the3170.47 most3170.55 is3170.95 when3171.18 you3171.43 need3171.59 respite,3171.83 you3172.22 need3172.31 respite.3172.55 Right?3173.03 I3173.27 mean,3173.34 if3173.59 you're3173.66 I3174.14 I3174.39 I'm3174.55 thinking3174.79 very3175.18 particular,3175.51 like,3175.99 of3177.03 a3177.27 family.3177.34 It's3177.74 it's3177.99 a3178.22 dad3178.47 and3179.11 his3179.34 probably3179.74 303180.47 year3180.7 old3180.86 son.3181.11 His3182.55 his3182.87 wife3183.03 passed3183.19 away3183.43 a3183.75 couple3183.83 years3184.15 ago,3184.39 and3184.63 it's3184.87 like3185.11 the3185.51 23185.75 of3185.91 them.3185.99 Yeah.3186.39 And,3187.03 not3188.31 necessarily3188.63 even3189.27 speaking3189.59 to3189.99 the3190.39 complications,3190.63 of3192.39 his3192.55 needs,3193.03 but3193.59 the3194.07 need3194.23 of3194.47 the3194.71 dad3194.87 is3195.19 like,3195.43 you3196.43 know,3196.51 I3196.66 love3196.91 my3197.22 son,3197.47 but3197.79 at3198.27 some3198.43 point3198.59 in3198.82 time,3198.91 I3199.14 need3199.31 a3199.55 little3199.63 break.3199.86 And3200.18 and3200.43 if3200.66 there3200.74 are3200.91 no3201.07 other3201.55 family3201.79 members3202.27 or3202.66 what3202.82 have3202.99 you,3203.14 that's3203.63 what3204.59 whatever3204.91 the3205.39 need3205.55 might3205.79 be3206.03 between3206.18 the3206.59 23206.74 of3206.99 them,3207.07 it3207.47 still3207.7 certainly3208.03 becomes3208.51 a3209.31 crisis3209.47 or3210.03 a3210.27 critical3210.34 situation3210.91 that3212.61 the3212.93 the3214.21 the3214.37 father3214.45 and3214.77 the3214.93 son3215.01 are3215.33 like,3215.41 what3216.05 are3216.29 we3216.45 gonna3216.53 do?3216.77 You3217.25 know?3217.41 So3217.57 those3217.81 are3218.05 the3218.13 kinds3218.29 of3218.53 situations.3218.69 And3219.33 I3219.49 think3219.57 that's3219.81 when3220.05 it3220.21 boils3220.45 up3220.85 probably3221.33 the3221.89 most3222.05 when3222.69 it3222.93 just3223.09 has3223.33 been3223.57 over3223.97 over3224.45 time,3224.77 overdue,3225.17 and3226.13 it3226.29 just3226.45 isn't3226.77 happening.3227.09 So3227.91 that's3228.07 my3228.39 concern.3228.64
3229.36 SPEAKER93229.36 -3229.36 Absolutely.3229.36 I3229.84 yeah.3230.07 I3230.32 I3230.47 think3230.55 that,3230.8 you3231.03 know,3231.11 some3231.36 of3231.51 the3231.59 work3231.68 that3231.91 we've3231.99 been3232.32 doing3232.39 surrounding3232.8 aging3233.76 caregivers3234.07 is3234.8 related3234.95 to3235.28 that,3235.36 and3235.51 I3235.68 don't3235.76 know3235.91 if3236.07 that's3236.23 the3236.55 the3236.8 situation3237.03 with3237.43 this3237.59 particular3237.84 case.3238.55 But,3239.28 you3240.39 know,3240.55 it's3240.72 really3241.03 important3241.28 that3241.59 we3241.84 support3241.99 those3242.32 families3242.55 because3243.03 without3243.81 their3244.21 support3244.53 of3244.85 their3245.01 loved3245.17 13245.41 in3245.57 their3245.73 home,3246.37 then3246.61 we3246.85 would3247.01 be3247.17 looking3247.33 at3247.73 a3248.05 residential3248.13 placement,3248.77 which,3249.25 you3249.57 know,3249.65 potentially3249.89 would3250.37 be3250.85 a3251.01 much3251.09 more3251.33 difficult3251.57 outcome3251.97 for3252.29 the3252.45 individual.3252.61 It3253.01 would3253.09 also3253.25 be3253.57 much3253.73 more3253.89 costly3254.05 to3254.45 the3254.61 state.3254.77 So3255.01 we3255.25 wanna3255.33 support3255.89 those3256.29 family3256.53 members,3256.85 as3257.65 as3258.07 much3258.32 as3258.47 we3258.55 possibly3258.71 can.3259.28 So,3259.68 your3260.07 point3260.23 is3260.47 very3260.64 well3260.8 taken.3261.03
