How did DCF fail to notice their social worker was attending high school?

The story of Shelby hewitt — a 32-year-old social worker who posed as a boston high school student for months — is as troubling as it is bizarre. in an indepth investigation, boston globe magazine writer Patricia Wen tries to answer questions about hewitt: who she was, why she posed as a teenager, and how she succeeded. but one question Wen was unable to answer is perhaps the most important one for massachusetts families and taxpayers: how on earth could a social worker with a full-time job for the Department of Children and families instead attend high school daily, and have no one notice?

as Wen asked in her piece, “had hewitt been paid for DCf work she didn’t perform? Was she doing her job protecting at-risk children — the kind of children she was pretending to be?”

if not, that’s a sign that DCf needs to improve. While hewitt’s case may be unique, it is simply good policy to have oversight to ensure any employee is doing the job they are paid to do. maybe hewitt was able to visit families and meet with colleagues around her school schedule, but maybe not. Wen asked the questions, but DCf didn’t answer.

according to the state, hewitt worked for DCf on three separate occasions — in 2016-2017, in 2018, then from December 2021 to february 2023. for employee confidentiality reasons, state officials cannot reveal if an employee takes a leave of absence during their employment. Wen reported that when hewitt returned to DCf December 5, 2021, she immediately started laying the groundwork for her secret life.

Suffolk County prosecutors allege that in early 2022, hewitt entered Walden behavioral Care, an eatingdisorder treatment center in Dedham, posing as a homeless child. in September 2022, she arrived at the Jeremiah E. burke high School in Dorchester, posing as a 16-year-old freshman, and continued to attend the school until april, when she transferred to brighton high. When school officials began expressing concerns, hewitt disappeared and showed up at boston’s English high in June 2023, soon after which the ruse was uncovered. hewitt had backed up her identity by fabricating fictional DCf workers. a DCf spokesperson told reporters at that time that the agency had received a report and was investigating.

Citing the ongoing criminal investigation, DCf spokesperson andrea grossman would not tell Wen if DCf reviewed hewitt’s casework, verified that hewitt conducted mandatory monthly visits with families she was supervising, or told those families about the allegations against hewitt. grossman declined to say if hewitt’s supervisor held weekly meetings with her, as is required by DCf policy.

according to DCf policy, when a social worker’s conduct is called into question, the agency will review

DCF should conduct an internal investigation to determine what went wrong and what policies, if any, need to change or to be better implemented.

their case records to ensure no child was harmed.

Contacted by the editorial board, grossman said DCf provided all requested information to the Suffolk County District attorney’s office. “Due to pending criminal litigation, and confidentiality requirements regarding personnel records, the Department of Children and families cannot comment on the specifics of this case,” grossman said.

Wen reported that a former DCf social worker suggested hewitt may have gotten away with neglecting her duties because DCf oversight can be lax, and families who don’t want DCf involvement are unlikely to complain if a social worker doesn’t show.

but hewitt had an obligation — to the at-risk children she was charged with protecting, to the state agency that employed her, and to taxpayers, who paid her $55,500 from December 2021 through 2022, according to state payroll records.

DCf should conduct an internal investigation to determine what went wrong and what policies, if any, need to change or to be better implemented. that report should be made public, with redactions to protect confidential personnel information, and DCf should be transparent as corrective actions are taken. the taxpayers who paid hewitt’s salary were paying her to ensure at-risk children stay safe — not to pose as a child herself. if there are systemic problems that allowed her to get away with this for nine months, those problems must be addressed.