Since State Auditor Suzanne Bump issued a scathing audit on the state’s Department of Families and Children, top Beacon Hill officials have been pushing back. The state auditor joined us earlier this week to go over some of the key findings — including, from 2014 to 2016, 260 cases of serious injuries that were documented by MassHealth, but not by DCF over a two-year period; and more than 100 validated cases of sexual abuse, which were not reported to the Office of the Child Advocate because, the auditor said, sexual abuse does not rise to the level of a "critical incident" by DCF standards.
Shortly after the report came out, Gov. Charlie Baker called the report “irresponsible” and pointed to recent efforts to reform the agency, including a $100 million budget increase.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders, whose department overseas DCF, joined Jim Braude to discuss the audit.
