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DCF caseloads are high at Leominster office

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) - Child welfare advocates say caseloads are stunningly high for social workers at the Leominster office of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.

Advocates told the Boston Herald that they're disturbed by the high caseload numbers.

The Leominster office is the one that served the family of 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver of Fitchburg, who has been missing since September and is feared dead. Three DCF workers were fired and a fourth disciplined in connection with the agency's failures in handling that family's case.

The Herald reports that one worker at the office oversaw 57 children, nearly half of whom were in foster care. Six other workers were overseeing 40 or more children apiece. Union officials say 60 workers have filed grievances, saying their caseloads exceeded the state-mandated limit of 18.