RI Child Advocate Issues Report on 7 Deaths and 23 Near Fatalities
RI Child Advocate Issues Report on 7 Deaths and 23 Near Fatalities
RI Child Advocate Issues Report on 7 Deaths and 23 Near Fatalities
The incidents date back five years and it is unclear why it took the office so long to issue the report.
In recent weeks, the Rhode Island Department of Youth and Family has issued press releases announcing one death and two near deaths with scant details.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Child Advocate refused to comment on the cases or return calls to GoLocal. The report released on Tuesday does not include the 2025 cases.
A panel "reviewed each of the incidents" and found, according to the report:
The panel identified gaps in available resources throughout the review of all cases involving adolescent substance use. While the need for substance use treatment was a common theme throughout the cases, other critical services, which should be provided by DCYF, were also inaccessible. Our state lacks a comprehensive continuum of care as required by law. In ten (10) of these fatalities and/or near fatalities, the panel indicated there were gaps in the entire continuum of care impacting the youth’s ability to access necessary supports and services, timely.
The overarching crisis that continues to plague our child welfare, juvenile justice, and children’s behavioral health systems is the lack of a comprehensive service array across all levels of care. The youth and young adults involved with DCYF deserve meaningful investment and coordinated efforts to develop a concrete plan to rebuild the crucial services supporting their needs.
This includes investments in Mobile Response and Stabilization Services to support children and youth in crisis; prevention and home-based services; a robust array of foster homes serving varying populations; in-state Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) and Residential Treatment to support the needs of acute populations; and step-down programming for children and youth who require additional time in a structured environment, prior to transitioning home or to a foster home, to promote expedient discharges from more restrictive settings. The impact of a disjointed and under-resourced continuum of care was well illustrated by the cases reviewed by the panel.
Despite these cases dating back to 2019, the panel did not begin its review until February of 2024 — some four years after some of the cases occurred.
Sara Foley, the spokesperson for the Child Advocates, did not respond to questions about the timeframe for the report. Last week, GoLocal called Katelyn Medeiros, the Child Advocate, but she did not return the phone call.
Substance Exposure
The majority of the incidents involved “substance exposure.”
“Specifically, there were twelve (12) near fatalities and two (2) fatalities due to substance exposure. There were sixteen (16) youth ranging in age between thirteen (13) and twenty (20) who used substances. Specifically, there were five (5) fatalities and eleven (11) near fatalities due to substance use.
The details of the individual cases were graphic and disturbing.
Many of the cases involved Fentanyl.
The report issued by the Child Advocate includes 56 recommendations:
One of the 56 calls for:
DCYF to issue a public report within six (6) months of the release of this report. The report should be made available on the DCYF website and outline the following:
a. Plan and timeline to implement the recommendations outlined in this report.
b. Barriers to implementation of any recommendations, including funding needs.
c. Recommendations DCYF will not be implementing.
d. Any efforts that have been taken to collaborate with other entities identified in this report.
This story was first published 5/13/25 4:01 PM