Category: Advocacy Feature

As March comes to an end, the Children's League celebrates National Social Work Month. This month, CLM recognizes the dedicated social workers who work tirelessly to serve and improve the lives of thousands of children, young adults, and families across the Commonwealth in need of support. Social wo...

On March 14th, CLM and partners held a legislative briefing at the Massachusetts State House and called for increased support for Massachusetts’ transition age youth through the adoption of key legislation and budget investments. Transition age youth (TAY) are young adults between the ages of 18 a...

Transition age youth are young people between the ages of 18 and 22 years old who are in the process of leaving or who have left the child welfare system. 59% of young people exit the foster care system in Massachusetts, or "age out," without permanent, legal connections to family or caregivers. Alo...

Transition age youth are young people between the ages of 18 and 22 years old who are in the process of leaving or who have left the child welfare system. 59% of young people exit the foster care system in Massachusetts, or "age out," without permanent, legal connections to family or caregivers. Alo...

The Children's League of Massachusetts and CLM Member HopeWell explore the intersection of poverty and child welfare involvement. In the following fact sheet, we discuss the research showcasing the link between poverty and child welfare involvement, the necessary solutions to alleviate the challenge...

On January 24, the Healey-Driscoll 58.1 Billion Dollar Budget Proposal for FY25 was released, and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services held a stakeholders call to review key investments for children, families, and providers. Despite the budget's growth being constrained to les...

In January, the Juvenile Justice Policy & Data Board, of which CLM is a member, released their comprehensive 2023 Annual Report to the legislature, outlining key recommendations pertaining to the juvenile justice system based on the Board's work from the previous year.   The ...

A $375 million budget cut was announced on January 8, 2024. After six months of a tax revenue shortfall, these budget changes factor in $1 billion less tax revenue than expected in the current budget year. Our state hasn't had to face “9C cuts” since 2016. Which CLM budget priorities are af...

The Association for Behavioral Healthcare (ABH) released a report on the behavioral health workforce shortage crisis in Massachusetts and its impact on children and youth's access to vital mental health services and resources. The newest survey by ABH of 30 behavioral services providers in Massachus...

On Monday, December 4th, Governor Healey signed a $3.1 Billion FY24 supplemental budget after the House and Senate grappled for weeks on several important items. See below on the major investments for children included within this supplemental budget: Education This budget contains $75 million to ...