Dem Gov Gina Raimondo Faces More Questions After New Developments In DCYF Scandal

With disturbing new developments involving Gina Raimondo and her administration’s mismanagement of Rhode Island’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), the Democrat governor continues to face questions. The Providence Journal reported that the DCYF continued doing business with a group home company, Blackstone Valley Youth and Family Collaborative, that has been described as a “criminal enterprise” after one of its managers was charged with trafficking a 17 year old girl for prostitution.

The Journal also revealed that the DCYF had still been placing residents in Blackstone’s homes until just last month when the state’s Child Advocate recommended they cease doing so “immediately.” It was only after Raimondo’s appointed DCYF director was grilled by state lawmakers in a hearing last week about the agency’s relationship with Blackstone that the DCYF finally terminated its relationship with company.

Raimondo appears only to be willing to address the DCYF’s issues when they start attracting inconvenient headlines for her administration. If she was truly concerned about fixing the agency, Blackstone’s relationship with the DCYF would’ve been terminated months ago, not this week. Rhode Island deserves better.

The Providence Journal reports:

“Five days after a group of lawmakers asked why Rhode Island was still doing business with a Pawtucket group home company that one state representative described as ‘a criminal enterprise,’ the state’s child welfare director has cancelled its contract.

Trista Piccola, who was pressed to explain during a legislative hearing last week why the Department of Children Youth and Families was still doing business with the Blackstone Valley Youth and Family Collaborative, cancelled that contract Tuesday.

The Blackstone Valley Youth and Family Collaborative, which runs two group homes in Pawtucket, became ensnared in a federal sex-trafficking case last spring when one group home manager was charged with trafficking a 17-year-old girl for prostitution.

In a scathing report in January, Child Advocate Jennifer Griffith said the executive director of Blackstone Valley stonewalled her investigation following the manager’s arrest and that her inquiry ultimately found the agency provided virtually no clinical services or supervision of the eight or so state children in its care.

(The residents, all young men between 17 and 21, have behavioral or developmental issues requiring, on average, about $265 worth of services a day.)

Piccola told members of the House Committee on Oversight last week that out of fairness she had given Blackstone until the end of the month to correct the deficiencies the child advocate and her department investigators had found.

She also said that three of the residents were already in the process of finding other shelter and services.

In a released statement Tuesday, Piccola said, ‘The safety and well-being of our youth is of the utmost importance. When we learn of incidents or concerns involving institutional care providers, or anyone who is charged with the care of children and youth in our state, we investigate and take action. We also expect our providers to do the right thing by our children and youth, day in and day out.’

The termination of contract allows 30 days for the provider to complete their services and for DCYF to find alternative placements for the five remaining youths currently in their care.”