(BOSTON 8/11/2026) — On Friday, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed comprehensive legislation to strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability within the Commonwealth’s child welfare system. Passed by the Legislature in late July, H.5629 – An Act Enhancing Child Welfare Protections strengthens and builds on the work of existing entities including the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA), the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Family Resource Center (FRC) network and the Commonwealth’s public schools in order to take a comprehensive approach toward making sure all children receive the support they deserve.
“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 meaningful changes to advance the safety and protection for children in our foster care system and beyond,” said Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury). “While this bill could’ve gone further- especially by including my comprehensive youth vision screening proposal which was adopted in the Senate’s version- these updated policies will have a real and lasting impact on the lives of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable. I’d like to thank my colleagues for their hard work on this issue, and I look forward to continuing our efforts to give each and every child in Massachusetts the support they need to achieve their greatest potential.”
A key achievement of Senator Moore in the final legislation is the inclusion of a policy creating a multi-agency Foster Student Educational Achievement Working Group. Championed by Moore during Senate debate on the bill, the Working Group’s primary goal is to create regulations governing the timelines and processes for how students in the custody of DCF will have their educational records transferred between schools when they are placed in a new home. The Working Group is set to be made up of representatives from state government, education, mental health organizations, and child advocacy organizations, and must submit its proposal on the implementation of the educational record transfer policy by December 1st, 2026.
This legislation provides for the establishment of a DCF Education Unit, to be led by an Education Director and staffed with Education Specialists tasked with academic monitoring, support, and coordination with school districts. It also requires that DCF and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) establish clear enrollment timelines and record transfer standards for children in DCF custody who move schools to avoid further interruptions to their education. Additionally, this bill establishes a commission to make recommendations on the creation and implementation of a digital education portfolio system to support the timely transfer of educational records.
This bill creates a Foster Child Bill of Rights to clarify and protect the basic rights and services foster children need to live healthy, safe and fulfilled lives. It also codifies a Youth Engagement program within the OCA to ensure the voices of youth are included to inform relevant policy, oversight and programs. Additionally, the bill allows a child the same ability as an adult to petition the court to extend any abuse or harassment protection order made on behalf of the child.
The legislation also helps keep kids out of the justice system by increasing the diversion of children with behavioral or truancy issues to FRCs. These changes to the Child Requiring Assistance (CRA) process will help ensure children and their families receive the services and support they need, rather than involve them in the court system.
In addition, this bill expands statutory reporting by DCF to include disability and intersectional demographics, breakdowns of 51A reports by reporter role, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation and complaint metrics, and refined placement and permanency measures. It also adds reporting outcomes of youth as they age out of DCF’s care, behavioral health boarding, and education metrics, such as individualized education program counts, attendance, and graduation rates. Additionally, it requires timely notification from DCF to a child’s attorney for certain emergency situations like arrest, expulsion, hospitalization or 51A reports of child abuse or neglect.
The bill also strengthens the independence of the Office of the Child Advocate as an autonomous state agency. It further expands the OCA’s authority to examine systemic disproportionalities, partner with agencies while safeguarding its oversight role, maintain a public website for mandated reporters, and conduct systemwide reviews of DCF. The legislation further strengthens the OCA’s ability to publicly share critical incident reports, allowing for greater public accountability and transparency.
In addition, the bill transfers leadership of the Child Fatality Review System from DCF to a co-chairmanship of the OCA and the Department of Public Health (DPH). It further expands membership to include the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) and codifies the structure of local review teams.
Lastly, it tasks the OCA with supporting families and caregivers by providing training materials to mandated reporters and individuals who frequently work with children. Inspired by a family’s story, it also tasks the OCA with creating and maintaining a list of resources for grieving parents who have experienced a sudden unexplained pediatric death.
Having passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, and having received the signature of the Governor, the bill is now law.
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