Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate

The Office of the Child Advocate is excited to welcome Marisol Garcia as the next Child Advocate, beginning June 1st!

Marisol brings more than 30 years of experience advocating for children and families, including more than two decades representing children in court and a decade of executive leadership as the director of the Mental Health Advocacy Program (MHAP) for Kids at Health Law Advocates, a statewide legal services program that has represented thousands of families to overcome barriers to mental health care for children.

Today, in honor of , we attended the The Children's Trust “Step Up for Kids” event, where pairs of shoes lined the Grand Staircase of the State House representing a child who experiences abuse or neglect each day.

Together with advocates, as well as our partners in the legislature and the executive branch, we heard from leaders on the ground who reflected on what it takes to do this work every day. Their efforts are working: this year, confirmed cases of abuse and neglect in Massachusetts decreased – showing what is possible when we invest in prevention and support for families.

Child Abuse Prevention Month is not only a moment for reflection, but a time for action: if families are supported early and consistently, we know we can help prevent child abuse from occurring.

The OCA-chaired Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board has published its 2025 Annual Report!

Join us to learn more: the OCA will host a public webinar TODAY -- Friday, April 10, from 12:30–1:30 PM to share key findings and trends from the report.

Register for the webinar here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Qv_L29WNRIusj5w_95ziTw #/registration

You can read the full JJPAD Annual Report here: https://www.mass.gov/doc/jjpad-2025-annual-report/download

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: JJPAD FY25 Annual Report Webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. The OCA will host a public webinar on Friday, April 10, from 12:30–1:30 PM to share key findings from the JJPAD Board’s 2025 annual report on trends in Massachusetts’ juvenile justice system. During the webinar, presenters will: - Review multi-year trends in youth involvement with the state....

New data on youth in the juvenile justice system is out -- and it highlights some important concerns, along with opportunities to do better.

The OCA-chaired Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board 2025 Annual Report shows that while the number of young people entering the system hasn’t changed much, more youth are being brought to court through arrest instead of a summons -- which can be potentially traumatic.

At the same time, youth are experiencing increased pretrial involvement, even though more than two-thirds of cases are ultimately dismissed.

What does that mean? Too many young people are going deeper into the system without getting the help they need -- when they need it.

The report points to solutions, like connecting youth to services earlier, using diversion instead of arrest when appropriate, and reducing unnecessary court involvement.

You can read the full report here: https://www.mass.gov/doc/jjpad-2025-annual-report/download

Want to learn more? Join us for a public webinar on Friday, April 10, from 12:30–1:30 PM, where we’ll walk through the key findings and what they mean for youth and communities.

Register for the webinar here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Qv_L29WNRIusj5w_95ziTw #/registration

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month -- and we recognize the most powerful way to help kids grow up safe and supported is to prevent harm before it begins. Protecting children takes all of us -- families, communities, and the Commonwealth -- working together to create environments where young people are safe, valued, and able to reach their full potential.

Child abuse prevention starts with making sure families and children have the resources and support they need. Recent OCA efforts to advance this mission include working to expand and improve services that support families, such as Family Resource Centers, partnering with organizations like Roca, Inc. to help young mothers break the cycle of intergenerational system involvement, and helping to develop tools for young parents, like this one from our Center on Child Wellbeing and Trauma: https://childwellbeingandtrauma.org/toolkits/supporting-parents-under-25/

You can read more about our work in this area in our Annual Report in the “Prevention and Breaking the Cycle” section here: https://www.mass.gov/doc/oca-annual-report-fiscal-year-2025/download

Together, we will continue to work toward a world where abuse is no more and where all children are safe and thriving.

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We were energized by the powerful youth voices we heard at the Children’s League of Massachusetts’s Transition-Age Youth (TAY) Hill Day! They sent a clear reminder that the most important voices in our state systems are those of the young people directly impacted by it.

The youth spoke eloquently about the critical need for access to mental health supports, stable housing, mentorship, and connections to quality education and employment.

At the Office of the Child Advocate, we know that the transition from state care to adulthood is a pivotal moment that too often comes without the supports young people need to thrive.

We are deeply grateful to the youth who spoke with such courage and purpose!

We are pleased to share this year’s Annual Report (FY25) for the Office of the Child Advocate: https://www.mass.gov/doc/oca-annual-report-fiscal-year-2025/download

This report highlights our ongoing efforts to improve child-serving systems through oversight, advocacy, and collaboration with partners across the Commonwealth.