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3286.55 SPEAKER93286.55 -3286.55 Absolutely.3286.55 Yeah.3286.88 That3287.59 is3287.84 a3288.07 really3288.16 tricky3288.39 issue3288.95 because,3289.52 you3290.55 know,3290.72 first3291.52 and3291.84 foremost,3291.99 when3292.39 we're3292.64 administering3292.95 these3293.59 programs,3293.84 we're3294.39 stewards3294.72 of3295.11 the3295.28 taxpayers'3295.43 funds.3296.07 And3296.39 so3296.64 we3296.88 need3297.03 to3297.2 make3297.28 sure3297.43 that3297.68 there3297.91 are3298.24 appropriate3298.47 guardrails3299.03 in3299.59 place3299.76 to3300.16 be3300.89 certain3301.05 that3301.29 the3301.61 funds3301.85 are3302.09 being3302.33 utilized,3302.57 in3304.09 the3304.25 way3304.33 that3304.57 we3304.73 think3304.81 is3305.21 appropriate.3305.45 So3306.41 we3306.49 do3306.65 wanna3306.81 be3307.05 flexible.3307.29 We3307.77 wanna3307.93 allow3308.33 families3308.65 the3309.21 ability3309.37 to,3310.01 you3311.21 know,3311.37 be3311.61 creative3311.85 in3312.41 the3312.57 way3312.73 that3312.89 they3313.05 make3313.21 up3313.45 a3313.61 meaningful3313.77 day3314.49 or3315.11 life3315.43 for3315.91 their3316.16 individual,3316.39 but3316.88 we3317.04 also3317.2 wanna3317.52 make3317.76 sure3317.91 that3318.47 those3318.64 funds3318.88 are3319.11 being3319.28 used3319.52 solely3319.84 for3320.32 the3320.56 individual.3320.8 So3321.84 we've3321.99 done3322.24 a3322.39 lot3322.47 of3322.64 work.3322.72 Chair3323.84 Kennedy3324.16 mentioned3324.56 the3325.04 regulations3325.11 that3325.84 recently3326.08 came3326.72 out,3326.88 not3327.43 so3327.59 recent3327.84 now,3328.16 about3328.39 63328.56 months3328.8 ago.3329.04 And3330.64 we3330.75 also3332.67 have3332.86 put3333.04 together3333.23 a3333.42 lot3333.6 of3333.77 guidance3333.94 for3334.1 families,3334.27 and3334.31 those3334.35 support3334.75 brokers3334.99 that3335.47 are3335.71 embedded3335.79 in3336.27 the3336.35 233336.51 area3336.91 offices3337.23 are3337.71 really3337.79 the3338.11 experts3338.27 at3339.07 navigating3339.39 some3339.95 of3340.19 that3340.27 to3340.51 see3340.59 if3340.83 we3340.99 get,3341.15 an3342.03 invoice3342.27 from3342.75 a3342.76 family.3342.77
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8106.02 SPEAKER198106.02 -8106.02 Representative,8106.02 a8107.23 a8108.02 fair8108.1 question,8108.34 a8108.98 fair8109.06 concern.8109.39 It's8110.1 18110.34 I8110.59 live8110.74 with8110.98 every8111.63 day.8111.86 I8113.06 I8113.39 have8113.63 to8113.86 note8114.02 though8114.43 that8114.74 over8115.15 the8115.39 course8115.63 of8116.1 the8116.27 last8116.51 year8117.42 plus,8117.82 the8119.1 legislature8119.42 with8120.7 at8121.02 the8121.18 ask8121.34 of8121.66 the8121.82 administration8121.98 has8123.02 effectively8123.26 afforded8123.9 us8124.3 the8124.54 opportunity8124.7 to8125.42 add8125.5 about8125.82 3008126.22 staff8126.94 to8127.9 DTA.8128.06 And8128.7 I'm8128.98 very,8129.39 very8129.7 grateful8130.1 for8131.06 that8131.3 opportunity.8131.55 Again,8132.34 I8132.82 I8133.47 I8133.7 mentioned8133.86 earlier8134.26 how8134.82 our8135.06 caseload8135.3 has8135.94 burgeoned8136.26 and8137.22 the8138.02 challenges8138.18 coming8138.82 with8139.15 us8139.3 in8139.47 terms8139.63 of8139.94 a8140.1 larger8140.18 caseload,8140.59 along8141.57 with8141.89 the8141.97 fact8142.21 that8142.45 we've8142.69 moved8143.01 past8143.33 the8143.73 pandemic.8143.97 And8144.77 more8145.01 importantly8145.25 to8145.65 us,8145.81 we've8146.37 moved8146.61 past8146.93 some8147.25 of8147.49 the8147.65 pandemic8147.89 flexibilities8149.09 around8149.97 the8150.29 rules8150.37 that8150.77 have8151.01 brought8151.17 back,8151.49 higher8153.25 interviews,8153.57 higher8154.43 levels8154.74 of8155.07 staff8155.31 engagement8155.63 that8156.19 are8156.43 very8156.59 much8156.82 taxing8157.15 our8157.55 work.8157.78 We're8158.35 being8158.59 strategic8158.91 around8159.7 our8160.03 staffing.8160.19 We8161.47 also8161.7 have8162.03 funds8162.27 that8162.59 have8162.74 been8162.91 made8163.15 available8163.39 for8163.95 us8164.1 for8164.66 overtime.8164.91 We're8165.47 trying8165.7 to8165.95 be8166.1 strategic8166.35 as8166.91 we8167.07 end8167.23 as8167.82 we8168.06 can8168.22 around8168.46 that.8168.86 