 |
|
8/21/2017
|
Rep. Canario calls for State Police oversight and complete restructuring of DCYF
|
 STATE HOUSE – Rep. Dennis M. Canario (D-Dist. 71, Portsmouth, Little Compton, Tiverton) is calling on Governor Raimondo to create a special commission to be run by the Rhode Island State Police with the purpose of restructuring the Department of Children, Youth and Families following several recent incidents involving the agency.
“As a retired police officer, I have dealt with DCYF many times in the past and unfortunately, recent reports of tragic and disturbing failures within DCYF are not surprising to me considering my past experiences with the agency. And, as we have seen in these recent headlines, too many children in state care are dying, too many are being hurt, and too many are being victimized. This is simply unacceptable and it points to deep systematic problems that have long been present in DCYF,” said Representative Canario.
Representative Canario is proposing that the governor call in the State Police to do a top-to-bottom review of the troubled agency through a special oversight commission. He believes that in order for the agency to protect the children in its care, long overdue institutional changes must be made rather than simply replacing those in charge of the agency, and this can only be done through the outside viewpoint of the State Police.
“I want to be clear too, my proposal for State Police intervention is in no way an indictment of the hard-working and dedicated front-line employees of DCYF. These employees are over-worked, over-whelmed, and are unable to adequately care for these children due to long-term structural deficiencies within DCYF. I urge Governor Raimondo to send in the State Police to clean up DCYF once and for all so that no more of the children in our care are hurt and killed anymore,” added Representative Canario.
For more information, contact:
Andrew Caruolo, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-6124
|
|