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The end of the 2011 Legislative Session resulted in
passage of important legislation affecting Connecticut's children.
The Center for Children’s Advocacy wrote and advocated
for important legislation to improve the lives of Connecticut’s
vulnerable abused and neglected children. The following summarizes
the status of new legislation that directly impacts children’s lives.
Placing an abused or neglected child with relatives
can greatly ease the trauma a child suffers when removed from home.
Connecticut’s kinship care rate lags far below the national average.
This legislation requires DCF to take several steps to increase
the number of abused and neglected children placed in relative foster
care. Effective October 1, 2011.
While child abuse and neglect proceedings have historically
been closed, there is increasing recognition that shedding light
on the child welfare system and the needs of families and children
can lead to increased system accountability and improved outcomes
for children. This legislation permits individuals or entities,
including the media, who have a legitimate interest in a child welfare
hearing or the work of the court, to observe the court hearing.
The legislation allows the court to prohibit any disclosure of identifying
information regarding the child, his caretakers or family. Effective
July 1, 2011.
Within 48 hours of leaving home, one in three youth
are lured into prostitution (domestic minor sex trafficking). Law
enforcement is the most likely entity to come into contact with
these victims and DCF is best suited to provide help. This law requires
DCF to conduct child abuse or neglect investigations of youth who
get arrested on prostitution charges. Effective October 1, 2011.
This legislation creates a new category of utility
protection for Connecticut's youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
Under the new law, if a child under 24 months of age is about to
be discharged from the hospital, and the household is threatened
with utility termination, the physician can complete a certification
stating that the health and well-being of the child is in jeopardy
if the utilities are terminated. This protection is part of this
session’s sweeping reform of utility law in Connecticut. Effective
July 1, 2011.
Youth released from the juvenile justice or criminal
justice system face numerous barriers to successful return to school
and community. This legislation addresses the refusal of school
districts to promptly enroll students upon their return, and credits
students for instruction completed while in juvenile justice placements.
Effective July 1, 2011.
Disproportionate minority contact (DMC) in Connecticut’s
juvenile justice system has persisted for decades. Youth of color
are more likely to enter and progress further through the juvenile
justice system than their white peers. This legislation implements
two of the recommendations of Connecticut’s Juvenile Justice Advisory
Committee of the Office of Policy and Management: it requires a
court order before a child can be sent to detention, a practice
that has proven effective in eliminating DMC at the point of entry
to detention, and requires state agencies to report on plans to
and progress to reduce DMC. Sec.1 effective October 1, 2011; Sec.
2 effective upon passage.
When a child is truant, there is often no action taken
until attendance issues are at a critical stage, making it difficult
to re-engage a struggling child in school, particularly where the
child suffers from undiagnosed or unrecognized mental health or
educational disabilities. This legislation requires schools to file
“Families With Service Needs” Petitions within fifteen days of a
parent’s failure to cooperate with school efforts to address a truancy
issue. Sec.13, 19 20, 21 effective from passage; remainder effective
July 1, 2011.
Although the legislature did not pass CCA-sponsored
bills seeking to reduce the number of DCF involved children who
are placed in group or institutional care facilities, the Department
of Children and Families has publicly committed to ensuring that
children, whenever possible, are placed in community and family-based
settings. DCF has identified the development of comprehensive, community-based
mental and behavioral health support services as a top priority
for the new agency administration. DCF has also agreed to continue
its efforts to reduce, and potentially eliminate, the use of congregate
care facilities for children ages birth to five years old.
Preliminary 2011 DCF Legislative Summary
Legislation of interest to the Department of Children and Families that passed during the 2011 Regular Session. These summaries are based largely on the bill analysis prepared by the General Assembly's Office of Legislative Research.
Shipman & Goodwin, 2011
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