[F]lanked by dozens of lawmakers, state officials and others, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law Monday a bill that addresses wide-ranging aspects of Vermont’s child protection system.
Lawmakers first began preliminary work on S.9 more than a year ago, following the deaths of Dezirae Sheldon, 2, and Peighton Geraw, 14 months — two young children who had been in contact with the Department for Children and Families.
The bill was a key part of the agenda during the 2015 session, as it worked its way through more than a half-dozen legislative committees.
Shumlin hailed the legislation as a step toward improving the state’s child protection programs at a time when the system is under increasing pressure, linked to the use of opiates and other drugs.
“This bill does not mean that Vermont will succeed every time,” Shumlin said. “What it does assure us is that a more seamless support system will work together to protect every child in Vermont and give us a better shot at success.”
The bill makes changes to a broad set of aspects to the child protection system, from DCF social workers, to special investigative units, to criminal penalties. The new law changes the standard for determining whether a child should be held in state custody. The change to state statute puts “the best interest of the child” ahead of reunification of a child with his or her parents.
Rep. Ann Pugh, D-South Burlington, teaches social work at the University of Vermont and headed the House Human Services Committee’s work on the legislation. She praised a provision in the bill that clarifies requirements for school workers, camp counselors and others who work with children for mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse.
“Child protection is one of the most basic and important functions of a society, and we can’t do it alone,” Pugh said.
After the governor signed the bill, Defender General Matt Valerio said that one of the biggest benefits of S.9 is that it has brought public attention to the issue of child poverty in Vermont.
“This is not a legal issue,” Valerio said. “This is a social work and child welfare issue.”
David Cahill, executive director of the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs’ Association, said the impact of some of the changes that S.9 will make to the child protection system will not be immediately visible, but will be evident in the long run.
“The real, measurable impact comes 20 years later,” Cahill said.
