LePage proposes child welfare changes, saying two girls ‘should not have died’

6 years ago

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage said on Thursday he wants to steer Maine child welfare priorities away from family reunification and that he’s willing to call legislators back to address a broken system after a legislative watchdog’s report on two recent child deaths.

The Republican governor appeared at a public hearing held by the Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee on a report released last week the deaths of 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy in February and 4-year-old Kendall Chick in December, where advocates flagged what they said were deep-rooted problems in the department’s practices.

“They should not have died,” LePage said of Kennedy and Chick, “and we — I say ‘we’ collectively — the legislative branch, the executive branch, the judicial branch of this state government has to do better to make sure children are protected.”

The County is pleased to feature content from our sister company, Bangor Daily News. To read the rest of “LePage proposes child welfare changes, saying two girls ‘should not have died’,” an article by contributing Bangor Daily News staff writer Michael Shepherd, please follow this link to the BDN online.