Safe Sleep Practices
“As an organization of committed individuals who have dedicated their careers to caring for children,
everyone at Massachusetts MENTOR was devastated by the death of an infant placed in our care in
2012. Nothing will ever lessen the grief we feel at the loss of this child.
“Massachusetts MENTOR acknowledges that our organization did not provide sufficient information
regarding safe sleep practices to our foster parents at the time of this tragic event. Since 2012, in
accordance with the policy established that year by our licensor, the Department of Early Education and
Care, Massachusetts MENTOR has put in place extensive protocols to train foster parents caring for
children 3 and under on safe sleep practices.
Specifically,
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Massachusetts MENTOR is fully compliant with the Massachusetts Department of Early
Education and Care policy on Infant Safe Sleep;
All Massachusetts MENTOR staff are trained on safe sleep practices, which include placing the
child on his or her back to sleep and ensuring the child is not overdressed in order to avoid
overheating;
All foster parents and substitute caregivers with Massachusetts MENTOR participate in training
during pre-service orientation on safe sleep practices;
At the time of placement of any child 3 and under, the foster parent and any substitute
caregivers receive refresher training on safe sleep practices;
The implementation of safe sleep practices are verified and documented during regular and
unannounced home visits by the clinical coordinator assigned to each child.

“While Massachusetts MENTOR acknowledges that we did not provide sufficient information regarding
safe sleep practices to our foster parents at the time of this tragic event and takes full responsibility for
that fact, it is important to note that the cause of death was “sudden unexplained death” and that there
may have been other pre-existing conditions—beyond the manner in which the baby was placed to
sleep— that, sadly, contributed to this child’s passing.
“The infant was placed in the home of dedicated foster parents who were specifically requested due to
their track record working with small children with a range of complex needs over the prior decade and
their experience as parents of four biological children. While it is clear that the infant was not put to
sleep following safe sleep practices, it is noteworthy that the foster father—who put the infant to bed—
was cleared of any wrongdoing by both the Department of Children and Families and law enforcement.
While it does nothing to lessen the grief our organization and all those who loved this baby feel, it was,
in the end, an unexplained tragedy.”

 DEEC Report
“All Massachusetts MENTOR staff are expected—and required—to review the files for the foster home
for which they are assigned responsibility. Family Resource workers are assigned to each home to
ensure compliance with all requirements, including training, documentation and licensure.
“It is inaccurate to infer from the DEEC report that this case was not assigned to a Massachusetts
MENTOR staff member until a week after placement. A supervisor for Massachusetts MENTOR was
present at the time of intake in the foster home—which is considered the first home visit and in
accordance with our policy that the child must be seen in the home within 48 hours of placement— and
then carried the case until assigning it to a clinical coordinator for ongoing oversight the following
Friday. That said, a second home visit should have been conducted within a week and was not.
Massachusetts MENTOR has a strict home visit policy and a protocol for missed home visits. If a home
visit is missed in addition to informing their direct supervisor, the Regional Director and the Department
of Children and Families must be notified. Staff who do not conduct home visits as required are subject
to disciplinary action, up to—and including—termination.
“Massachusetts MENTOR had a 96% compliance rate for home visits for the period October 2013September 2014 and a 95% compliance rate for the period October 2014-February 2015. For the period
October 2013-February 2015, we had a 100% compliance rate for the missed visit protocol.”
Legal Counsel for Foster Parent
“Our organization did pay for legal counsel for the foster father in this case to appeal the initial finding
of neglect against him by DCF. In this case, we felt that there were extenuating circumstances that
warranted our support. This foster father cared deeply for the child in his care and was well intentioned
in his care. Had he not appealed, he would forever be identified as negligent in his care of this child.”
Rate
“Massachusetts MENTOR received $100.94 per day for the care of this child, $50 of which was directed
to the foster parents as reimbursement for expenses incurred in the care of the child. Within the daily
rate, Massachusetts MENTOR is responsible for the clinical oversight of the home and the child in care.
The funds paid to our organization cover costs including program leadership, a clinical coordinator
assigned to each child, a family resources worker assigned to each foster parent, local quality assurance
staff, access to specialized clinical services, including The MENTOR Network’s Pediatric Medical Director
and national quality assurance team and access to 24/7 on call support as well as back office support
including IT, human resources (employee recruitment, benefits administration, compliance) and finance
functions including accounts payable and billing.”
Accountability and Quality of Services
“Massachusetts MENTOR is accountable to both the Department of Early Education and Care and the
Department of Children and Families. Any implication that we are not held to a high standard by either
organization is inaccurate and unfounded. We have historically been known as a high quality, go-to

