Connecticut's child advocate announced Thursday she will soon step down from the position, after nearly 11 years at the helm of the state agency charged with protecting the rights of children.
Come October, Sarah Eagan will start a new role as executive director for the Center for Children’s Advocacy. The Hartford-based nonprofit provides individual legal resources to youth around the state.
Eagan said the planned departure from Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) will happen in September. She acknowledged the collaborative work with agency staff and families to create more transparency and accountability for publicly funded services for young people.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to lead this critical government agency, further transparency and accountability for publicly funded services for children, and advocate on behalf of the state's children and families,” Eagan said in an email announcement Thursday morning.
The state’s child advocate wears a number of hats, from addressing policy issues, reviewing individual cases and complaints, educating the public about laws and services affecting families and children placed under state supervision, and more.
In late June the OCA and advocacy group Disability Rights Connecticut filed a complaint to the Department of Justice surrounding four school districts in Bridgeport, Hartford, Stratford and Waterbury that discriminated against special education students. This followed an investigation into the High Road Schools OCA published this March.
According to Gov. Ned Lamont’s office, an advisory committee of seven members appointed by bipartisan legislative leaders and the governor will soon consider nominees to serve as her long-term successor.
In a statement, Lamont called Eagan’s service to the state, “nothing but exceptional” and extended his gratitude to her.
“During her tenure, she has always put the needs of children and their welfare first, and her advocacy has made a positive difference in establishing the appropriate policies and procedures to ensure that the rights of children and their best interests are always a top priority in Connecticut,” Lamont said.
Associate Child Advocate Christina Ghio will take over as acting Child Advocate until a new one is appointed. Ghio has been with the agency in the role since September 2022, but it’s not her first role there. Before working as a solo attorney for a dozen years on children’s issues, she worked with the office as an assistant Child Advocate focused on policy advocacy and systemic investigations.
