We all know the cliché: Knowledge is power. The corollary, though, is that anyone who has a near-monopoly on knowledge will have enormous power to shape public perception. That enormous power brings enormous potential for abuse.
Child welfare systems tend to be more secretive than the CIA. So whoever becomes a state’s ombudsman or child advocate often has enormous power. But while such offices are conceived as a way to watch over state child welfare agencies, lawmakers tend to forget a crucial question: Who watches the watchdog?
So instead of simply further boosting the power of the Maine
Child Welfare Ombudsman, which was among the oversight reforms proposed last
legislative session, lawmakers need to restructure the office. …
