Protecting kids from harm
Reports of abused, neglected children plummeted in pandemic, now increasing
Reports of abused or neglected children filed with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families plummeted during the pandemic — mostly due to school closures — and now with classrooms back open, they’re beginning to rise again.
“Do I believe there are children out there that have been hurt? Yes. And I think the challenge now is how are we going to identify that?” Maria Mossaides, director of the Office of the Child Advocate, told the Herald.
Instances of suspected child abuse or neglect, called 51A reports, are filed with the DCF so the agency can investigate. Mossaides said the entire state child services system relies on such reports. About 80% of them come from teachers and other school personnel.
Mandated reporters, such as teachers, social workers and child care staff are required by law to immediately report any reasonable cause to believe a child might be suffering.
The number of reports dropped 23% between one year pre-COVID to one year post- COVID, from more than 95,000 reports to 73,000 reports, according to DCF data.
In the DCF’s 2020 annual report, the agency wrote that school closures attributed to much of the decline in reporting.
“Our concern as the OCA was that what we know is that in times of economic stress, substantiated cases of abuse and neglect go up,” Mossaides said, adding that the pandemic caused “stress off the charts” for families.
As more children return to the classroom, 51A reports have gone up 10%, but still remain lower than this time of year in 2019, according to a DCF spokeswoman.
“Children are safest when they are visible in the community … DCF screens and responds to reports made, and maintains adequate staff to support children and their families,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.
The DCF said it has continued to hire new social workers and has adequate staff to respond to an increase in 51As.
Reports are seasonal, according to the DCF, with spikes typically happening at the beginning of the school year in September, and at the end in June.
Beth Kontos, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts and a former foster parent, said teachers have to keep their eyes open, “It’s important, we may be the only lifeline to a child who doesn’t know who to turn to with an issue.”
Lucinda Mills, a social worker with Boston Public Schools who has personally filed 51A reports throughout her career, said some concerns with a child may come out through essays or drawings.
Boston Public Schools will return elementary school students for full inperson learning on April 26, “Being able to see them face to face will make a difference because we will be able to have tabs on them and see them every day,” said Mills.
51A reports also tend to increase with a public and tragic case, said Mossaides, such as the death of 14year-old David Almond of Fall River who died of starvation in October while under DCF care.
“What we will see is no hesitation on the part of mandated reporters to file for this immediate period following David’s death,” Mossaides said.
There were 24,455 Massachusetts children found to have experienced maltreatment in fiscal year 2020, most as victims of neglect, per DCF data. That’s down from 26,549 in 2019.
“The health of children is a community responsibility,” Mossaides said, adding that neighbors should always keep and eye and an ear out for children.