Connecticut's Department of Children and Families has been under a federal court monitor for almost 24 years. In the latest quarterly report, the monitor found DCF was meeting the basic needs of children in its care half of the time, a four-year low.
The monitor also found issues with how the agency handled case management, timely investigations, and excessive caseloads for its social work staff.
Ira Lustbader is the Litigation Director of Children's Rights, a national children's advocacy group that sued Connecticut and DCF in 1991 leading to the oversight. He said DCF has made progress under the leadership of Commissioner Joette Katz, like reducing the overall foster care population, decreasing the number of kids in out-of-state institutions, and placing more kids with their relatives.
But Lustbader said the latest report shows the agency is starting to backslide. He said DCF is failing to connect kids and families with vital services for domestic violence, substance abuse, and outpatient mental health care.
"Most concerning to me was finding, through interviews with case workers, that service referrals are sometimes not happening at all, or being delayed due to staff having knowledge that some of these services are not readily available," Lustbader said.
Commissioner Katz responded to the court monitor report saying state budget deficits have required belt-tightening, and that the agency's spending has decreased by $36 million over the last four years.
But Lustbader said the state still has an obligation to meet the needs of the children in its care. He said it's something the governor and state legislature should also be paying attention to.