We're8169.1 bringing8169.34 technical8169.74 supports8170.3 in8171.42 place8171.58 around8172.22 this.8172.46 I8173.02 made8173.26 the8173.42 point8173.58 as8173.82 I8174.06 appeared8174.22 before8174.54 the8174.78 Ways8174.94 and8175.26 Means8175.42 Committee.8175.66 I8176.94 think8177.02 that,8177.34 as8178.14 we8178.38 talk8178.62 about8178.86 these8179.34 kind8179.58 of8179.82 things,8179.9 that8180.7 I8181.1 think8181.18 often8181.5 people8181.98 talk8182.38 about8182.7 our8183.23 ability8183.39 to8183.63 be8183.78 able8184.02 to8184.19 support8184.35 folks'8184.82 demands,8185.15 and8185.55 they8185.7 look8185.86 directly8186.27 at8186.98 the8187.31 dollars8187.47 that8188.02 are8188.19 in8188.27 our8188.59 direct8188.82 service8189.23 account.8189.63 Our8190.27 direct8190.51 service8190.82 account8191.31 is8191.63 critical.8191.86 It8192.67 is8192.91 our8193.47 lifeblood8193.7 in8194.26 terms8194.42 of8194.75 the8194.99 work8195.07 that8195.39 we8195.55 do.8195.78 Our8197.06 administration8197.38 account,8198.1 though,8198.34 can8198.98 includes8199.38 technical8200.26 support,8200.9 includes8201.46 the8202.26 our8202.66 our8202.98 computer8203.38 systems,8203.78 includes8204.34 our8205.06 phone8205.3 systems,8205.62 other8206.58 areas8206.82 that8207.3 are8207.46 critical8207.62 to8208.26 our8208.5 access.8208.74 So8209.63 it's8209.86 incumbent8210.26 upon8210.75 me8211.06 as8211.23 the8211.47 agency8211.63 head8212.1 to8212.67 look8212.82 at8213.06 the8213.23 additional8213.47 resources,8213.94 some8214.5 3008214.75 staff8215.31 that8215.63 have8215.78 been8215.86 given8216.02 me,8216.26 and8216.67 trying8216.82 to8217.15 make8217.31 sure8217.55 that8217.78 we8218.02 engage8218.26 in8218.75 the8218.98 kind8219.15 of8219.39 industrial8220.1 engineering8220.67 necessary8221.47 to8222.02 be8222.18 able8222.42 to8222.58 support8222.75 the8223.23 folks8223.31 we8223.57 have.8223.81 We're8224.29 very8224.61 sensitive8224.85 to8225.41 the8225.57 error8225.73 rate8225.97 issue8226.21 and8226.93 making8227.09 sure8227.41 and8227.73 and8227.97 knowing8228.29 not8228.69 only8228.85 how8229.17 that8229.41 potentially8229.65 endangers8230.21 our8230.93 federal8231.01 dollars8231.49 coming8231.81 in,8232.13 but8232.53 how8232.69 it8232.85 translates8233.17 to8234.13 people8234.29 receiving8234.69 the8235.09 appropriate8235.25 public8235.81 benefits.8236.29
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8241.25 SPEAKER158241.25 -8241.25 Thank8241.25 you,8241.5 mister8241.65 chair.8241.98 So,8242.61 commissioner,8242.93 thank8243.33 you8243.5 for8243.58 addressing8243.81 the8244.14 privacy,8244.53 matters8245.81 that8246.14 was8246.22 actually8246.3 gonna8246.53 be8246.77 about8246.93 what8247.17 most8247.33 of8247.58 my8247.65 questions8247.81 I8248.14 had8248.3 for8248.45 you8248.61 is.8248.77 Related8249.73 to8250.14 the8250.3 topic8250.38 around8250.85 the8251.25 modernization8251.42 and8252.3 and8252.64 some8252.88 of8253.04 the8253.12 fraud8253.36 that8253.6 has8253.84 occurred8254.4 because8254.96 of8255.28 the8255.52 technology.8256.08 First,8258 has8258.56 any8258.88 of8259.12 it8259.36 been8259.6 traced8260.56 to,8261.12 the8262.8 vendors8263.04 these8263.68 kind8263.92 of,8264.16 like,8264.32 pop8264.56 up8264.72 vendors8265.04 that8265.58 will8265.9 set8265.98 up8266.22 on8266.38 a8266.61 street8266.69 corner8267.01 or8267.33 a8267.58 pharmacy8267.66 or8268.14 the8268.3 post8268.45 office8268.69 saying8269.5 that8269.66 they8269.82 can8269.98 get8270.14 someone8270.3 a8270.53 cell8270.69 phone8270.94 plan8271.09 if8271.42 they8271.58 show8271.66 them8271.9 their8272.06 MassHealth8272.38 or8272.77 the8272.94 EBT8273.09 card.8273.58 Has8273.82 there8274.06 been8274.22 any8274.38 correlation8274.69 between,8275.74 with8277.33 the8277.5 fraud8277.66 people8278.06 that8278.3 were8278.45 victims8278.61 in8278.94 those?8279.25 No.8279.49 No.8279.73
