Feds give state DCF high marks for progress

Source: Connecticut Post, BridgeportOct.文件倉 18--A week after the federal court monitor for the state Department of Children and Families cited a staff and resource shortage in the agency, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Friday that the DCF has met other federal requirements for long-term planning.But a state social services expert said there's still a long way to go for the DCF to meet the needs of abused and neglected Connecticut children."It is encouraging to see others from outside Connecticut validate the impressive improvements that are underway," Malloy said in a statement after receiving a letter from a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "The department's staff has been making important strides in building new relationships with families and communities, and the results reflect it."The DHHS unit is called the Division of Children and Families, which assesses child welfare in every state. The report on Connecticut's review was issued in March 2009 and identified outcomes and systemic factors that the state was not in compliance with; and called for a plan to make improvements. The recent letter means the DCF met the requirement that an improvement plan be implemented."What's important is that we took what we learned from the federal report and instituted an improvement plan," said Gary Kleeblatt, DCF spokesman, this morning, noting that family-centered and strength-based protocols have been instituted under Commissioner Joette Katz of Fairfield, a former state Supreme Court judge who took over the troubled department in early 2011.Katz's program has resulted in a reduction of 875 children in state care, an 18-percent drop from when she was appointed by Malloy.存倉There are also fewer kids in group homes and nearly 90 percent fewer placed out-of-state care while more are living with a relatives or family friends."The DCF staff is making important improvements through their commitment to family-centered reforms, and they deserve full credit," Katz said in a statement Friday. "The federal government's recognition of the advances only confirms the good results that come when you build on family strengths and gain family participation in all our work."But Ron Cretaro, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Non-Profits, whose members provide services under DCF contracts, said this morning that the new federal response in no way takes the state out from under the 1991 settlement on inadequate child protective services now called Juan F. versus Malloy."This is not to be confused with the consent decree in the Juan F court case for which the court monitor oversees," Cretaro said. "In 2008 and 2009, the federal children's review found DCF wanting and gave them time to get their house in order. It seems they are now up to snuff in those areas."On October 9, Raymond Mancuso, the federal court monitor for the Juan F. case, issued a quarterly report indicating that while the DCF has made improvements that are "heartening," the DCF system is "stressed" because of limited resources and higher expectations for staff. "Front-line staffing levels are inadequate," Mancuso wrote.kdixon@ctpost.com; 860-549-4670; twitter.com/KenDixonCT; facebook.com/kendixonct.hearst; blog.ctnews.com/dixonCopyright: ___ (c)2013 the Connecticut Post (Bridgeport, Conn.) Visit the Connecticut Post (Bridgeport, Conn.) at .ctpost.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存