# Massachusetts H 5629: An Act enhancing child welfare protections Massachusetts H 5629, An Act enhancing child welfare protections, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by Child Welfare Protection; status signed, last action 2026-08-06 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 179 of the Acts of 2026); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5629-194 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Massachusetts H 5629 - State: Massachusetts - Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026) - Title: An Act enhancing child welfare protections - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-07-30 - Last action: 2026-08-06, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 179 of the Acts of 2026 - Sponsor: Child Welfare Protection - Cosponsors: 5 - Subjects: House Steering, Policy and Scheduling - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 1 (157 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 21 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Enforceable rights for kids in care: benefit, medium. Children in DCF custody have a list of rights in state law. Rights cover safety, family contact, identity, health care, education, and supports. DCF must follow these rights and fix any conflicting rules. A plain‑language version, in the child’s preferred language, is posted in group homes and onli… - Faster discharge planning for DCF kids: benefit, medium. If a child in DCF custody is hospitalized for inpatient psychiatric care, DCF must call parents or guardians and the treatment team within 3 business days. DCF must keep weekly contact until discharge, start discharge planning right away, and pick a placement within 5 business days after the hospit… - Insurance must cover court‑ordered care: benefit, medium. If a court orders treatment that your plan covers, the insurer must pay when coverage rules are met. Before DCF changes anything that affects Medicaid spending, the Medicaid Director reviews it. DCF also must consult the Mental Health Commissioner before major changes to children’s behavioral healt… - Statewide family resource centers for help: benefit, medium. The state sets up a statewide network of family resource centers and community services. The Secretary coordinates outreach, intake, screening, assessment, and referrals. Centers use standard screening tools and get monitoring and technical help. Funding depends on state appropriations or third‑par… - Stronger school support for DCF students: benefit, medium. DCF creates an education unit and, if funded, appoints an education director and education specialists. Specialists can attend school meetings, including IEP and 504 meetings. When a child in DCF custody moves, schools must send records at once, and the new district must enroll the child right away… - More public child‑welfare data and reports: benefit, medium. DCF publishes a yearly public report by October 31 with caseloads, placements, outcomes, staffing, and costs. DCF also posts a quarterly profile within 45 days after each quarter with children served, 51A reports, maltreatment rates, and placements. Annual reports also cover services for young adul… - Stronger child death reviews and support: benefit, medium. The state creates child fatality review teams at the state and local level. Teams can get needed records, meet privately, and protect confidential data. They study deaths and near deaths and issue prevention advice and annual reports. Caregivers get support information from the Child Advocate and P… - Independent child advocate with stronger oversight: benefit, medium. The Office of the Child Advocate is now independent and can examine both systemwide and individual cases. The office expands reviews of critical incidents, tracks child demographics, and can study disparities. Agencies must alert the office on foster care safety alerts. The office provides training… - Lawyers get quick notice about kids: benefit, low. DCF must tell a child’s or young adult’s lawyer fast when key events happen. It has 3 business days for non‑emergency placement changes or hospitalizations, and 1 business day for emergencies. It also alerts counsel after certain 51A reports and after arrests, court cases, or school suspensions. Th… - Protective orders stay after age 18: benefit, low. If you had a protective order entered for you as a minor, it stays in place after you turn 18 unless a judge changes it. When the order nears its end, you can appear, and the court decides whether to extend it or make it permanent. - Clearer court rules for parentage cases: benefit, low. The law clarifies which court rules apply in certain parentage cases. Cases in probate and family court follow domestic relations rules. Cases in juvenile court follow the juvenile court rules. - Planning, rules, and funding tools for child welfare: benefit, low. DCF aligns its planning with federal Title XX and can accept grants and donations. The commissioner can issue rules, and budget plans must include data systems, evaluation, needs assessments, and staff training. Staff get photo IDs for use on duty. DCF sets a five‑year plan with numeric safety, per… - Faster alerts on risks and rules: benefit, low. After multi‑report 51A reviews, DCF immediately notifies the local district attorney, police, and the Child Advocate. If DCF will miss a report deadline, it must tell the Governor and key committees in writing and explain why. Within one week of any child sleeping overnight in a DCF office, the com… - New rules for child assistance cases: mixed, medium. A 'child requiring assistance' now covers ages 12–18 for repeated running away, disobeying rules, many unexcused absences, or sexual exploitation. 