The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) is a state agency responsible for child welfare and family services in Connecticut. Its headquarters are located in Hartford."Send Us Your Comments and Questions ." Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Retrieved on August 23, 2010.

Mission and Responsibilities The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) is responsible for child protection, behavioral health, juvenile justice, and supporting families through prevention and intervention programs. Its mission is to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of all children in Connecticut through effective and compassionate services. DCF also manages foster care, adoption, mental health programs for youth, and educational services through Unified School District #2.

Structure & Divisions DCF operates through multiple bureaus including:

Bureau of Child Welfare Services Bureau of Juvenile Services Bureau of Behavioral Health Services Bureau of Quality Improvement It also oversees Unified School District #2 (USD#2), an accredited school district providing education in DCF-operated facilities.

History The Connecticut Department of Children and Youth Services was established in 1970. The Long Lane School became a part of the new department in 1970.

In 1989, a group of plaintiffs instituted an action against the Connecticut Department of Children and Youth Services which resulted in a requirement for federal court supervision of DCF, which has continued for more than two decades. The Connecticut DCF, as recently as 2012, was under this supervision due to its inability to correct the problems identified.

The department received its current name in 1993.

In July 2003 employees of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS) filed a complaint with federal authorities, stating that the DCF did not do enough to protect youths from sexual assault and violence and that the DCF gave girls at contracted facilities fewer opportunities than the boys at CJTS. The Boston Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education began an investigation.

Bureau of Juvenile Services The Bureau of Juvenile Services operated the state's correctional facilities for children; it received its current name in 2003." Welcome to the Bureau of Juvenile Services." Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Retrieved on August 23, 2010.

Corrections for boys The Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS) was the state's secure facility for delinquent boys. The CJTS was located in Middletown. The $57 million juvenile correctional center opened in August 2001.Seay, Gregory. "LONG LANE TO CLOSE SOON; GIRLS FROM SCHOOL TO BE DISPERSED." Hartford Courant. November 26, 2002. B1. Retrieved on August 23, 2010. The Walter G. Cady School part of Unified School District #2 (USD #2) served residents of the CJTS."Connecticut Juvenile Training School." Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. CJTS closed in 2018.

Long Lane School

The State of Connecticut previously operated the Long Lane School in Middletown, a juvenile correctional facility for boys and girls aged 11–16."DCF Offices and Facilities." Connecticut Department of Children and Families. February 13, 1998. Retrieved on December 2, 2010. As of 2002 about 35 girls resided there."New girls unit to open at Children's Place." Journal Inquirer. Tuesday July 16, 2002. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. The facility had three cottages for boys and one for girls."Chapter Five." Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee, Department of Children and Families. Retrieved on December 17, 2015.

In 2002 the Government of Connecticut announced that the Long Lane School, then the state's designated juvenile center for girls, was closing. Girls were moved to the Connecticut Children's Place in East Windsor. The closure occurred after the Attorney General of Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, and state child advocate, Jeanne Milstein, investigated a suicide attempt at Long Lane and then asked DCF to review its practices regarding the safety of delinquent girls. Long Lane was scheduled to close on December 30, 2003.

Corrections for girls post-2003 By 2002 several adjudicated girls had run away from Children's Place, which was designed as an open community.Smith, Lary. "Officials Focus On Runaway Children." Hartford Courant. April 9, 2004. Retrieved on December 17, 2015.McCluskey, Christine. "Escapes proves safety elusive ." Journal Inquirer. Tuesday August 26, 2003. Retrieved on December 17, 2015.

By 2009 the state was using York Correctional Institution, an adult women's prison, to house some delinquent girls ages 15–18,"Sticking it -- a juvenile detention center for girls -- to Bridgeport" (). CT Post. Friday October 23, 2009. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. who had committed crimes as juveniles. As of February 2014, two girls were assigned to York, 21 girls were in pre-trial facilities, and no girls were out of state. One girl was waiting to get into Journey House, a secure facility for girls;Thomas, Jacqueline Rabe. "Questions (And Answers) About CT’s New Girls’ Detention Unit " (). The Connecticut Mirror at the Newtown Bee. Monday April 7, 2014. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. Journey House is a privately operated facility on the property of Natchaug Hospital in Mansfield Center."Locations ." Natchaug Hospital. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. "JOURNEY HOUSE 189 Storrs Rd., Mansfield Center, CT [...] Located in Natchaug Hospital's Mansfield Center campus on Rte. 195 just north of the Eastbrook Mall and the intersection of Rte. 6." - Directions ()"Connecticut Juvenile Training School Journey to Journey House." African-American Cultural Center, University of Connecticut. Retrieved on December 17, 2015.

