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Children's COVE seeks steady FY26 budget while pressing for clinician hire and capital campaign
Summary
Children’s COVE presented a level‑services FY26 operating budget and outlined priorities including hiring a clinician, co‑locating services on Nantucket and Vineyard, stronger severe‑case coordination, and a capital campaign for a new building.
Stacy Gallagher, director of Children’s COVE, presented the department’s fiscal 2026 operating budget to the Barnstable County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 15 and described strategic priorities for the coming year, including staffing, co‑location of services and a capital campaign for a new facility.
Gallagher said the department provided a level‑services budget as requested by county administration. "Staffing levels remain unchanged, although we are hiring to fill 2 positions," Gallagher said, adding that the program recently filled a community outreach post and continues to recruit for a clinician and a mental‑health coordinator.
Why it matters: Children’s COVE provides coordinated services for child‑abuse investigations and related supports. Commissioners discussed the county’s role in funding the center and the difficulty of finding qualified mental‑health clinicians.
Key points from the presentation - Strategic priorities: expanding mental‑health capacity, co‑location of services on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket (to reduce travel burdens for families), tightening interagency response to severe abuse cases with law enforcement and the district attorney, and pursuing a capital campaign for a dedicated Children’s COVE facility. - Hiring challenges: Gallagher said the clinician posting has been open five to six months; the center is offering a sign‑on bonus and enhanced postings but described hiring as “very difficult… statewide.” - Budget drivers: Gallagher attributed the county budget increase largely to personnel step increases, merit pay, cost‑of‑living adjustments, sick buybacks, and increases in group and liability insurance; she said grant revenues for the program total about $689,000, primarily covering salary and fringe.
Quotes "We are struggling to hire a mental health coordinator and clinician," Gallagher said. "We've been in front of you before to talk about our mental‑health capacity building."
Commissioners highlighted the county’s ongoing financial support for Children’s COVE. One commissioner said the county often fills gaps when other entities do not and voiced support for continued county funding until alternative arrangements are secure.
Ending Gallagher closed by noting staffing searches continue and that the capital campaign for a new Children’s COVE building remains an active priority; commissioners congratulated staff on recent reaccreditation and signaled support for the center’s work.
