Audit of the Office of the Child Advocate

This is a Massachusetts State Auditor performance audit of the Office of the Child Advocate covering July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018.

“I am pleased to provide this performance audit of the Office of the Child Advocate.”

Auditors checked how the office handled critical incident reports, certain abuse and neglect reports, and complaints from the public.

“In this performance audit, we examined OCA’s processing of critical incident reports that it receives from executive agencies, its processing of institutional reports (i.e., 51A and 51B reports1) of abuse and/or neglect that have been investigated and supported by the state’s Department of Children and Families, and the administration of its complaint process.”

The Office of the Child Advocate exists to help make sure children receiving state-related services are treated safely, properly, and with respect.

“According to the Office of the Child Advocate’s (OCA’s) website, the agency’s mission is “to ensure all children in the Commonwealth receive appropriate, timely and quality services with full respect for their human rights.””

If you are worried about a child or youth getting services from a state agency, this office can help point you toward help or work through the problem.

“Anyone with concerns about a child (age 12 or under) or youth (age 13–19) receiving services from a state agency can contact OCA, which can help them resolve their problems with the agency or identify appropriate resources.”

The auditor thought OCA could do its job better if it received fuller information about supported abuse allegations, including cases outside institutions.

“Although it is not required by law or regulation, we believe that OCA could better achieve its mission of protecting children by receiving detailed information of supported allegations of sexual abuse and other abuse that occur in both institutional and non-institutional settings.”

OCA said it was reviewing the mandated-reporter law and would look at gaps in how child sexual abuse is reported and handled.

“The OCA is currently launching a multiagency review, and ultimate rewrite, of the Mandated Reporter Statute.”

The concern is large because most serious sexual abuse reports reviewed for that period involved non-institutional settings, which OCA was not required to analyze.

“Of the 1,505 incidents, 1,482 (98%) were committed in non-institutional settings, and therefore OCA was not required to analyze them.”

A 51A report is the initial abuse or neglect report made to the Department of Children and Families; a 51B report is DCF’s investigation of that allegation.

“The 51B report is the DCF investigation into the 51A allegation of abuse or neglect.”