Gubernatorial candidate Coakley proposes DCF restructuring

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who is running for governor, has put forward a plan to create a separate division inside the Department of Children and Families, devoted solely to investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect.

The plan has been proposed as something Coakley would create if she were elected governor, not something that Coakley is currently proposing as Attorney General.

"As Governor, I will be committed to implementing the crucial changes needed to help ensure that no child is the victim of preventable sexual, physical, or serious emotional abuse," she said in a statement.          

The Child Protection Division would have a "sole focus on the safety of the child or children involved," instead of working toward both protecting children and "strengthening families," as is the current DCF mandate.

"The inherent conflict between DCF's responsibility to children and their focus on strengthening families increases the risk that a child will be left in an abusive or neglectful environment for too long," the statement read.

Cox Media Group