(BOSTON 6/12/2026) — The Massachusetts Senate yesterday unanimously passed legislation that safeguards the wellbeing of children, particularly those in state care and foster care; increases access to community support for children at risk of court involvement; and strengthens investigations of abuse cases. It also expands the Commonwealth’s vision screening programs in public schools across the state to ensure follow-up care if a problem is identified.

By establishing a Foster Child Bill of Rights, the bill – S.3111, An Act enhancing child welfare protections – guarantees certain basic rights for children in foster care related to their safety, education, and health care.

This legislation also expands the diversion of children dealing with behavior or attendance problems to Family Resource Centers (FRCs) instead of the court system.

FRCs provide accessible, confidential support to children and families in crisis close to home and have proven successful in helping kids and teens stay in school, connecting families with services such as mental health or substance use treatment, housing aid, and legal help, and—most importantly—avoiding the need for the child to obtain a court record just to access assistance.

The bill further strengthens the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) to support robust investigations into reports of harm or abuse to a child. It places the Child Fatality Review Team within the OCA and explicitly empowers the OCA to review cases of indecent assault and battery, abuse or rape of a child.

During debate, the Senate adopted Amendment 28, introduced by Second Worcester District Senator Michael Moore, which creates a computerized registry of children’s vision screenings and eye care results to ensure abnormal results are followed up on. The registry is set to include information on screening results, whether referrals for additional eye examinations are made, and what follow-up care is administered. This is the primary recommendation made by the 2021 Report of the Childhood Vision and Eye Health Commission, and the cornerstone of Senator Moore’s comprehensive children’s eye care bill, S.166. Approximately 10% of all preschool children have eye or vision problems, and given that research shows that 90% of all information processed by the brain arrives through the visual system, unaddressed vision challenges at a young age can risk a child missing out on critical developmental years.

“We owe it to the children of Massachusetts to ensure they receive the very best care and are protected by the full force of our laws. This bill makes very real changes to advance the safety and protection for children in our foster care system and beyond,” said Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury). “I’m also thrilled that the Senate joined me in support of my amendment which makes an important change to the Commonwealth’s youth vision screening system, creating a computerized registry to ensure children who need additional eye care get it. I’ve been advocating for this policy for a long time, and I’m so proud that our system will no longer allow children with vision challenges to fall through the cracks – giving the next generation of Bay Staters the best chance to thrive in school and throughout their lives.”

Full details of the legislation are included in a fact sheet in the Senate’s press room.

During the course of public debate during today’s formal session, Senators adopted amendments to further strengthen the OCA’s work to serve children and families.

One addition to the bill (Amendment 1) requires the OCA to make materials available to volunteers who work with children—such as volunteer coaches or scout troop leaders—that will help them recognize the signs of child abuse, prevent sexual abuse, and understand signs of problematic sexual behavior between minors.

Senators also adopted another amendment (Amendment 31), inspired by a family’s story, to ask the OCA to compile resources to better aid grieving families who have lost a child due to Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome (SUDS).

The Senate passed the bill yesterday on a 39-0 roll call vote and sent it back to the House for further review.

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