Nearly 150 caseworkers, aides and community care workers have signed a letter expressing no confidence in the leader of Maine's Office of Child and Family Services.
The workers are calling on the Department of Health and Human Services commissioner and Gov. Janet Mills to find an immediate replacement for director Bobbi Johnson.
The Maine Service Employees Association, which represents the child services workers, also filed a workplace complaint with the state's Labor Department.
Robin Upton-Sukeforth, a union field representative for OCFS employees, said child services leadership hasn't listened to worker concerns about housing children in state custody in hotels or emergency rooms.
At least 10 caseworkers have been assaulted by children in their hotel rooms, and Upton-Sukeforth said staff lack the training to deescalate those situations.
"The amount of time and emotional toil, not only on caseworkers, which are doing the extreme amount of overtime, but on these kids, is unsustainable," she said.
In statements, both DHHS Commissioner Sara Gagné-Holmes and Gov. Janet Mills said they have full confidence in Johnson.
Gagné-Holmes said Johnson has visited every district office in the state at least three times since becoming the OCFS director back in January to listen to staff concerns.
"We recognize no single measure can solve every challenge in a system this complex, but the director’s commitment to listening, adapting, and supporting staff is unwavering," Gagné-Holmes said. "Director Johnson has my full support, and I remain confident in her compassionate, responsive, and effective leadership.”
A spokesperson for the governor said the Mills administration is trying to reduce the use of hotels for children in state custody.
"The allegations and personal attacks against Director Johnson are meritless and this extreme approach by the union is not productive, nor does it serve the long-term shared goal of trying to reduce the use of hotels," the spokesperson said. "The Governor knows Director Johnson is committed to working collaboratively to address this issue."
Upton-Sukeforth, however, said child services workers feel burnout and discouraged, because the the current policy approach is both time-consuming and ineffective. She said the resources that are being used to pay staff overtime so that children in state custody can be supervised in hotels could go to a better use.
"We've tried to get policymakers to listen to the frontline workers," she said. "This has now reached the point they're doing mandated overnight shifts, extra shifts, and they're not listening. So we felt it has reached a crisis point."
