State agencies help families weather economic emergencies, care for their children, address health problems, stay housed, and much more. But while an estimated 1 in 4 Massachusetts residents are best served in a language other than English, our Commonwealth’s services and information are overwhelmingly English-only, effectively denying hundreds of thousands of families the ability to access essential resources.

In the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) where children may be removed from their families, the consequences of these language barriers can be profound. Limited English proficient (LEP) parents are deemed noncompliant and uncaring when, because critical documents and information are only provided in English, they simply do not understand the steps they must take to reunite with their children. In a complex system already difficult to navigate, this can lead to the wrongful, sometimes permanent separation of families.

The long-term impacts are devastating. Children separated from their parents are often traumatized and once in foster care, they are more likely to have poorer educational outcomes and experience unemployment, poverty, and homelessness. Placement in English-speaking foster homes can also leave children disconnected from their community, heritage, traditions, and their parents’ language – very young children can even lose the ability to communicate with their parents altogether.

This kind of systemic discrimination is just one part of our nation's extensive history of over-policing and separating families of color and immigrant families. And with newly arrived immigrant families arriving in record numbers and facing unnecessary intervention by DCF due to a lack of resources, cultural differences, and language barriers, ensuring meaningful language access for families is more urgent than ever.  

The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families is currently accepting comments on two regulations concerning how the agency interacts with families: 110 CMR 5.00 et. seq. and 110 CMR 9.00 et. seq. This is an important opportunity to remind DCF of its legal obligation to meet the language needs of all families.

We’ve already started a message for you – click “Start Writing” above to add your own details and urge Deputy General Counsel Thomas P. Weierman to add language to these regulations ensuring translation and interpretation for limited English proficient families.