Lawmakers Hear Plea to Overhaul Child Welfare Program
       Parents seeking state services for children with behavioral problems or mental illnesses sometimes end up awarding custody to the state, creating even bigger problems for families, advocates for children told state lawmakers Tuesday.
       According to the Children’s League of Massachusetts, Children in Need of Services was established to provide care and services for children who are truant runaways or exhibiting “difficult behaviors.” But child welfare advocates including the Parents for Residential Reform, a project of the Federation for Children with Special Needs, the
Framingham-based Key Program, and the Children’s League of Massachusetts said these kids end up in the juvenile criminal justice system instead. They said CHINS needs a complete overhaul, a position supported by the Department of Social Services.