Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate

Once again, the OCA is #hiring! Please share this posting for a Training Coordinator with your networks and colleagues! https://lnkd.in/e_sn-Nzw

The OCA is #hiring - we are looking for our next Chief Financial Officer. Please share with your networks! https://lnkd.in/eTvU-aCQ

The Office of the Child Advocate is #hiring once again! We are looking for a Senior Legal Counsel to join our team. https://lnkd.in/e343cHW9

New training available! Please share with your early childhood educators and networks.

We are so proud to partner with Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care on our new STREET Initiative: Strategies for Trauma Responsive Early Educator Training! This new training series will empower educators and leaders with the tools to help create positive, resilient early education settings. Together we are creating resources to help educators and EEC staff implement trauma-responsive strategies.  As Director Mossaides said: "When children experience trauma without the right support, it can affect their development, behavior, and academic success. Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, and by providing professionals these tools, we can create environments that foster resilience and ensure that all children have the foundation they need to succeed. I am so grateful to partner with the Department of Early Education and Care because this collaboration represents a huge opportunity to ensure that early childhood professionals have the skills they need to truly be trauma-responsive." Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ehsp288T 

The Juvenile Justice Policy & Data Board, which the OCA chairs, released a new report on Massachusetts #juvenilejustice system today! Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ecjAGq8a The pretrial phase is when a youth has been officially charged with a crime, but has not yet gone to trial or resolved their case. Massachusetts has made significant strides in reducing youth detention over the past decade-plus, but the rest of pretrial process has received far less attention.     If we do better there, youth are more likely to be successful. If we don’t, youth more likely to recidivate and public safety declines.  It’s an area of the juvenile justice system that impacts a lot of kids.     It’s a basic question: Are we treating youth as youth rather than adults? Because if we do, then we are more likely to have safe communities and thriving youth.     Four of the key findings of the report include:  -There are disparities in who is detained pretrial  -Youth are being given pretrial conditions of release more often, and these conditions are not always developmentally appropriate  -The pretrial process lasts too long, causing harm to youth  -Restrictive options (like home confinement) are overused    So what can be done?   1st: Improve how conditions of release are set and revisited to ensure they are fair, effective, and aligned with youth development.     2nd: Increase “intermediate” pretrial supervision and service options. Some youth would benefit from more intensive services and supports to help them be successful during the pretrial phase - instead of sending them to detention because they had difficulty adhering to their release conditions.    3rd: Divert more youth: Continue to expand diversion programs and options to treat youth as youth and help them access necessary services sooner while reducing court involvement.    For more details, read the full report. 

We are here at the State House for the Substance Use Disorder Bill ceremonial signing! We are thrilled that this measure has now become law. We worked hard to end requirements for healthcare providers to automatically report birthing parents to DCF for the use of prescribed medication for substance use. We want to thank the broad coalition of advocates, the legislature, and the Governor’s administration for helping bring us to this point. It takes so many working together to make real change.

We are thrilled to say that the Massachusetts Legislature has passed legislation to end requirements for healthcare providers to automatically report birthing parents to DCF for the use of prescribed medication for substance use disorder! The OCA has worked hard for years on this issue – beginning four years ago with our work chairing the Mandated Reporter Commission, which examined this problem -- and we are grateful for the bill’s passage. This legislation helps create a balanced approach to keeping children safe from abuse and neglect while supporting their parents in their recovery journey. We need to support those who are making healthy decisions for themselves and their children, and this bill helps do that. We thank the House and the Senate for their action on this critical issue. We hope this bill will be swiftly signed by the Governor and look forward to the day it is law.

We're #hiring a new Training and Curriculum Development Manager - Center on Child Wellbeing and Trauma in Boston, Massachusetts. Apply today or share this post with your network.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the Office of the Child Advocate!