The number of children being removed from their homes by Massachusetts’ embattled child welfare agency has jumped dramatically since a 5-year-old Fitchburg boy whose family was being monitored by the state went missing.
From December through May, the Department of Children and Families filed nearly 2,000 court petitions to gain custody of children they determined to be at risk of abuse or neglect, a 52 percent increase from the previous year, according to court statistics. Last month, the agency filed 365 such petitions, a 70 percent jump from May 2013.
Jeremiah Oliver was reported missing in December. His body was found in April.
Child advocates tell The Boston Globe the move is an overreaction that will needlessly send more children into foster care and burdens already overworked social workers.
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