NASHUA – A former social worker for the Division of Children, Youth & Families is suing her former employer, claiming she was disciplined when she tried to protect children and ordered by her supervisors to put them back into dangerous homes.

Ashley Rossiter filed a lawsuit claiming employment discrimination under the Whistleblower Protection laws, as well as a disability discrimination claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Rossiter’s lawsuit, prepared by Concord attorney Stephen Martin, claims in one case, a boy was severely burned because she was not allowed to take appropriate action.

Rossiter was a caseworker for DCYF’s Nashua office from 2011 to 2015, and her lawsuit lists numerous instances of her being reprimanded for not following her supervisor’s directions when it came to child protection. In one case, she refused her supervisor’s order to close a case as "unfounded" despite the fact the child in question had injuries that medical professionals stated were done to him. Rossiter’s lawsuit states she was disciplined for not filing the case "unfounded."

In other instances, she contacted police about a father who had allegedly been beating his child. The father was scheduled to meet with DCYF to discuss his case, and police had filed a warrant for his arrest related to the alleged abuse. Rossiter told police about the meeting, and her supervisors disciplined her for that contact, according to the lawsuit.

In another instance, Rossiter had a client, a young boy, who told her he was going to harm himself or others because of the abuse he was suffering. Her supervisors blocked her from getting a removal order, according to the lawsuit, because she already had too much comp time.

In other cases, she was disciplined for staying late at work to locate children in danger, the lawsuit states.

Last month, the Center for the Support of Families released a review of DCYF that found systemic failures within the department. The report found that DCYF failed to protect children from harm, and routinely filed cases as "unfounded" despite having facts to support further action.

"We saw a pattern of multiple reports on the same families very often alleging the same things," said Jerry Milner, with the Center for the Support of Families.

The report was commissioned by the state after two young children were murdered. Nashua’s Brielle Gage was three in 2014 when her mother, Katlyn Marin, beat her to death for reportedly getting a late night snack without permission. Marin, now serving 45-years to life in prison for second degree murder, had been the subject of at least 10 DCYF investigations, including allegedly breaking Brielle’s leg just months before the child’s death.

Sadie Willott was 21-months old in 2015 when her mother, Katlin Pauquette, of Manchester, allegedly beat her during a bath and left the child with fatal injuries. Pauquette’s case has not yet gone to trial. Like Marin, Pauquette had been investigated by DCYF before her child died.

The division is also being sued by the adoptive family of two girls who were repeatedly sexually assaulted by their biological parents while their cases were being monitored by DCYF staff.

The lawsuit alleges that DCYF was aware of a sexual assault investigation against the biological father, but continued to allow visitation where the assaults took place.

This week, DCYF chief Lorraine Bartlett announced her retirement after more than 28 years on the job.

Damien Fisher can be reached at 594-1245 or dfisher@nashuatelegraph.com.

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