 provider with the capacity to work with children with significant challenges, as evidenced by our
position as the leading provider of IFC in the Commonwealth. That said, when we have fallen short of
expectations, both DEEC and DCF have not hesitated to hold us accountable.
“Massachusetts MENTOR has a track record of success spanning nearly four decades and has made a
difference in the lives of thousands of children in the Bay State. During a period in 2011 and 2012,
Massachusetts MENTOR experienced a period in which our services did not meet our own high
standards. We were held accountable by our public partners and took significant action, including
making changes at the highest levels of the organization and installing an Executive Director with more
than 30 years of experience serving children in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We also made
other significant changes to our state leadership team at that time. As part of our corrective action plan,
Massachusetts MENTOR instituted a comprehensive process for quality and compliance reviews for each
foster home. The purpose of these reviews is to ensure that all MENTOR foster homes are providing the
highest quality of care to the children entrusted to our services and that there is 100% compliance with
all standards and regulations. Each home had a comprehensive review with both program and state
leadership participating. These reviews are now conducted on an annual basis.
“In addition, as part of these efforts, we made significant strides in our compliance with the Virtual
Gateway system in Massachusetts. As of January 2015, Massachusetts MENTOR has a compliance rate
of 96%--the highest score of any IFC provider—with the Virtual Gateway. The Virtual Gateway is the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts online portal for monitoring of foster homes and placements.
Providers are required to document in the Virtual Gateway all case notes—including home visits,
licenses, trainings, background checks and other items related to compliance with the state’s policies
and procedures for foster care.
“Also as of January 2015, the average number of homes per child served by Massachusetts MENTOR had
dropped from 2.3 to 1.3. Placement stability is a key indicator of outcomes for children in foster care.
“In addition, we have taken the following steps to ensure high quality care to the children entrusted to
our organization:
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Assigned a Family Resources Worker to each foster parent who is responsible for supporting
each foster parent. This in addition to the clinical coordinator assigned to each child and
ensures that there are more sets of eyes on each placement and home on a regular basis.
Family Resource Workers are responsible for foster parent skill development and training
compliance; ensuring that foster parent files and licenses are current and complete and
documented in the Virtual Gateway.
MAPP training must be completed by all foster parents as well as 20 additional training hours
per year. Training must be documented in the Virtual Gateway.”

 Former Massachusetts state employees working at The Network
“It is inaccurate to imply that there are a significant number of individuals working at The MENTOR
Network who previously held high-ranking positions in Massachusetts state government. Of The
Network’s corporate employees, less than 2% worked in leadership roles in Massachusetts state
government. Of those individuals, almost all left state government more than a decade ago. And those
employees, including myself, our Chairman, President and CEO and Chief Public Strategy and Marketing
Officer did not have interaction with any state officials on this case—including regarding the appeal of
the foster parents.”
The Network’s Foster Care Services
“As we noted in our comments regarding our decision to discontinue our foster care programs in Illinois
earlier this spring, from time to time we assess our current service offerings and we are currently doing
a strategic review of our services for at-risk youth. Consistent with our thought process for Illinois, the
goal of this initiative is to identify those states and markets where we are confident we can maintain
services that are both high quality and financially sustainable. Upon the completion of our strategic
process, it is possible that we may elect to complete additional closures or divestitures of programs
serving at-risk youth. Foster care is a core service of our organization and one upon which our
organization was founded—and will remain a core service for many years to come as we continue in our
mission to serve and serve well.”