When House budget writers moved to eliminate the Office of the Child Advocate, they said it was a matter of cost savings; defunding the office could save the state about $2 million, over two years. The fate of the agency now rests with the New Hampshire Senate — where the deciding factor could be less about finances, more about the office’s willingness to temper its advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ youth.
The Office of the Child Advocate was created in 2018 as an independent watchdog agency, holding the state accountable for its treatment of at-risk children and teens.
Cassandra Sanchez, who has held the role since 2022, has spoken out against Republican legislation that would restrict the rights of LGBTQ youth. Last year, she joined a coalition of child welfare organizations rallying against proposals to ban gender-affirming health care and to require the disclosure of a student’s gender identity without their consent. She also urged lawmakers to reject a bill prohibiting transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams.
Sanchez detailed that advocacy in the last two pages of her most recent annual report and has said this is part of her agency’s duty — to advocate for the well-being of all children.
But several top Republican lawmakers say that advocacy is inappropriate. In a public meeting last week and an interview with NHPR Monday, Sen. Victoria Sullivan of Manchester said she wants to restore the child advocate’s funding — if it maintains a more narrow focus. Weighing in on issues such “lightning rod” issues, Sullivan said, has become a distraction.
“When you get into the middle of that conversation, it's going to draw attention to itself… distracting from the actual good work that's happening with the children, with the systems,” Sullivan said.
Sen. Tim Lang, a Sanbornton Republican who will help craft the Senate’s budget, said he’s heard similar concerns and wants the agency to stay focused on children in the state’s care. The concerns also came up during House budget discussions, said Rep. Ken Weyler, a Kingston Republican who heads the House Finance Committee.
In a statement, Senate President Sharon Carson said she supports restoring the agency’s funding but shares concerns about the office’s advocacy.
“We will see what entails once the budget process has played out,” Carson said. “However, I do not support the office weighing in on political issues during said process.”
The future of the agency will depend in large part on how many senators share those concerns — and how Sanchez’s team responds.
Related coverage: What's at stake if NH eliminates Office of the Child Advocate
Reached by NHPR Monday, Sanchez said she’s ready to rethink the agency’s approach. What won’t change, she said, is its commitment to advocate for all children, including LGBTQ youth. She said she was grateful Sullivan raised her concerns directly with her at a legislative oversight meeting last week.
“I didn't see that conversation (with Sullivan) asking that (our advocacy for all children) to change,” Sanchez said. “I saw the conversation more focused on how that should look in the legislative realm.”
Sanchez said legislative advocacy makes up 5% of the agency’s work.
Their primary focus has been on a range of issues related to the state’s treatment of children in its care. That’s included investigating cases of restraints and seclusions, ensuring children in out-of-home placement are safe and receiving required services, and reviewing the Division for Children, Youth, and Families' response to children in need. Her office also plays a major role in oversight of the Sununu Youth Services Center.
Last year, Sanchez made headlines when she revealed DCYF had never visited the Tennessee facility they’d chosen for two boys removed from their homes over abuse and neglect concerns. When Sanchez made the trip herself, she grew so concerned about the prison-like atmosphere and abuse they’d encountered, she reported the facility to Tennessee child protection services from the parking lot.
Sanchez also detailed her findings in a report that led to legislation limiting where DCYF could place children.
That’s the work Sullivan said New Hampshire desperately needs and Sanchez’s team have done well.
But that’s not a universal view among the Republican majority at the State House. Weyler, the House’s top budget writer, said he and others believe the Office of the Child Advocate duplicates work already being done by the state’s child welfare division and is not worth its $2 million budget.
“We can’t say it was any more effective than calling (DCYF),” Weyler said.
Rep. Kim Rice, a Hudson Republican who has been involved in child protection issues at the State House, said she disagrees with that assessment.
Rice said she also has concerns about Sanchez’s advocacy, especially her opposition to bills that would bar transgender girls from using girls' locker rooms.
But she supports the agency so much, she told House Republicans she’d vote against the budget if they didn’t restore its funding.
“I think the Office of the Child Advocate is vital to New Hampshire at a time there is so much skepticism and uncertainty (about) DCYF with people in this state,” Rice said Tuesday. “Having someone who can intervene in cases is imperative. She can look at these cases with no bias.”
Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s office said she supports reinstating the Office of the Child Advocate but did not respond when asked if the governor has concerns about the office’s legislative advocacy.
