In response to a large influx of children into state care in the late 1990s resulting from tragedies that spawned fear within the agency, Connecticut developed a sprawling system of institutional settings to have enough “placements.” In January 2011, almost 30 percent of Connecticut children in care lived in an institution. By January 2019, less than 8 percent of children in care were living in an institution and of those who remained there, many have complex medical needs.