One data point we are particulary happy about: calls to the OCA’s Complaint Line increased 88% from Fiscal Year 2024 to Fiscal Year 2025. This was at least partially driven by our increased outreach efforts, including the launch of a youth engagement initiative to promote Complaint Line awareness for youth in congregate care settings. We are so pleased to see more youth contacting the OCA for support and will continue to expand our outreach efforts throughout FY26 and beyond!

Other highlights from FY25 include:

✅ The Center on Child Wellbeing and Trauma continues to promote trauma-informed and responsive practices across child-serving state agencies – including, in FY25, the Department of Early Education and Care, the Department of Youth Services, the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

✅ Over FY25, the OCA researched and wrote a number of policy reports – including the recently released “Design and Implementation of the OCA’s Training for Mandated Reporters,” which shares initial outcomes from the first two years of the training’s implementation.

✅We continued to partner with state agencies on a variety of innovative projects and public awareness campaigns – including, in FY25, the Department of Developmental Services on a water-safety awareness campaign for families of children with autism, the Department of Children and Families on a Transition Age Youth Bridge Fund, the Department of Youth Services on the Massachusetts Youth Diversion Program, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services on an awareness campaign for youth experiencing homelessness, and more.

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Today, the OCA is releasing details of our investigation into the death of A’zella Ortiz, a four-year-old girl from Worcester, and new recommendations for changes to DCF policy and practice.

You can read the full report here: https://www.mass.gov/doc/office-of-the-child-advocate-investigative-report-azella-ortiz-december-2025/download

Approximately a year prior to her death, the Department of Children and Families was involved with this family.

The purpose of our investigation was to determine the factual circumstances regarding DCF’s involvement with the family prior to A’zella’s death and whether the actions and services provided to the family were adequate, appropriate, in accordance with agency policies, and in compliance with state and federal law.

Although the outcome in this case is rare, in other ways this case is similar to the vast majority of DCF cases: A’zella and her siblings were living at home, with their parents, for the entire time their DCF case was open.

Our goal as a Commonwealth should be to ensure children can *stay* home – safely. For that to happen, state intervention with families where maltreatment has occurred must be child-centered, based on an accurate assessment of risk, time-limited, and serve to support and stabilize the family. Unfortunately, that is not what happened in this case, with tragic results for A’zella and her siblings.

The OCA’s hope is that this investigation will shed light on the circumstances involving A’zella’s death – and that the recommendations the OCA proposes will help keep other children at home safely.

We are so proud that Dana DeShiro and Karen Blake Robinson represented the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate at the United States Ombudsman Association’s 44th Annual Conference in Vail, Colorado this past week!

This year’s theme, “Ombuds: Elevating Practice and Service,” fit perfectly—not only for its mountain setting, but for the conference’s focus on strengthening collaboration, innovation, and accountability in the ombuds field.

During the conference, Dana joined colleagues from New Hampshire and Los Angeles on a panel about youth engagement, sharing how Massachusetts centers youth voices through its OCA youth engagement initiatives. We work hard to make sure that youth use their voice and can find the OCA as a resource. Our Complaint Line ((617) 979-8360 or [email protected]) is available for anyone to call/email, and we especially encourage youth receiving state services to call the line if they have any questions or concerns about the services they receive.

We’re proud to see Massachusetts represented among ombuds and child advocates from across the country, working together to elevate practice and service to the public.

What happens when we offer youth a second chance -- and the support to make it count?

A new report from the OCA highlighting the continued growth and success of the Massachusetts Youth Diversion Program (MYDP) shows us one answer. The MYDP provides an alternative to formal court involvement or arrest and instead offers services to help youth take accountability, repair harm and move forward.

In this report you’ll see that in calendar year 2024:

➡️348 youth were referred to the program — a 23% increase from 2023

➡️80% successfully completed the program

➡️Most participants were referred for “persons-related” offenses, specifically alleged “assault and battery” offenses (i.e., getting in a fight)

➡️Many youth reported high rates of behavioral health needs or trauma

➡️95% of youth reported feeling supported by their Diversion Coordinator

To be sure, there’s work to do. Originally a pilot between OCA and DYS, the MYDP transferred to the Department of Youth Services in FY25. The OCA continues to track MYDP implementation in its oversight role, and in this report recommends 4 areas for improvement as the program continues to expand statewide (and is currently in 10 out of 11 court counties!):

1. Strengthening referrals in certain counties where numbers have declined
2. Reducing racial and ethnic disparities in access to diversion, especially for Black youth
3. Expanding access for “higher-risk” youth
4. Reviewing diversion requirements in light of service gaps and waitlists

Read the full report here: https://www.mass.gov/doc/massachusetts-youth-diversion-program-year-3-impact-report/download

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