Christina Ghio, who has been serving as CT’s acting Child Advocate for more than a year, was nominated to fill the post permanently Monday.
Office of the Child Advocate
Posted inPolitics
CT DCF Commissioner Jodi Hill-Lilly steps down
Hill-Lilly’s departure comes as CT awaits another key child welfare role — leading the Office of the Child Advocate — to be filled.
Posted inPolitics
CT municipal camp bills, proposed after Bethany scandal, expire
Proposed regulations spurred by a child sex abuse scandal at a Bethany camp will not come to pass after session ended without a vote on them.
Posted inHealth
Bill would allow ‘baby boxes’ for parents to relinquish infants
A bill that would allow parents to relinquish their infants in temperature-controlled chambers at hospitals could unleash a slew of issues.
Posted inEducation
New complaint blames CT DOE for issues at High Road Schools
The complaint argues CT’s Department of Education isn’t properly monitoring schools for kids with disabilities, including High Road Schools.
Posted inHealth
Youth suicides are up in CT, and officials are broadening response
A new screening tool at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center is part of a broadened push to respond to the youth mental health crisis in CT.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
CT juvenile centers must operate with understanding of trauma
The recent report from the Office of Child Advocate states that the vast majority of children and youth at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School and Pueblo have “histories of trauma, abuse, neglect, complex psychiatric disorders and special education needs.”
It then goes on to detail the use of isolation and restraints as behavior management strategies or for discipline even in non-emergency situations. I want to start by saying those charged with rehabilitating and treating this vulnerable population face difficulties and challenges. But are cycles of punishment that go nowhere and only harm our youth any better? I say no, and I offer an alternative: operating from an understanding of the impact of trauma.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
In Connecticut juvenile justice, children get many second chances
A two-part series in the Connecticut Mirror this week asked the question of whether youth who break the law in Connecticut receive a second chance. It focused on the relatively small share of youth in the juvenile justice system who are placed in secure settings rather than the vast majority who receive services at home and in the community. What the article left out is that youths who are committed by Juvenile Court judges to the Department of Children and Families and placed at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School have received many second chances before that point.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Respect children’s rights in Connecticut’s classrooms and courtrooms
Any parents who controlled or disciplined their children by tying them up could expect to be visited by child welfare authorities and police. Yet mechanical restraints have long been commonly employed in Connecticut’s public schools and its juvenile court. The legislature has an opportunity this session to protect our children’s safety and dignity through bills that would limit this practice in our educational and juvenile justice systems.
Posted inEducation
Children of domestic violence: ‘Daddy shooted mommy’
Following child-witnessed homicides in Bristol and Oxford in less than two months, representatives of domestic abuse service agencies from across Connecticut are talking about ways to improve services for children in violent households.