AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE PROGRAM REVIEW AND INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE PROGRAM REVIEW AND INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.

This bill implements a number of changes in statutes relating to the Department of Children and Families' (DCF) planning, programming, and reporting functions. It:

1. requires DCF to develop and regularly update a single comprehensive strategic plan;

2. expands the authority and oversight of the State Advisory Council on Children and Families (SAC) with respect to DCF programs and services;

3. requires, rather than allows, DCF to establish advisory groups for each facility it operates (the Connecticut Children's Place, the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS), High Meadows, Riverview Hospital, and the Wilderness School) and provide them administrative support;

4. requires state agencies cited in an Office of the Child Advocate report to respond to the governor and General Assembly in writing within 90 days; and

5. requires DCF to collect and analyze data about child abuse and neglect that involve a parent or guardian with a substance abuse problem.

The bill also eliminates several reporting requirements and advisory groups and makes technical and conforming changes.

*Senate Amendment “A” (1) eliminates a provision in the original file creating a pilot program to integrate treatment plans for abused and neglected children in DCF's care with the court's orders concerning specific steps their parents must take in order to regain custody, (2) requires DCF to hold regional public meetings as it develops its strategic plan, (3) changes the membership of the State Advisory Council, (4) eliminates a provision in the original file that would have created a committee to fulfill the state's mental health planning and advisory council responsibilities under federal law, (5) changes where a state agency must send its responses to child advocate office reports and increases the length of time the agency has to respond from 60 to 90 days, (6) adds the requirement that DCF collect and analyze data about child abuse and neglect that involve a parent or guardian with a substance abuse problem, and (7) eliminates the repeal of several committee and reporting requirements.

The bill eliminates a requirement that DCF submit to the legislature a five-year master plan every two years. Instead, with the assistance of the SAC, it must develop and regularly update a single, comprehensive strategic plan for meeting the needs of the children and families it serves. In developing and updating the plan, DCF must consult with representatives of children and families it serves, service providers, advocates, and others interested in child and family well-being in the state. The plan must identify and define agency goals and indicators of progress in achieving them.

1. a mission statement;

2. expected results for the department, each of its mandated areas of responsibility (child welfare, juvenile justice, children's mental health and substance abuse services, and child abuse and neglect prevention), and each of its programs and services;

3. a schedule and timeframe for achieving these results and fulfilling its mission that includes strategies for working with other state agencies to leverage resources and coordinate service delivery;

4. priorities for services and estimates of the funding and other resources needed to implement them;

5. program and service standards that are based on results-based best practices, when available; and

6. relevant progress measures.

The bill requires DCF to begin the strategic planning process on July 1, 2009. DCF must hold regional meetings on the plan to ensure public input and must post the plan and the plan's updates and progress reports on the department's website. Before submitting the plan to the legislature and governor, which must occur by July 1, 2010, DCF must submit it to SAC for review and comment.

The DCF commissioner must track progress in achieving the results and file quarterly reports with SAC beginning October 1, 2010. She must submit annual progress reports to the legislature and governor beginning July 1, 2011.

By law, SAC makes recommendations to DCF about programs, legislation, and other matters to improve services; annually advises the commissioner on her proposed budget; explains DCF's policies, duties, and programs to the public; and issues reports to the governor and commissioner on an as-needed basis. The bill directs DCF to provide the council with funding for administrative support and to facilitate participation by council members representing families and youth (10 of its 17 members are parents or relatives of children receiving, or who have received, DCF services).

The bill requires the council to hold its meetings at locations that facilitate public participation. DCF must post the council agenda and minutes on its website.

1. to assist in development of reviewing and commenting on DCF's strategic plan,

2. to receive quarterly reports from the commissioner concerning the department's progress in carrying out the strategic plan,

3. to independently monitor the department's progress in achieving the strategic plan's goals, and

4. to offer the department assistance and an outside perspective to help it achieve its goals.

The bill does not change the number of members but changes the membership so that SAC must include:

The balance of the membership of the council includes young persons, parents and others interested in the delivery of services to children and youths. The bill specifies that this include child protection, behavioral health, juvenile justice, and prevention services.

The bill requires each DCF-operated facility to submit an annual report to its advisory group and SAC that includes:

1. aggregate resident profiles;

2. descriptions of, and updates on, major initiatives;

3. key outcome indicators and results;

4. operating costs; and

5. descriptions of its (a) educational, vocational, and literacy programs, (b) behavioral, treatment, and other services for residents, and (c) their outcomes.

DCF must serve as administrative staff and post these reports on its website. The bill directs the advisory groups to respond to their facility's annual report and recommend improvements and enhancements that they deem necessary.

The bill requires any state agency cited in an official report issued by the child advocate to submit a written response to the governor and General Assembly no later than 90 days after it receives the report. The General Assembly must submit a copy of the response to the Office of the Child Advocate.

The bill requires DCF to collect and analyze data to determine the percentage of the department's cases of child abuse and neglect that involve a parent or guardian with a substance-abuse problem and utilize the data to develop strategies to reduce the number of future cases.

§§ 6 – 9, & 12 — ELIMINATING REPORTS AND THE ADOPTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The bill eliminates obsolete reporting statutes and the following mandated reports:

1. annual self-evaluations by community collaboratives participating in Connecticut KidCare, the state's child behavioral health program;

2. annual child care facility reports from DCF licensees;

3. annual performance reports on DCF's Unified School District #2;

4. quarterly reports from hospitals to DCF concerning psychiatric services provided to children; and

5. DCF's monthly reports to the Public Health and Human Services committees concerning hospitalized children receiving subacute psychiatric care due to a lack of community-based services.

The bill also eliminates (1) an advisory committee that studies and makes annual reports to DCF on programs to promote adoption of minority and hard-to-place foster children and (2) a committee that is currently required to make quarterly reviews of safety and security issues at CJTS that affect Middletown.

Yea

Nay

(03/03/2009)

Yea

Nay

(03/12/2009)

Yea

Nay

(04/15/2009)

Yea

Nay

(04/27/2009)