AUGUSTA, Maine — Leaders behind nonprofit Walk A Mile In Their Shoes unveiled a report in Augusta Tuesday, outlining the pitfalls within Maine’s child welfare system and solutions to fix them.
The report, "Unsupported: Key Lessons for Improving Maine’s Child Welfare System by Supporting all Stakeholders," is the result of 10 months worth of discussions with family members, case workers, foster parents, and others affected by issues within the Office of Child and Family Services.
"We believe the only way to find the answers to this and to identify the real problems is to go out and talk with the people involved who interact with the department on a regular basis," former Senator Bill Diamond said, who founded the nonprofit responsible for the report. "No one has really ever asked, in a retaliatory-free environment, of what they think?"
The more than 30-page document shares quotes and first-hand accounts of issues. Common themes included fears of retaliation, lack of support for case workers, lack of safety nets for foster children, and poor communication, among others.
For solutions, many see a culture shift—with better organization and support for staff and foster families—as an answer to repeated struggles.
"This journey has allowed me to walk a mile in their shoes, those that are in the trenches, sometimes drowning in despair while they fight against the department," Foster parent Melanie Blair said at a press conference for the report, who now works alongside Walk A Mile In Their Shoes.
With the report dedicated to Maddox Williams, who lost his life at the hands of his mother back in 2021, Diamond says he hopes the messages shared sparks change before history repeats.
"These solutions—and these are problems identified that are so legitimate—they're so valuable. I really hope that the department will take these seriously," Diamond added.
NEWS CENTER Maine received the following joint statement from DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew and acting OCFS Director Bobbi Johnson in response to the report:
"We look forward to reviewing the report. As we said last week before the Government Oversight Committee, we acknowledge and agree with the need to improve the culture at OCFS, and we view the recent leadership change as an opportunity to reset and improve. We are committed to improving team support, training, mentorship, and communication for caseworkers, along with better pathways for caseworkers to offer ideas or criticisms. We are also working on addressing payments to Maine's resource (foster) families, who are an important and valued part of the child welfare system. In addition to this report, we also look forward to reviewing the recommendations of the Legislature. We agree that the child welfare system needs to be strengthened and problems need to be fixed, and we pledge to continue to engage with partners in this critical work."