Massachusetts. Office for Children

St 1972, c 785 established the Office for Children within the Executive Office for Human Services, with a director appointed by the governor (by the secretary of human services per St 1985, c 737, s 30; title changed to commissioner per St 1987, c 553, s 6), and supported by a Statewide Advisory Council (which see). Its functions include serving as an advocate for the needs of children and disseminating information on children's services; promoting development of programs and services to children; establishing regulations for licensing or approval of day care and substitute care for children; determining extent and availability of services to children; determining need for services to children and making recommendations thereon to the executive branch; analyzing, evaluating, and making recommendations regarding budget requests for services to children by state agencies; promoting coordination of programs for services to children in the executive branch; evaluating and monitoring programs for children in the executive branch; developing/providing training programs for day care/substitute care personnel; seeking, applying for, and encouraging use of federal funds for children's services and coordinating related federal, state, and local policies; providing information and referral to persons seeking children's services; providing technical assistance and consultation to children's services providers.

A central office under the commissioner administers these functions through ca. six regional offices. The office's advocacy unit, funded through FY1991 only, provided services on a community basis through ca. 43 area offices grouped regionally and supported by volunteer area-based councils for children. These local services so administered constituted a comprehensive information, referral, and advocacy program (known as Help for Children) to assure each child in the Commonwealth appropriate social, health, or financial support services as needed. Cases not resolvable at a local level were referred to human services interdepartmental (interagency) teams convened by the office at the regional office level and if necessary to a similar team at central office level.

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