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 requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to develop a strategic plan and a time-frame for meeting the plan's goals. The strategic plan replaces the department's ongoing five-year master plan.

The bill establishes a family reunification pilot program in one DCF area office in cooperation with the chief court administrator. The goal of the program is to help plan specific steps for families and children to take so they can be reunited.

The bill expands the role of the State Advisory Council on Children and Families. The bill requires any agency cited in a child fatality report by the child advocate to submit a written response. It requires, instead of allows, DCF to appoint advisory groups for each of its facilities. It eliminates several DCF committees and reports.

The bill institutes a new data collection and analysis plan. Under the bill, DCF must collect data on its child abuse and neglect cases related to substance abuse and use it to develop strategies to reduce these cases in the future.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2009, except for the family reunification pilot program, which takes effect October 1, 2009.

The bill removes the requirement that DCF submit a five-year master plan on a biennial basis. Instead, the bill requires DCF, with assistance from the State Advisory Council on Children and Families and in consultation with representatives of the children and families served by the department, service providers, and advocates, to develop and regularly update a single, comprehensive strategic plan for meeting the needs of children and families. When developing and updating the plan, DCF must identify and define agency goals and progress indicators, including benchmarks. The plan must include:

1. DCF's mission statement;

2. expected results for the department and each of its mandated areas of responsibility;

3. a schedule for achieving the expected results and fulfilling the department's mission, including strategies for working with other state agencies to leverage resources and coordinate services;

4. priorities for services and estimates for the funding and other resources necessary to carry them out;

5. standards for programs and services that are based on research-based best practices, when available; and

6. relevant measures of performance.

DCF must (1) begin the strategic planning process on July 1, 2009 and hold regional meetings to receive public input; (2) post the plan, updates to it, and progress reports to its website; and (3) DCF must submit the plan to the State Advisory Council on Children and Families for review and comment and submit a final version to the General Assembly and governor by July 1, 2010.

The DCF commissioner must report by October 1, 2010 to the State Advisory Council on Children and Families on progress in achieving the strategic plan's goals and then quarterly thereafter. Also, she must submit a status report on progress to the General Assembly and governor by July 1, 2011, and annually after that.

The bill requires the DCF commissioner and chief court administrator to establish a pilot program for family reunification within available appropriations. The pilot must integrate the initial written plan for care, treatment, and permanent placement with specific steps for family reunification. The DCF commissioner, in consultation with the chief court administrator, must designate one area office to participate in the program, which must end by October 1, 2011.

A court support services officer from the court participating in the pilot program must convene a meeting to promptly develop the initial treatment plan and propose specific steps for the child and family. The officer must invite to the meeting the child's parents or guardians; the child, when appropriate; their respective attorneys; the DCF staff person responsible for developing and implementing treatment plans; and service providers. Meetings must be held at a time and place convenient to the family and child whenever possible.

After the meeting, the court must order specific steps the parents must take to facilitate the child's return to their custody. This plan must include:

1. a health and welfare assessment of the child;

2. an evaluation of the problems and strengths of each child;

3. the proposed plan of treatment services and temporary placement, and a goal for permanent placement of the child; and

4. specific planning goals and clear, comprehensive, time-sensitive action steps for educational and behavioral health needs.

The DCF commissioner and the chief court administrator must report pilot placement results to the Children's, Human Services, and Judiciary committees by February 1, 2012. The report must include a recommendation of whether to expand the program statewide.

The bill requires that two of the 17 members of the State Advisory Council on Children and Families be between the ages of 18 and 25 and have received DCF services. It requires the member who is an attorney to have expertise in legal issues relating to children and specifies that the child services in which some members must be interested include child protection, behavioral health, juvenile justice, and prevention services.

The bill requires DCF to fund (1) the participation of the members who represent children and (2) participating families and administrative support.

It requires the council's meetings to be held in locations that facilitate the public's participation. The agendas for and minutes of the council's meetings must be posted on the DCF website.

