Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Judge simplifies path for DCF to end court oversight

  • Education
  • by Mark Pazniokas and Jacqueline Rabe Thomas
  • December 13, 2017
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

mark pazniokas :: ctmirror.org

DCF Commissioner Joette Katz and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy last fall during a press conference to celebrate the successes of kinship care.

A federal judge Wednesday ordered Connecticut to commit to certain staffing and caseload levels for social workers at the Department of Children and Families as a step toward ending the court’s quarter-century oversight of the agency under a consent decree.

Unlike a plan for exiting court oversight that was rejected nearly a year ago by the General Assembly, it does not shield the agency from budget cuts.

U.S. District Court Judge Stefan R. Underhill approved a revised exit plan  that requires the state to provide sufficient funding to reduce the caseloads of DCF social workers, without setting a bottom line for the agency’s total budget. A copy of the revised plan was not immediately available, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, DCF Commissioner Joette Katz and a plaintiff’s lawyer said it represented significant progress.

The new plan is the product of months of mediation conducted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Holly F. Fitzsimmons and replaces the one that’s been in place since 2004. It recognizes progress made by DCF since the state was sued in 1989 on behalf of “Juan F.” and other children under the agency’s care, and reduces the number of metrics by which the agency is judged from 22 to 14 “outcome goals,” then to 10 by June.

“DCF is making important strides that better support children and families involved in the state’s child welfare system, but the state must improve a good deal more to fully meet its obligation to these vulnerable kids,” said Ira Lustbader, litigation director for Children’s Rights, which represents the plaintiffs. “This plan gives credit for sustaining good performance, puts a bright light on remaining problem areas, and protects resources needed to achieve full compliance and eventual exit.”

The version accepted Wednesday imposes no specific overall funding requirements and provides no mechanism of review by the legislature. The plan rejected in February would have committed Connecticut to maintaining DCF’s budget at about $800 million.

“I applaud the attorney general’s efforts to reach an agreement to implement appropriate changes to the Juan F. consent decree,” said Senate Republican leader Len Fasano of North Haven. “This news confirms that lawmakers were prudent in not rushing to accept Commissioner Katz’s original proposal, negotiated by her own counsel, earlier this year.”

The new terms were accepted by Malloy, the attorney general’s office and the plaintiffs. Without new funding, it could put pressure on Katz shift resources to keep caseloads at a certain level.

Malloy used the court’s acceptance of the new plan as an occasion to compliment his beleaguered commissioner, who faced a call for her dismissal Tuesday after the release of an investigative report by the Office of the Child Advocate about the death of a neglected autistic child in Hartford.

“The court’s decision to streamline the process of ending federal oversight is certainly a welcome one and is a testament to the improvements that DCF has made in its commitment to providing a family-oriented approach to child welfare under the leadership of Commissioner Katz,” Malloy said. “Even during these difficult budgetary times, we must do our best to remain as steadfast as ever in our mission to achieve the best outcomes for our most vulnerable children and families.”

An investigative report released Tuesday by the state’s child advocate criticized DCF, the Hartford public schools and juvenile court for failing to protect a 17-year-old from neglect. The teen died from starvation, dehydration and child abuse in February.

Fasano, who has called for Katz’s removal, said, “It is hardly a time to declare victory for the performance of the DCF.”

Malloy is the most recent of five Connecticut governors whose administrations have struggled to convince the federal court that DCF is adequately serving the interests of the 4,000 children under its supervision at any given time. Named by Malloy, Katz has become one of the nation’s longest-serving heads of a state child protection agency.

“Strengthening families and supporting staff in this difficult work takes sustained resources, and Gov. Malloy has always stood by children and families who are battling to overcome adversity,” Katz said in a prepared statement. “This new set of requirements is much more achievable and realistic in a relatively short period of time. I greatly appreciate this demonstration of confidence by Children’s Rights, by the court, and by the Malloy administration.”

Children’s Rights says the new priorities are improving the quality of case plans and ensuring that children’s medical, dental, mental health and other needs are met. The plan will reduce average social worker caseloads by 25 percent from current limits and requires Katz to create a strategic plan for implementation in consultation with the court-appointed monitor.