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11628.59 SPEAKER1811628.59 -11628.59 Mister11628.59 chairman.11628.83 Thank11629.55 you,11629.71 commissioner.11629.87 And11630.35 this11630.59 might11630.75 be11630.91 a11631.23 further11631.39 conversation11631.79 that11632.19 maybe11632.35 you11632.67 and11632.83 I11632.99 can11633.15 have.11633.31 But11634.11 some11634.35 of11634.43 the11634.51 things11634.59 that11634.75 have11634.91 been11635.07 brought11635.23 to11635.47 my11635.63 attention11635.71 more11636.35 recently11636.59 than11637.15 not11637.31 is11638.11 around11638.43 your11638.91 actual11639.15 employees.11639.47 Right?11640.02 The11640.27 case11640.42 workers11640.67 that11641.07 deal11641.31 with,11641.55 the11642.83 complaints11642.99 that11643.47 are11643.63 filed11643.7 against11644.02 families11644.27 that11644.67 go11644.83 out11645.07 and11645.15 do11645.31 the11645.47 investigations11645.63 on11646.42 child11646.58 abuse11646.91 allegations11647.39 and11647.86 neglect.11648.1 And11649.15 the11649.31 concern11649.47 is11649.94 what11650.27 safeguards11650.58 are11651.23 put11651.31 in11651.47 place11651.63 to11651.94 protect11652.1 those11652.5 workers11652.83 from11653.42 false11653.5 allegations11654.06 of11655.18 child11655.42 abuse11655.74 themselves.11656.14 So,11656.54 I11656.94 guess,11657.1 to11658.3 maybe11658.54 clarify,11658.86 if11659.42 you11659.58 have11659.74 a11659.9 a11660.22 social11660.3 worker11660.54 that11660.94 goes11661.1 out11661.34 to11661.5 a11661.66 home11661.82 that11662.14 has11662.38 been,11662.7 brought11663.34 to11663.58 your11663.74 to11664.06 your11664.3 caseload11664.62 regarding11665.75 child11666.07 abuse11666.4 and11666.72 neglect,11666.88 and11668.15 it's11668.4 founded11668.72 that11669.19 there11669.51 might11669.75 be11670.15 child11670.4 abuse11670.8 and11671.11 neglect11671.19 in11671.59 this11671.83 further11672 investigation.11672.4 And11673.43 now11673.67 that11673.92 social11674.23 worker11674.64 is11675.03 now11675.19 being11675.43 targeted11675.75 by11676.31 that11676.56 parent11676.88 or11677.43 that11677.51 that11677.9 caregiver,11677.98 and11679.18 false11679.5 allegations11679.9 of11680.38 abuse11680.62 on11681.1 their11681.26 family11681.5 is11682.06 now11682.22 being11682.46 reported11682.78 to11683.26 your11683.42 office.11683.66 I11684.54 know11684.62 from11684.94 having11685.1 conversations,11685.5 it11686.14 gets11686.38 transferred11686.62 out,11687.1 but11687.34 what11687.5 safeguards11687.74 are11688.22 put11688.3 in11688.46 place11688.62 to11688.94 really11689.1 protect11689.42 those11689.82 workers11690.06 from,11691.18 abuse11692.7 or,11693.44 harassment11694.49 from11695.52 individual11696.57 cases11697.2 that11697.52 they11697.69 have11698.08 been11698.33 assigned11698.49 to.11699.05 Is11700.33 there11700.49 any11700.65 safeguards11700.97 in11701.44 place?11701.6 What11701.92 can11702.08 we11702.33 maybe11702.57 do11702.81 as11702.97 legislators11703.2 to11704 protect11704.25 those11704.65 state11704.97 workers11705.2 who11706.11 are11706.27 doing11706.51 kind11706.83 of11706.99 the11707.15 the11707.39 the11707.87 thankless11707.95 job11708.59 at11708.83 times11708.99 on11709.71 protecting11709.87 our11710.35 most11710.51 vulnerable,11710.99 the11711.55 youth11711.71 in11711.95 our11712.11 in11712.35 our11712.51 commonwealth?11712.67
11714.59 SPEAKER2211714.59 -11714.59 So11714.59 I11714.91 would11715.07 be11715.31 happy11715.47 to11715.87 talk11716.03 to11716.27 you11716.35 about11716.59 this,11716.83 offline.11717.87 But11718.51 I11718.75 would11718.83 just11718.99 say11719.23 in11719.47 general11719.63 that11720.11 we11720.43 do11720.59 try11720.91 to11721.15 make11721.31 sure11721.47 that11721.73 our11721.89 social11722.05 workers11722.36 have11722.6 training11722.84 on,11723.97 you11724.44 know,11724.68 how11725.08 to11725.32 deescalate11725.56 situations.11726.44 And11728.05 then,11728.36 we11729.4 are11729.73 all11729.97 we11730.2 have11730.36 our11730.6 own11730.76 safety11730.92 committee,11731.32 and11731.73 so11731.89 we're11732.13 talking11732.36 about11732.68 the11732.92 challenges11733.08 that11733.65 individual11733.81 workers11734.44 or11735 in11735.01 different11735.01 communities11735.02 they11735.02 may11735.03 be11735.03 facing.11735.04 So,11735.05 you11735.05 know,11735.06 if11735.06 we11735.06 I11735.08 heard11735.08 someone11735.08 say11735.33
11743.36 lot11743.36 of11743.44 cell11743.76 service.11743.84 And11744.08 so11744.24 we've11745.12 been11745.28 instrumental11745.76 in11746.4 making11746.64 sure11746.88 that11747.12 there11747.2 was11747.36 a11747.52 process11747.68 where11748.08 we11748.24 could11748.32 make11748.56 sure11748.72 that11748.88 workers11749.04 have11749.44 a11749.6 way11749.68 of11749.92 communicating.11750.08 So11750.8 whenever11751.49 we're11751.81 hearing11752.13 anything11752.44 like11752.84 this,11752.92 we're11753.08 always11753.41 thinking11753.81 about11754.2 ways11754.44 that11754.76 we11755 can11755.08 problem11755.33 solve.11755.73 And11756.05 I11756.28 would11756.44 be11756.6 happy11756.76 that11757.17 if11757.33 there's11757.57 something11758.05 that11758.36 is11759.41 beyond11759.65 the11759.97 scope11760.13 of11760.36 what11760.52 we11760.68 can11760.84 do,11761.08 bringing11761.33 it11761.65 back11761.81 to11761.97 this11762.13 group11762.28 and11762.6 asking,11762.84 for11763.49 assistance11763.91 on11764.23 that.11764.87
11764.95 SPEAKER1811764.95 -11764.95 Yeah.11764.95 I11765.11 know11765.19 that11765.35 111765.51 of11765.59 the11765.75 concerns11765.83 is11766.23 and11766.31 I11766.47 I11766.71 apologize.11766.79 I11767.19 know11767.27 it's11767.43 getting11767.59 late,11767.83 and11768.07 a11768.23 lot11768.31 of11768.47 people11768.55 are11768.71 probably11768.87 eager11769.75 to11769.99 kinda11770.23 end11770.47 the11770.63 day.11770.79 But,11770.95 111772.07 of11772.31 the11772.39 concerns11772.55 is11773.03 around,11773.19 obviously,11773.75 privacy,11774.23 you11774.79 know,11775.03 when11775.19 it11775.43 comes11775.59 to11775.83 the11775.99 different11776.15 clients11776.39 that11776.79 you11777.03 guys,11777.11 interact11778.02 with11778.34 and11778.67 their11778.83 privacy.11779.07 But11780.1 then,11780.26 how11781.55 does11781.86 a11782.26 social11782.42 worker11782.83 then11783.31 who's11784.02 being11784.34 maybe11784.67 being11784.83 harassed11785.15 outside11785.78 of11786.58 their11786.83 job11787.39 scope11787.7 right11788.67 now,11788.91 their11789.23 family11789.47 is11789.94 being11790.1 targeted11790.34 or11790.99 somehow,11791.23
11793.79 what11793.79 what11794.11 because11794.99 from11795.39 what11795.63 I'm11795.79 hearing11796.03 is11796.27 that11796.43 there's11796.67 somewhat11796.99 of11797.31 a,11797.39 unfortunate11798.27 disconnect11798.99 because11799.55 of11799.95 HIPAA11800.19 that11800.99 they're11801.15 not11801.39 allowed11801.71 to11802.03 go11802.19 and11802.43 get11802.67 restraining11803.25 orders11803.49 against,11803.97 say,11804.52 individuals.11804.92 And11805.33 I11805.49 know11805.56 this11806.05 might11806.2 be11806.36 more11806.52 of11806.76 an11806.84 offline11807.08 conversation11807.56 that11808.05 you11808.28 and11808.44 I11808.6 maybe11809.17 can11809.49 have11809.65 or11809.97 someone11810.2 within11810.52 your11810.84 department11811 we11811.49 could11811.56 have.11811.73
11811.97 SPEAKER2211811.97 -11811.97 I'd11811.97 be11812.13 happy11812.2 to11812.6
11812.76 SPEAKER1811812.76 -11812.76 have11812.76 see11813.08 what11813.33 we11813.49 can11813.56 do11813.73 here11813.89 in11814.13 the11814.28 legislator11814.44 that11815 might11815.17 kind11816.05 of11816.28 give11816.68 a11816.92 an11817.49 exemption11817.65 to11818.88 those11819.04 workers11819.36 that11819.84 might11820.16 be11820.48 being11821.28 harassed11821.68 both,11822.24 in11823.52 their11823.76 work11824.16 life,11824.4 but11824.64 also11824.8 in11825.12 their11825.28 private11825.52 and11825.84 personal11826 life11826.4 that11826.64 affects11826.88 not11827.28 just11827.36 them11827.6 but11827.76 also11828 their11828.24 families?11828.48 Yeah.11829.12
11830 SPEAKER2211830 -11830 So11830 we,11830.4 we11831.68 can11831.76 definitely11832 talk11832.32 about11832.56 this,11832.8 but11832.96 I11833.2 would11833.28 say11833.52 that11833.68 we11834.11 have11834.35 a11834.83 general11835 counsel11835.4 and11835.88 legal11836.03 representation11836.51 for11837.32 our11837.48 staff.11837.72 So11838.03 when11838.19 these11838.35 circumstances11838.59 come11839.24 up,11839.4 there11839.64 is11839.8 a11839.95 way11840.03 for11840.27 us11840.43 to11840.67 to,11840.83 help11842.11 them11842.27 and11842.51 support11842.67 them.11843.08 And11843.24 we11843.8 do11844.03 not11844.19 discourage11844.43 people11844.92 from11845.24 getting11845.48 a11845.8 restraining11845.95 order11846.43 if11846.75 they11847 need11847.16 1,11847.4 and11847.56 so11847.8 there's11847.95 a11848.27 process11848.43 for11848.83 us11849 to11849.16 do11849.24 that.11849.49 I11849.97 think11850.13 as,11850.45 state11851.89 employees11852.13 being11852.85 able11853.17 to,11853.49 not11855.25 have11855.49 your11855.81 address,11856.29 you11857.33 know,11857.57 out11857.89 in11858.05 the11858.21 public11858.37 is11858.77 always11859.09 gonna11859.33 be11859.65 helpful11859.81 for11860.13 us11860.29 to11860.53 be11860.69 able11860.85 to11861.09 do11861.25 that.11861.41 But11861.65 we11862.29 do11862.45 work11862.69 with11862.93 a11863.17 younger11863.33 generation11863.73 that11864.37 also,11864.61 like11866.03 social11866.35 media.11866.75 Right.11867.24 And11867.56 so,11867.8 you11868.11 know,11868.27 we've11868.44 had11868.75 to11869 talk11869.16 about11869.4 how11869.8 to11870.03 protect11870.19 ourselves11870.59 even11871.16 in11871.4 those11871.56 circumstances11871.95 around11872.83 Are11873.56 are11873.8
11873.95 SPEAKER1811873.95 -11873.95 your11873.95 workers11874.11 exempt11874.59 from11875 the11875.24 the11875.48 disclosure11875.72 of,11876.27 addresses?11876.83 We11877.08 are11877.32
11877.48 SPEAKER2211877.48 -11877.48 not.11877.48 Okay.11877.8
11878.11 SPEAKER1811878.11 -11878.11 None11878.11 of11878.44 us.11878.52 Maybe11879.11 that's11879.43 something11879.59 that11879.83 the11880.15 committee11880.23 maybe11880.55 can11880.87 look11881.03 into11881.27 then.11881.51 Thank11881.83 you.11881.91 I11882.63 appreciate11882.79 it.11883.35 Thank11883.51 you,11883.67 mister11883.83 chairman.11884.15
11884.63 SPEAKER111884.63 -11884.63 No11884.63 problem.11884.71 Any11885.11 other11885.35 questions?11885.51 Thank11887.91 you.11888.15
11888.47 SPEAKER2211888.47 -11888.47 Alright.11888.47 Thank11888.71 you11888.95 so11889.03 much.11889.27
11891.27 SPEAKER111891.27 -11891.27 Finally,11891.27 we11893.08 have11893.13 the11893.36 OCA,11893.52 Maria11895.13 Musales.11895.6
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11902.89 SPEAKER1611902.89 -11902.89 Welcome.11902.89 Thank11903.76 you.11904.08
11906.99 SPEAKER1111906.99 -11906.99 Good11906.99 afternoon,11907.15 to11908.11 the11908.35 chairs11908.51 and11908.91 to11909.07 the11909.23 committee11909.39 members.11909.71 I'm11910.83 Maria11911.07 Masaitis,11911.39 and11911.87 I'm11912.03 the11912.19 director11912.35 of11912.67 the11912.83 Office11912.99 of11913.39 the11913.55 Child11913.71 Advocate.11914.03 As11914.91 all11915.15 of11915.31 you11915.47 know,11915.63 the11915.87 OCA11916.11 is11916.51 an11916.67 independent11916.99 executive11917.63 branch11918.11 agency.11918.59 Our11919.71 role11919.95 is11920.27 to11920.43 ensure11920.51 that11920.91 children11921.15 receive11921.55 appropriate,11922.19 timely,11922.97 and11923.84 quality11924 state11924.65 services11924.97 while11925.92 