1. make recommendations about children's behavioral health services to the DCF commissioner;

2. establish a committee consisting of people who are knowledgeable about issues relating to children in need of behavioral health services and family supports, including parents and guardians of children with behavioral health needs, to fulfill the state's mental health planning and advisory council responsibilities under law;

3. assist in the development of, and review and comment on, DCF's strategic plan;

4. receive the commissioner's quarterly status reports about the department's progress in carrying out its strategic plan;

5. independently monitor the department's progress in achieving its goals as expressed in the strategic plan; and

6. offer assistance and provide an outside perspective to the department so that it may be able to achieve the goals expressed in the strategic plan.

The bill requires each DCF facility to make an annual report to the State Advisory Council on Children and Families and their respective advisory groups. The report must include:

1. aggregate profiles of the residents;

2. a description of and update on major initiatives;

3. key outcome indicators and results;

4. costs associated with operating the facility; and

5. a description of educational, vocational, and literacy programs and behavioral, treatment, and other services available to the residents and their outcomes.

The bill requires each advisory group to review its facility's report and give any recommendations for improvement or enhancement deemed necessary. DCF serves as administrative staff for the group.

The bill requires any state agency the child advocate cites in a child fatality report to submit a written response within 60 days of receiving the report to (1) the child advocate; (2) the child fatality board if the report was the result of an in-depth investigation; (3) the governor; and (4) the General Assembly. The response must include (1) proposed corrective actions to address identified problems and (2) a time frame for implementing improvements.

1. an annual report from the DCF commissioner to the Children's, Human Services, and Judiciary committees that details (1) who is in the department's care, why, and where they are housed; (2) police reports about those in DCF's care; (3) and progress on the construction of new facilities;

2. quarterly reports from psychiatric and general hospitals providing psychiatric care to children to the DCF commissioner that include the date of and reason for admission, diagnosis, date of birth, sex, town of residence, and date of discharge of all children who have been admitted and treated for a psychiatric illness; and

3. a monthly report from DCF to the Human Services and Public Health committees on the number of children and adolescents in DCF custody who (1) are in subacute care in freestanding psychiatric or general hospitals and (2) cannot be discharged due to the lack of appropriate placements in the community;

4. an annual self-evaluation process and a review of discharge summaries from community collaboratives (local consortiums of public and private health care providers, parents and guardians of children with behavioral health care needs, and service and education agencies);

5. DCF's annual evaluation to the education commissioner of its unified school district, including the condition, progress, and needs of the district;

6. an annual report to the DCF commissioner by each licensed child care facility detailing the number of children received and removed during the year, the number and causes of deaths, the average per capita cost of support, and any other data the commissioner requests; and

7. a five-year study conducted by the DCF and Department of Social Services commissioners assessing changes in outcomes for individual children, youths, and families; evaluating the effectiveness of the early phases of Connecticut Community KidCare to guide future expansion of the program; and examining benefits, costs, and cost-avoidance it achieved.

Elimination of the Evaluation of Costs and Benefits of Juvenile Offender Programs

The bill eliminates the law requiring an agreement between the chief court administrator and the Connecticut Policy and Economic Council to evaluate the costs and benefits of programs serving juvenile offenders offered by private providers or state or municipal agencies in reducing recidivism. The report was finished in 2002.

It also eliminates the related advisory board composed of the Correction and DCF commissioners and the chief court administrator, or their designees, and the chairpersons and ranking members of the Judiciary and Human Services committees

The Children's Behavioral Health Advisory Committee advises the State Advisory Council on Children and Families on how to promote and enhance behavioral health services for all children in this state.

The committee submits an annual status report on local systems of care and practice standards for state-funded behavioral health programs to the State Advisory Council on Children and Families.

Every odd-numbered year, the committee must submit recommendations to the State Advisory Council on Children and Families concerning provision of behavioral health services.

Advisory Committee on Adoption and Provision of Services to Minority Children

1. studies, develops, and evaluates programs and projects relating to community awareness and education, family support, counseling, parenting skills and education, and reform of the child welfare system;

2. consults with churches and other cultural and civic organizations; and

3. reports to annually DCF on their recommendations for programs and projects to promote the adoption of and provision of services to minority children.

DCF must currently report in odd-numbered years to the General Assembly on the committee's recommendations and the actions DCF has taken to implement them.

sSB 877 implements recommendations from the Program Review and Investigations Committee. It also eliminates many of the same reporting requirements.