“It’s an exciting moment for Commissioner Katz and her agency,” said Steven Frederick of Wofsey, Rosen, Kweskin & Kuriansky, the advocacy group’s private counsel. “With a clear roadmap and focus in place, and the proper resources to support DCF’s efforts, there is an opportunity to make Connecticut’s child welfare system a model for the rest of the country.”

The General Assembly voted overwhelming on Feb. 1 to reject the previous effort to revise the exit plan, which also would have charted an easier path for DCF to end court oversight, while shielding its budget from cuts at the start of what was certain to be a difficult budget debate.

By votes of 110-36 in the House and 25-8 in the Senate, legislators exceeded the 60-percent super-majority required for rejection, a reflection of the strong resistance to placing more of the budget beyond legislative review.

Plaintiffs quickly asked Underhill to find the state in non-compliance of the existing agreement for failing too many youth in the foster care system, and Malloy was scathing in his criticism. The new exit plan carries the force of a court order and provides no mechanism for review by the legislature.

“Today the General Assembly let politics stand in the way of progress for our most vulnerable children and families,” Malloy said after the vote in February. “This plan was supported by the plaintiffs, the federal court monitor, advocates, national experts, and the Attorney General’s Office, and yet it was not enough for the legislators who cast votes against the measure.”

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Pazniokas is the Capitol Bureau Chief and a co-founder of CT Mirror. He is a frequent contributor to WNPR, a former state politics writer for The Hartford Courant and Journal Inquirer, and contributor for The New York Times.

Jacqueline Rabe Thomas is CT Mirror’s Education and Housing Reporter and an original member of the CT Mirror staff. She has won first-place awards for investigative reporting from state, New England, and national organizations. Before joining CT Mirror in late 2009, Jacqueline was a reporter, online editor and website developer for The Washington Post Co.’s Maryland newspaper chains. She has also worked for Congressional Quarterly and the Toledo Free Press. Jacqueline received an undergraduate degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University and a master’s in public policy from Trinity College.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
New Haven’s school challenge: How to spend all that federal money
by Thomas Breen | New Haven Independent

How does it spend $136 million in federal pandemic relief without getting hooked on the short-term dough?

J&J vaccine ‘pause’ complicates campus clinics, but the big question remains: Should colleges require vaccinations?
by Adria Watson

The COVID vaccines are authorized for "emergency use," making the legality of mandates murky

Cardona taps a top Lamont staffer to join him at the U.S. Department of Education
by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

Nick Simmons was director of strategic initiatives in Lamont's office for nearly two years.

Hartford schools re-opening for in-person learning without teachers union buy-in
by Frankie Graziano | Connecticut Public Radio

Teachers favored returning after April break when they will all be vaccinated.

CT tax fairness debate heats up with new pandemic relief on the way
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Connecticut’s tax fairness debate shifted into high gear as state officials eye $2.6 billion in new pandemic relief from Washington.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Playing politics with people’s healthcare is always wrong
by Jody Barr, Jan Hochadel, Jeff Leake, Dave Glidden, Carl Chism and Mike Holmes

For the past decade, towns, school boards and cities throughout the state have been able to provide their employees high-quality healthcare through the Connecticut Partnership […]

Opinion A pandemic lesson for CSCU leaders: affordable, accessible childcare is critical
by Brandy Sellitto

If there can be anything good that has come from the last year and the horrors of living through this pandemic, perhaps it is the renewed focus on the need for affordable and accessible childcare. As a teen mom, I know first-hand the need for access to safe, reliable, and developmentally appropriate childcare at an affordable price.

Opinion Children’s mental health needs continue to soar: The second pandemic lawmakers must address
by Gabriella Izzo

“She was my happy kid,” a parent told me when I cared for her child who was experiencing a mental health crisis. My patient recovered medically within a few days, however, she remained in the hospital for over a week waiting for placement at a psychiatric rehabilitation facility. We must improve our mental health system and you can be a critical part of making that happen.

Opinion H.B. 6620 — A closer reading of a flawed legislative proposal
by Ann M Mulready

The Connecticut Association for Reading Research (CARR) is deeply concerned regarding H.B. 6620, An Act Concerning the Right to Read and Addressing Certain Opportunity Gaps. It is based on a concept that is seriously problematic in that it subordinates comprehension to fluency.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s […]

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is […]

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO