Select Committee on Children
Human Services Committee
AN ACT CONCERNING “STUCK KIDS”
SUMMARY: This act requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to review annually the cases of all children and youth in DCF care during the previous calendar year and report the number and age of those:
1. living in a psychiatric hospital or out-of-state treatment center,
2. who have run away or are homeless,
3. who have a permanency plan of “another planned permanency living arrangement,” or
4. who have refused DCF services.
For the first group, DCF must report their average length of stay, the number who have overstayed their estimated placement time, and analyze the reasons for the out-of-state placements and overstays. For the second group, DCF must report the number of days each has been a runaway or homeless and analyze the trends relating to runaways and homelessness. For the third group, DCF must analyze the trends relating to permanency plans. For the fourth group, DCF must analyze trends relating to participation in services.
DCF must conduct case and service reviews for each child in these groups. The first report is due by February 1, 2010 and must be sent to the Children's and Human Services committees.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2009
OLR Tracking: RO: KM: SS: ts