Gov. Patrick's DCF press conference adds no new details

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- One day before the Governor is set to deliver his last "State of the Commonwealth," he calls together a news conference, and essentially reiterates everything we have already heard before from the administration.
 
Again, he talked about the failings that led to DCF losing track of a five year old boy.     
 
Again, we heard about how he wants more money for DCF, to increase staffing levels.                          
 
Again, we heard about the outside review, the internal reviews, the three who were fired.
 
What we didn't hear?
 
That it's all part of a bigger, systemic problem, or that overall accountability is really at issue.
 
The Governor would only concede that "the case points to other weaknesses in the Department that we're trying to look at and to determine if they were in fact out of line with what best practices are in the best places elsewhere in the country."
   
Just four days ago during a hearing in this very same building, it was a vastly different scene as lawmakers skewered the DCF Commissioner, Olga Roche, for hours.       

It's not unusual, weeks after a crisis, or in this case nearly two months, for governors to hold news conferences to try to show they're in control.
 
Mitt Romney famously held a series of news conferences explaining, with marker in hand, what had gone wrong in the days after the big dig tunnel collapse.

Still questions continue to linger about  DCF's mishandling of the Oliver case, how the agency operates and who is responsible for what went wrong.  Linda Spears, who works with Child Welfare League of America, the independent group investigating DCF, tells FOX25 it is "uncommon" for a state to lose track of a child.  

Patrick suggested updating DCF's technology so real time information is more accessible, and in spreading the workload more evenly between offices.

The "Child Welfare League of America" is expected to issue its report in the spring.

Patrick says he wants it issued in time for the legislature to take up reforms if needed.

Cox Media Group