"Governor Patrick backs chief of welfare agency" by Peter Schworm and Michael Levenson | Globe Staff, December 20, 2013
Governor Deval Patrick defended the head of the state’s child welfare department Thursday after the agency has come under sharp criticism for neglecting a troubled Fitchburg family, but he said the commissioner must determine whether other supervisors share responsibility for the failures.
Amid public outrage over the mishandling of the case, Patrick said he did not believe that Olga I. Roche, commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, should resign. But he said key questions remain on how social workers failed for several months to visit the home of missing 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver, despite reports of abuse.
“Her job right now is to get to the bottom of what happened,” Patrick told reporters on Thursday, according to a transcript provided by his office....
And find the kid, right?
Jason Stephany, a spokesman for Service Employees International Union Local 509, said caseloads for social workers were at “crisis levels” and that Roche had done little to reduce them.
Since May, the fired social worker had filed six grievances with her managers complaining about her elevated caseload, according to an official familiar with the details of the case who was not authorized to speak publicly....
--more--"
Related: Fitchburg Follow-Up
Follow the links back for the continuous coverage of this state failure and tragedy.
Governor Deval Patrick with Dr. Candace Sloane and her husband, Century Bank President and CEO Barry Sloane of Needham (Bill Brett for The Boston Globe).
Yeah, he looks real concern about little wanderers.
