As a Republican in the Maine House, and a member of the Maine Alliance for DHS Accountability and Reform, I can’t say enough to praise the governor in his efforts to reform the Department of Human Services.

First he made the bold move to merge it with the Behavioral and Developmental Services creating a super agency, the Department of Health and Human Services. I believe this action has great potential to foment the positive changes that absolutely have to happen.

More importantly, he then appointed Jack Nicholas as the commissioner of the new agency. Commissioner Nicholas is a man with a big heart and an inquiring mind, he is a super accountant and not a member of the DHS culture. When some high level defenders of the DHS complained these were bad moves, I began to believe the governor was on the right track.

Here we are 20 months into his administration and big changes are happening in an agency that was considered as unchangeable as a glacier. Basic principals are being challenged and changed, like the payment structure (by the child, by the day in care, encourages too many children to be removed from loving families).

The concept of “family preservation” is being encouraged with family team meetings. Commissioner Nicholas has gone so far as to spend time in the various field offices of DHS and even go out on calls with workers and see for himself how decisions are made.

I recently learned from Rep. Eddie Dugay, D-Cherryfield, that “the new commissioner had spent the day with some case workers in Bangor and was told that services cannot be offered to children and families unless parents can have something substantiated against them … He was livid … He is changing the policy.”

Of course, that means DHS could not offer any “human services” unless they criminalize the parents.

There is still much to be done. When MADAR met with the governor in March, he said trying to change DHS is like trying to turn a big steam ship around at sea. You just have to keep pushing and never let up for a minute or it will start turning itself back again. He encouraged us to keep up the pressure.

We see that for ourselves each time we meet with our members. Many are parents who have children in the foster care system who, as far as we can tell, do not need to be there. We have been able to watch their cases proceed and read every piece of paperwork that comes to them. And I can tell you, the system isn’t changing fast enough for them.

Imagine if you were separated from your children for no good reason and that they may be in the care of strangers for years, or that you might never get them back.

Take Ms. T for example. Her 7 year old was removed in February after a report of physical abuse. DHS has agreed that it was a false accusation, but they have not returned the child. The reason given is that Ms. T has a personality disorder (Negativistic Personality Disorder, as far as I know, a phony term used when you stand up to the DHS) and she has to get over this with years of therapy before she can have her child back. Never mind that DHS has had to notify her three times of physical abuse her child has suffered in his various placements. When it is on DHS’ watch, it is irrelevant.

Just today, MADAR heard from a mother who had happily gotten her two boys back just two months ago. Things were going just fine. Everyone involved in their case said things were going just fine. But a worker showed up to say that “a new law” has been enacted, and they have to take the children back. They couldn’t say what that new law was. Just that the mother might as well sign over her parental rights, because DHS was going to get them. It could be the hard way or the easy way, but they would get them and the boys would be adopted out.

Experts say it takes five to 10 years to totally turn around this DHS steam ship, but five to 10 years is a long time for little ones crying themselves to sleep, calling for their mothers, wondering what they did to deserve this. Someday DHS can explain to them that their mother had a personality disorder or their daddy disciplined them in public, and see if they can make that make sense to them.

It doesn’t make sense to me.

Rep. Michael Vaughan lives in Durham.

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