Massachusetts Legislature Passes Bill to Enhance Child Welfare Protections

Strengthens oversight, improves educational support, expands youth rights,
and increases transparency across the Commonwealth's child welfare system

(BOSTON—7/31/2026) Today, the Massachusetts Legislature passed comprehensive legislation to strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability within the Commonwealth’s child welfare system.

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.

“This bill reflects the Legislature’s commitment to ensuring the Commonwealth's most vulnerable children and youth have access to the healthy outcomes and educational opportunities they deserve,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “It gives our child welfare agencies the tools they need, provides transparency into how the state is performing, and strengthens independent oversight to examine problems system-wide. I'm thankful to Chair Livingstone, Representative Garcia, and Representative Sullivan-Almeida, as well as my colleagues in the House and our partners in the Senate, for their work on this significant bill for the children of Massachusetts.”

“As a social worker as well as a legislator, I firmly believe that when all people in the Commonwealth have access to opportunity—as well as the tools to succeed—our entire state benefits. For our children in state or foster care, those tools are simple yet profound: a feeling of safety, a belief they are cared for, connections to the community, and a clear understanding of their rights,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “This bill continues the important work of protecting our children—work I was proud to help lead for years as the former Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities and as a champion for community-based services through the creation of Family Resource Centers. I am incredibly grateful to Senator Robyn Kennedy for her leadership on this bill, Senator Comerford for chairing the conference committee, and Senator O’Connor for his thoughtful collaboration, as well as my colleagues in the Senate and our partners in the House for ensuring this crucial legislation will make it to the Governor’s desk.”

“This bill strengthens the systems that protect the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable children,” said Representative Jay D. Livingstone (D-Boston), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. “It provides new tools to schools, courts, and child welfare agencies to improve educational, health, and safety outcomes for our most vulnerable children. The bill also mandates more public reporting to better understand what’s working and identify where improvement is needed. I want to thank Speaker Mariano, Chair Michlewitz, Senator Comerford, Representative Garcia, and the other conferees for their commitment to these issues and work to achieve this result, as well as my House colleagues for supporting this important legislation.”

“This legislation reflects our shared responsibility to the children of the Commonwealth — especially those who have experienced abuse, entered foster care, or are navigating crises,” said Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton), Co-Chair of the Conference Committee and Vice Chair of Senate Ways and Means. “It affirms that every child deserves not only protection, but support, stability, dignity, and the opportunity to build the future they deserve. This bill makes meaningful, systemwide improvements — from establishing a Foster Child Bill of Rights to strengthening education continuity, family supports, and accountability. It makes our child welfare system more responsive, transparent, and compassionate. I am grateful to my co-Chair Representative Jay Livingstone for his partnership, to our fellow conferees, especially Senator Robyn Kennedy for her fierce leadership in developing and stewarding the Senate’s version of this bill, to Senate President Karen Spilka and Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues for their deep commitment to our most vulnerable residents, and to the advocates who have long fought for these essential protections and reforms.”

“Children only get one childhood. When the state becomes responsible for a child, that responsibility must mean something. This legislation makes that responsibility clearer, stronger, and more accountable,” said Representative Judith A. Garcia (D-Chelsea), member of the conference committee.

“The bill finalized by the Legislature today makes important changes to improve the efficiency, transparency, accountability, and performance of the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA), and the Children Requiring Assistance (CRA) systems.” said Senator Robyn K. Kennedy (D-Worcester), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities. “These long-needed improvements to our child welfare ecosystem have passed today because of the tireless work of so many - because of their efforts, Massachusetts will be a better place for our children to learn and grow. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to make policy that helps all the children of the Commonwealth thrive. I am grateful to my Senate and House colleagues and the many advocates and agencies who worked with us to get this bill to the Governor’s desk.”

“As the mother of two young children, this legislation is deeply personal to me. Every child deserves to feel safe, loved, supported, and given every opportunity to succeed, said Representative Alyson M. Sullivan-Almeida (R-Abington), member of the conference committee. “While our work to protect children will never be finished, I believe this conference report represents meaningful progress and demonstrates what we can accomplish when we work together with children, not politics, as our priority.”

“Every child deserves to grow up safe, supported, and surrounded by adults who stand up for them. I’d like to thank my fellow conferees for all their work on this legislation. This bill strengthens our child welfare system by protecting the rights of children in foster care by improving educational stability and supporting families by ensuring greater accountability across state agencies,” said State Senator Patrick M. O’Connor (R-Weymouth), member of the conference committee. “These reforms reflect our commitment to putting the wellbeing of children first and giving every young person the opportunity to thrive.”

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 passed today 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, the bill now goes to the Governor’s desk for her signature.

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