identifying11926.33 gaps11926.97 and11927.36 making11927.6 recommendations11928 to11928.89 improve11929.05 systems,11929.52 policies,11930.48 and11931.05 practices.11931.28 The11932.48 OCA11932.73 has11933.44 a11933.84 staff11934.08 of11934.56 3211934.81 full11935.44 time11935.76 employees.11936.25 When11937.44 I11937.68 started,11937.92 we11938.74 had11938.9 3.11939.22 So11939.7 I11939.94 wanna11940.1 particularly11940.66 thank11941.46 the11941.86 legislature,11942.02 for11943.46 your11943.7 support11944.02 in11944.58 enabling11944.82 us11945.38 to,11945.7 grow11946.74 the11947.06 OCA.11947.38 Our11948.82 budget11948.98 in11949.46 fiscal11949.62 year11950.02 2411950.34 was11950.98 8,900,000.0,11951.38 including11953.3 30011953.85 3,750,000.0011954.81 dedicated11956.9 to11957.53 the11957.69 center11957.77 on11958.09 child11958.42 well-being11958.81 and11959.38 trauma,11959.61 and11960.42 1,550,000.0011960.73 for11962.73 pass11962.98 through11963.3 earmarks.11963.53 To11965.06 achieve11965.3 our11965.77 goal11966.01 of11966.33 providing11966.42 effective11966.98 oversight,11967.45 producing11968.54 high11969.1 quality11969.34 policy11969.82 analysis,11970.38 and11971.5 collaborating11971.74 with11972.54 our11972.78 partners11972.86 in11973.26 state11973.5 government11973.74 to11974.62 launch11974.86 innovative11975.26 pilot11975.9 projects11976.3 and11976.86 staff11977.02 training11977.34 initiatives,11977.82 the11978.94 OCA11979.18 has11979.66 established11979.98 311980.54 divisions,11980.78 and11981.5 I11981.75 briefly11981.99 wanna11982.23 touch11982.63 on11982.94 them.11983.02 First,11983.91 our11984.39 quality11984.63 assurance11985.02 team11985.58 helps11986.07 families11986.47 navigate11987.02 complex11988.47 state11989.1 systems.11989.34 Anyone11990.39 who11990.86 has11991.02 questions11991.26 or11991.83 concerns11992.07 about11992.55 a11992.86 child11993.02 who11993.67 is11993.91 receiving11994.07 services11994.63 or11995.26 should11995.5 be11995.75 receiving11995.99 services11996.47 can11997.65 call11997.89 our11998.05 e11998.45 or11998.77 email11999.01 our11999.41 complaint11999.73 line.12000.05 Our12001.01 team12001.25 of12001.57 experienced12001.81 clinicians12002.53 can12003.17 review12003.33 complicated12003.81 situations12004.53 and12005.57 help12005.81 resolve12006.13 problems12006.61 for12007.17 your12007.25 constituents.12007.57 Our12008.61 team12008.85 also12009.25 reviews12009.57 critical12010.05 incidents12010.53 reports,12011.15 which12012.02 occur12012.26 when12012.5 a12012.74 child12012.98 receiving12013.31 state12013.86 services12014.18 suffers12014.74 a12015.06 fatality,12015.31 serious12016.42 emotional,12016.98 or12017.47 physical12017.7 injury.12018.18 Finally,12019.31 we12019.86 review12020.1 foster12020.82 care,12021.31 review12021.63 safety12022.1 alerts,12022.5 as12023.23 well12023.39 as12023.63 supported12023.94 reports12024.9 of12025.39 abuse12025.55 and12025.86 neglect12026.02 in12026.34 out12026.7 of12026.86 home12027.02 settings12028.06 and12028.3 licensed12028.78 programs12029.34 where12029.9 children12030.22 are12030.54 receiving12030.7 services.12031.18 If12032.38 we12032.62 identify12032.78 a12033.5 significant12033.66 concern,12034.22 the12035.02 OCA12035.26 will12035.74 immediately12035.98 follow-up12036.78 with12037.18 the12037.34 agency12037.5 to12038.46 ensure12038.7 that12039.02 it12039.18 is12039.42 addressed.12039.58 In12040.6 rare12040.84 cases12041.25 when12041.65 a12041.89 child12042.05 dies12042.36 and12043.17 the12043.41 actions12043.65 or12044.2 inactions12044.44 of12045.08 a12045.25 state12045.41 agency12045.73 were12046.2 egregious,12046.52 we12047.41 conduct12047.65 a12048.05 public12048.2 investigation12048.68 to12049.89 understand12050.13 what12050.52 happened12050.76 and12051.49 identify12051.73 steps12052.44 the12052.84 Commonwealth12053 can12053.64 take12053.88 to12054.52 prevent12054.76 future12055.24 