Connecticut Department of Children and Families Agency

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Connecticut Department of Children and Families
Agency Overview
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Mission

• The mission of the Department of Children and
  Families is to protect children, improve child
  and family well-being and support and preserve
  families.
• These efforts are accomplished by respecting and
  working within individual cultures and
  communities in Connecticut, and in partnership
  with others.

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DCF Mandates
Juvenile Justice
Prevention
Child Welfare
Behavioral Health
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Current Profile
Budget 851 million FY11 General Fund Staffing
3456 Authorized full-time General Fund
positions Structure Central Office, 6 Regions,
14 Area Offices, USDII School District, 3
Facilities Connecticut Juvenile Training School,
Solnit Childrens Psychiatric Center (North and
South Campuses) and the Wilderness School
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On any Given Day

• 36,000 children served (approx.) (16,000
  families)
• 250 Total Careline Calls Received (91,000
  annually)
• 113 Abuse/Neglect Reports Received (41,000
  annually)
• 4,500 children in DCF care and custody
  (placements)

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DCF Organization Chart
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DCF Regions
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The Life Span of a DCF Case
Report Careline Area Office Intake
Unit Area Office On-Going Services Permanency
Planning Closure
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DCF 101Fundamentals
Take Aways General Understanding of what occurs
in a DCF Case General Understanding the various
types of cases Intake / Assessment Family with
Service Needs Probate Interstate
Compacts Voluntary On Going Services Reunificat
ion Permanency Transfer of Guardianship,
Adoption, Another Planned Permanent Living
Arrangement
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How a DCF Case is Opened for Service
A
B
DCF Careline receives and accepts a Report of
Abuse of Neglect. Assignment is made to Area
Office Intake Unit Assessment of Safety and Risk
is completed Case is closed with services Case is
closed without services Case is Transferred to
appropriate ongoing services social worker.

• A Referral is received from
• Superior Court/Juvenile Matters,
• Probate Court
• Interstate Compacts Office
• Parents, as a Behavioral Health, Voluntary
  Services Application
• Assignment is made to appropriate social worker

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Ongoing Services

• In Home Case Services
• 2 x month visitation
• Ongoing Assessment (FSNA)
• Out of Home Case Services
• Child Parents
• Wellbeing Services
• Placement stability ? Domestic Violence
• Permanency ? Mental Health
• Education ? Substance
  Abuse

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Legal
The Courts and the Department share the
responsibility for the protection of children
when parents are unwilling and/or unable to
provide for the childrens well being. The
ultimate goal is the welfare and best interests
of the child.

• Superior Court /Juvenile Matters
• Goal ?Reunification
• Status
• 1. Custody
• 2. Guardianship (committed)

Probate Court Study is Completed Report of
Assessment with recommendations submitted to
court.
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Strengthening Families DCF Practice Model

• The goal of the Practice Model is to provide a
  framework for how the agency as a whole will work
  internally and partner with families, service
  providers, and others to put our mission and
  guiding principles into action. At its core, the
  model is the description of what we do, how we do
  it, why we do it and what outcomes we hope to
  achieve for children and families.
• Based upon engagement and assessment, the DCF
  Practice Model emphasizes case supervision with
  administrative, educational and supportive
  components as primary strategies.

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Practice Model Strategies

• Phase 1
• strategies-
• orange
• Phase 2
• strategies-
• green

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Strengthening FamiliesPractice ModelPrinciples
of Partnership- A new perspective on Child
Welfare

• Everyone desires respect
• Everyone needs to be heard
• Everyone has strengths
• Judgments can wait
• Partners share power
• Partnership is a process

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Practice Principles

• Family Engagement
• Purposeful Visitation
• Family Centered Assessments
• Supervision and Management
• Initial and Ongoing Assessments of Safety and
  Risk
• Effective Case Planning
• Individualizing Services

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PRACTICE MODEL-The Differential Response
SystemFamily Engagement The
Common Thread
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Practice ModelDRS diagram

• Supervision
• Administrative
• Case
• Educational
• Supportive

Practice Model Phase 1 Family Assessment
Purposeful Visits Family Centered Assessment
Improved Outcomes For Children And Families
Practice Setting DRS Family Engagement Forensi
c Assessment Track Track
Coaching Family Engagement Purposeful
Visits Family Cent. Assessments to Partners
in Change
Life of a Case
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Differential Response System

• A philosophical shift in the way we do our work
• Moving from a single response system to a dual
  response system- both with emphasis on safety,
  risk and engagement but with different policy and
  procedural approaches
• Forensic/Traditional Assessment Track
• Track Response
  Response
• Finding
  No Finding

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Families are most commonly a child's greatest
source of strength and therefore our most
important Partner in promoting the well-being
of the child. Our relationship with
families is the result of how we communicate
and show our respect for families (Joette
Katz, DCF Commissioner, Memorandum 'New
Department Administration', January 6, 2011)