May 18, 2008

Public record request fee unrealistic in complaints regarding Worcester Diocese Office of Healing.

At question is the fact that three complaints (SW-08-019, SW-08-012, and SW 08-038) were filed against Ms Francis Nugent, of the Worcester Dioceses Office of Healing.  These complaints exposed numerous violations of Ms Nugent’s social workers license.

It appears in an attempt to stop the release of public information, which would expose the failure of action taken by the Board of Registration of Social Workers; an unrealistic fee had been applied to a public record request.

According to Ms Nadeige Pochette, Records Clerk Coordinator for the MA Division of Professional Licensure, in her May 15th cost of Fulfilling of Public Record request, Ms Pochette claims it took her three and a quarter hours to locate thirty five (35) pieces of paper in a case file in regards to complaints SW-08-12, and SW-08-38, which were conjoined.  

Ms Pochette than charged a fee of $56.88, at a rate of $17.50 per hour for time to located, copy their content and re-file the documents. This unrealistic fee of $63.88 for a total of 35 pieces of paper in a case file plainly appears to be an act of larceny and will be dealt with as such.

In addition, the free two hours of time which is allotted to every Massachusetts tax payer, per calendar year, was not applied to this charge. 

In a cost of Fulfilling of Public Record request in SW-08-019 on May 1, 2008 it took only 25 minutes to locate the case file, which resulted in twenty pages of public records for a total coast of $8.38.

There are no gray areas regarding the actions taken by Ms Nugent in complaint SW-08-12, as her actions were witnessed by two individuals in addition to the victim.  Ms Nugent advised a victim of sexual abuse, by a Worcester Diocese priest to “quit his job and go on Mass Health as the diocese cannot afford to pay for therapy”.  Ms Nugent further attempted to have this same victim sign a blank page at the end of his victim statement on diocesan  letterhead.  Ms Nugent failed to provide any housing services, although she claimed, in an early newspaper article, that the diocese did perform this service.  

As we have all become accustomed to, in Worcester County, the Worcester Telegram Newspaper, under the direction of Publisher, Harry T. Whitin, often writes puff pieces to assist the Worcester Diocese Catholic Church in public relations. In fact, since reporter, Kathy Shaw has retired in 2005, there has not been one story written regarding allegations of clergy sexual abuse within Worcester County.

The Board of Registration of Social Workers only issued an advisory letter in each of the three complaints which further added insult to injury. Ms Nugent’s action’s resulted in one complainant leaving the Catholic Church.  Another complainant became homeless, and was further emotionally traumatized by Ms Nugent and her actions.  The last complainant will never seek contact with the Diocese of Worcester Catholic church again based on the verbal  attack by Ms Nugent in which Ms Nugent actually taunted her verbally yelling “you were abused huh, so you were abused!.”

The Board of Registration of Social Workers failed on numerous occasions to meet a quorum needed to vote, due to the fact Massachusetts Governor, Deval Patrick, had not appointed new members.  These complaints have dragged on since July of 2007.

When the complaints were finally brought forward, no one was called to testify. The three witnesses who gave their statements to investigator Robert Williams have never been given a written copy of what he filed on their behalf.  The contents of Mr. Williams’s investigation summary, or lack of, are part of the subject matter in the public records request.  

We know, in docket number SW-08-019, Summary of Investigation, by investigator Robert Williams and signed off by his Supervisor, Alan Van Tassel, contained only three pages and less than two hundred words in regards to Narrative of investigator's activities and findings. Not one witness in this complaint was interviewed by Mr. Williams in regards to Ms Nugent's actions.

Lawyer James Gavin Reardon Jr., of Reardon and Reardon Law firm of Worcester, long time legal representative for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester represented Ms Nugent regarding these complaints.  After Attorney Reardon’s reply was filed, the complainants were not allowed a chance to dispute any of the presentations by Attorney Reardon.

Raymond Delisle, Vice Chancellor of Operations, wrote an undated job description for Ms Nugent as the Victim Service Coordinator, of the Office of Healing, at the request of the Board of Registration of Social Workers.  

Unbeknownst to many faithful Catholic’s no job description was designed into the Dallas Norms of 2002, which established that each Roman Catholic Diocese would maintain an office to deal with allegations of clergy sexual abuse. The Norms, in addition, also failed to mandate services which were to be provided to assist those individuals, who had been subjected to clergy sexual abuse.  So in reality, unless the victim plays along with the Diocese, which usually mandates silence, no services or assistance is ever provided.  

In all three complaints that were filed, regarding the actions of Ms Nugent, who is Co-director of the Worcester Office of Healing;  Ms Nugent presented her fifty years as a  licensed social worker as a means to justify her qualifications and actions in this position.  

Previous to the filing of their complaints none of the three parties knew one another.