tragedies.12055.72 Second,12057.16 our12057.96 center12058.2 on12058.6 child12058.84 well-being12059.16 and12059.64 trauma12059.8 supports12060.28 child12061.16 serving12061.48 state12061.88 agencies12062.28 and12062.92 their12063.16 providers12063.56 in12064.52 becoming12064.68 trauma12065.24 informed12065.72 and12066.28 responsive.12066.52 Our12067.8 staff12068.04 train12068.7 and12069.02 partner12069.1 with12069.58 state12069.83 agencies12070.15 to12071.18 ensure12071.42 that12071.75 they12071.91 have12072.15 the12072.31 tools12072.55 and12072.86 skills12073.1 to12073.91 support12074.07 children12074.47 who12074.94 have12075.18 experienced12075.42 trauma.12076.07 And12077.18 finally,12077.42 our12078.39 policy12078.63 and12079.18 implementation12079.34 team12080.15 studies12080.55 common12081.18 and12081.99 persistent12082.15 problems12082.78 in12083.18 our12083.34 child12083.5 serving12083.83 systems.12084.31 We12085.11 use12085.35 data12085.75 driven12086.15 research12086.63 to12087.03 identify12087.27 needed12087.83 reforms12088.23 and12089.11 recommend12089.43 policy12089.99 changes.12090.47 With12091.35 our12091.59 agency12091.75 partners,12092.31 we12092.79 also12093.03 launch12093.43 and12093.83 evaluate12093.99 pilot12094.79 projects,12095.19 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12115.01 The12115.01 Department12115.25 of12115.57 Children12115.73 and12116.21 Families12116.37 or12117.17 involvement12117.49 with12117.97 the12118.21 juvenile12118.29 justice12118.69 system.12119.17 This12120.29 is12120.53 why12120.69 an12120.93 act12121.17 regarding12121.49 families12121.97 and12122.45 children12122.69 in12123.09 need12123.25 of12123.41 assistance12123.57 is12124.53 so12124.69 important.12124.93 This12126.53 bill12126.77 came12127.01 out12127.25 of12127.41 a12127.57 212127.73 year12127.97 study12128.29 from12128.69 state's12129.06 juvenile12129.38 justice12130.01 policy12130.41 and12130.81 data12130.98 board,12131.38 which12131.85 the12132.09 OCA12132.33 chairs.12132.81 This12133.77 bill12134.09 would12134.49 reform12134.73 the12135.22 child12135.38 requiring12135.85 assistance12136.9 system12137.45 to12138.25 ensure12138.41 that12138.9 youth12139.14 and12139.38 families12139.61 who12140.17 are12140.33 in12140.57 need12140.73 of12140.98 support12141.14 are12142.01 better12142.17 able12142.41 to12142.73 access12142.97 it12143.21 without12143.85 going12144.41 at12145.05 through12145.13 a12145.45 needless,12145.69 lengthy,12146.57 and12147.53 potentially12147.69 harmful12148.33 court12149.13 process.12149.45 To12150.81 achieve12151.05 this,12151.37 we12151.61 need12151.77 to12151.93 bolster12152.09 our12153.05 network12153.21 of12153.69 family12153.85 resource12154.25 centers.12154.65 There12155.53 were12155.77 3312156.25 FRCs12156.97 across12157.44 the12157.76 state.12157.92 The12158.89 OCA12159.13 has12159.6 studied12159.84 family12160.25 resource12160.73 centers12161.13 and12162 know12162.17 that12162.33 they12162.57 do12162.73 incredible12162.97 work.12163.52 And12164.08 with12164.33 additional12164.57 funding,12165.13 support,12165.84 and12166.33 reorganization,12166.49 they12168.08 can12168.25 do12168.49 so12168.89 much12169.13 more.12169.44 FRCs12170.69 need12171.65 your12171.97 support12172.29 in12172.77 this12172.93 bill,12173.17 but12174.13 especially12174.37 in12175.17 this12175.41 very12175.73 difficult12176.21 budget12176.85 climate.12177.25 Second,12178.77 I12179.17 urge12179.41 your12179.65 support12179.81 for12180.21 an12180.37 act12180.61 relative12180.93 to12181.41 training12181.57 mandated12181.97 reporters.12182.53 Although12182.59 Massachusetts12182.65
12182.71 SPEAKER212182.71 -12182.71 law12182.71 requires12182.77
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12436.16 SPEAKER112436.16 -12436.16 Well,12436.16 with12436.48 that,12436.64 the12437.12 committees12438.08 the12438.88 hearings12439.84 adjourned.12440.24