'Habitually absent without permission' means more than 8 unexcused school days in a quarter. Court cases focus on services, with privacy protections, li… - Family resource centers: help first, privacy: mixed, medium. Families can get help from local family resource centers before court. Schools must refer caregivers to a center and try to fix chronic absenteeism first. Centers can connect you to schools, health providers, and state services, and may assign a case manager if funded. Your service records and stat… - More housing help via nonprofit match: mixed, medium. The state matches nonprofit donations for emergency and transitional housing at $3 for every $1 from non‑state sources, if funded. A separate account for listed purposes cannot exceed 3% of the department’s yearly budget. This expands help when donations are raised, but the budget cap can limit how… - Help before court in child‑assistance cases: mixed, low. Families should use community services before going to juvenile court. Family resource center staff can tell probation when a child met with a case manager and all community options were used. The Child Advocate provides online guides and a video that explain CRA petitions, steps, outcomes, and whe… - Licensing and training for DCF social workers: mixed, low. DCF social workers must get a social work license within 9 months of hire. They must complete at least 30 hours of paid training each year. The commissioner may grant one six‑month hardship waiver. Training must follow any union agreements. - DCF reporting changes: visuals and fewer reports: mixed, low. DCF can satisfy some reporting by putting the data into its annual report and by using ADA‑compliant data visualizations. Some earlier DCF reporting and public‑record rules are removed. DCF must notify lawmakers and the child advocate if it cannot create or update its five‑year plan or measure perf… - Targeted repeals in child and family laws: mixed, low. The law removes sections from chapters 18B, 38, and 210. These repeals delete older rules in child and family law areas. The real‑world effects depend on what those sections used to cover. - Youth voice grows, some reports limited: mixed, low. The Child Advocate runs at least four confidential youth listening sessions each year in congregate care and publishes a report. The office can get juvenile court records for approved research, publish only de‑identified results, and must destroy data when done. Every three years, the office review… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Child Welfare Protection - Cosponsor: Christopher J. Worrell (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Jay D. Livingstone (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Russell E. Holmes (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Sean Garballey (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Thomas W. Moakley (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-07-31 | House | Committee of conference report accepted | pass | 157 | 0 | | ## Actions (10) - 2026-08-06: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 179 of the Acts of 2026 - 2026-07-31: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate) - 2026-07-31: Enacted (House) - 2026-07-31: Committee of conference report accepted, in concurrence -see Roll Call #229 (Yeas 40 to Nays 0) (Senate) - 2026-07-31: Committee of conference report accepted - 157 YEAS to 0 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 261) (House) - 2026-07-31: Rules suspended (House) - 2026-07-31: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting, the question being on acceptance (House) - 2026-07-30: Referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House) - 2026-07-30: Reported on H4646 (House) - 2026-07-30: Reported from the committee of conference (House) ## Bill text - Chapter 179 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-08-06: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5629.pdf) ## Related bills - H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police chief Neal Hovey (passed senate) - H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax abatements (signed) - H 5515: An Act to increase the value of estates eligible for abatements pursuant to M.G.L. chapter 59, section 5, clauses seventeenth D and forty-first C in the town o… (passed house) - H 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the position of firefighter in the town of Dudley (signed) - H 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nicholas Spinale (second reading) - H 4755: An Act amending the means tested senior citizen property tax exemption in the town of Sudbury (signed) ## Sources - [Chapter 179 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5629.pdf) ## Related - [H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police ch…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5435-194) - [H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax aba…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4585-194) - [H 5515: An Act to increase the value of estates eligible for abatements pursuant to M.G…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5515-194) - [H 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the p…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5520-194) - [H 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nichola…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5429-194) - [H 4755: An Act amending the means tested senior citizen property tax exemption in the t…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4755-194) - [Massachusetts bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/massachusetts/bills) - [Massachusetts state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/massachusetts) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5629-194 (as of 2026-11-01).