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 timeframe 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 DCF area office in cooperation with the chief court administrator. The program's goal 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. It requires any agency the child advocate cites in a report to submit a written response. It requires, instead of allows, DCF to appoint advisory groups for each of its facilities.

The bill requires DCF to 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.

It eliminates three DCF committees and eight types of reports and also makes technical and conforming changes.

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. The master plan includes:

1. the long-range goals and the current level of attainment of the department's goals;

2. a detailed description of the types and amounts of services presently provided to the department's clients;

3. a detailed forecast of the service needs of current and projected target populations;

4. detailed cost projections for alternate means of meeting projected needs;

5. funding priorities for each of the plan's five years and specifics indicating how the funds are to be used;

6. a written plan for the prevention of child abuse and neglect;

7. a comprehensive mental health plan for children and adolescents, including children with complicating or multiple disabilities;

8. a comprehensive plan for children and youths who are substance abusers, developed in conjunction with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services pursuant to the provisions of CGS § 19a-2a and 19a-7; and

9. an overall assessment of the adequacy of children's services in Connecticut.

The plan shall be prepared within existing funds appropriated to the department.

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 the department serves, service providers, and advocates, to develop and regularly update a single, comprehensive strategic plan for meeting the needs of children and families DCF serves. 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 performance measures.

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, and progress reports to its website; (3) submit the plan to the advisory council for review and comment; and (4) submit a final version to the General Assembly and governor by July 1, 2010.

The DCF commissioner must report to the advisory council on progress in achieving the strategic plan's goals by October 1, 2010 and then quarterly thereafter. She must annually submit a status report on progress to the General Assembly and governor beginning July 1, 2011.

The bill requires the DCF commissioner and chief court administrator to establish a pilot family reunification program within available appropriations. The pilot must integrate the initial written plan for a child's care, treatment, and permanent placement with specific steps the court orders for family reunification. The commissioner, in consultation with the chief court administrator, must designate one DCF 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 develop promptly 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. In addition to the standard treatment plan, which covers diagnosis, treatment services, temporary placement, and a guide for permanent placement, this plan must include:

1. a health and welfare assessment of the child;

2. an evaluation of the child's problems and strengths;

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 the pilot program's results to the Children's, Human Services, and Judiciary committees by February 1, 2012. The report must include a recommendation about expanding 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 served by DCF. 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 families and (2) administrative support. By law, council members are not paid but receive compensation for necessary expenses.

The bill requires the council's meetings to be held in locations that facilitate public participation and its meeting agendas and minutes be posted on the DCF website.

1. make recommendations about children's behavioral health programs and legislation to the DCF commissioner;

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

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

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

5. offer assistance and provide an outside perspective to enable DCF to achieve the strategic plan's goals.

The bill requires, rather than allows, DCF to appoint an advisory group for each facility it operates and requires each facility to report annually to the state advisory council and its advisory group. The five facilities are:

1. aggregate profiles of the residents;

2. a description of and update on major initiatives;

3. key outcome indicators and results;

4. facility operation costs; 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 facility 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 report to submit a written response within 60 days of receiving the report to (1) the child advocate, (2) the governor, and (3) the General Assembly. If the advocate's report is about an investigation of a child fatality, the response must also go to the Child Fatality Review Panel. The response must include (1) proposed corrective actions to address identified problems and (2) a timeframe 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. an annual report from the DCF commissioner to Children's, Human Services, and Judiciary committees about the Connecticut Juvenile Training School that includes information about resident demographics and diagnoses, recidivism rates, costs, and programs and policies;

3. quarterly reports to the DCF commissioner from psychiatric and general hospitals providing psychiatric care to children 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;

4. 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;

5. 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);

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

7. 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

8. 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.

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

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 annually to DCF on 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 (File 290) implements recommendations from the Program Review and Investigations Committee. It also eliminates many of the same reporting requirements.