By 2013 the state planned to establish a hardware secure facility for 10-12 girls at the Albert J. Solnit Center, a facility at the former Riverview Hospital.Beals, Shawn R. "DCF Plans Secure Facility For Girls At Risk Of Running Away" (). Hartford Courant. August 6, 2013. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. Pueblo Unit, a state-owned, newly opened facility next to the CTJS in Middletown, was established so the state would not have to send juveniles to York.Thomas, Jacqueline Rabe. " Questions (and answers) about CT’s new girls’ incarceration unit" (). CT Mirror. April 7, 2014. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. The state spent $500,000 to renovate Pueblo Unit into a girls' facility, and this was completed in March.Fetterling, Jessie. "Pueblo Unit Opens for Juvenile Justice Girls" (). Correctional News. June 10, 2014. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. It is intended to house two girls placed on an emergency basis and ten girls for longer commitments, up to six months. Pueblo Unit has classrooms, common areas, three double rooms, and six single rooms.Beals, Shawn R. "DCF: Locked Girls' Unit Serving As 'Relief Valve'" (). Hartford Courant. November 13, 2014. Retrieved on December 17, 2015.

As of 2014 DCF assigns girls to two locked facilities: Pueblo Unit and the Journey House.

Albert J. Solnit Children's Center The Albert J. Solnit Children's Center- North Campus; formerly the Connecticut Children's Place (CCP),"Albert J. Solnit Children's Center - North Campus." Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. and the State Receiving Home; is located in Warehouse Point, in East Windsor. Effective December 1, 2013 it became a psychiatric treatment facility for juvenile males. It had been a state residential and educational center for abused and neglected children of the ages 10–18."Welcome to Connecticut Children's Place." Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Retrieved on December 2, 2010. It has three cottages, with each having 14 beds. After the closure of the Long Lane School, CCP became the housing point of delinquent girls adjudicated by the state. Delinquent girls were to be moved to a vacant cottage that was "staff secure," meaning patrolled by employees but not hardware secure. This unit was to have 12 beds.Poitras, Colin. "Dcf Unit For Girls Planned." Hartford Courant. July 16, 2002. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. In 2003 some area selectmen met with DCF and discussed concerns about the facility.Smith, Larry. "Selectmen Discuss Concerns About Children's Place." Hartford Courant. July 17, 2003. Retrieved on December 17, 2015.

Albert J. Solnit Psychiatric Center - South Campus is in Middletown."Albert J. Solnit Psychiatric Center - South Campus." Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. The primary secure girls' correctional facility, intended for short-term use, is located on this property.Beals, Shawn R. "DCF Plans Secure Facility For Girls In Middletown" (). Hartford Courant. October 10, 2013. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. "The state Department of Children and Families plans to open a secure treatment facility for teenage girls adjacent to the Connecticut Juvenile Training School in January, officials said Thursday. The DCF is renovating one building at the Albert J. Solnit Center on River Road, the former Riverview Hospital, into a locked treatment center for about 10 to 12 girls at a time."

Commissioners Wayne Mucci (1970) Francis H. Maloney (1971 - 1979) Mark J. Marcus (1980 - 1986) Amy B. Wheaton (1987 - 1990) Rose Alma Senatore (1990 - 1994) Linda D'Amario Rossi (1995 - 1997) Kristine Ragaglia (1998 - 2003) Darlene Dunbar (2003 - 2007) Susan Hamilton (2008 - 2011) Joette Katz (2011–2019) Vanessa Dorantes (2019–Present)

References

Further reading "The Future of Riverview Hospital for Children and Youth: Ten Steps Forward Report #1 in a Two-Part Series " (). Connecticut DCF. April 13, 2011. "From Trauma to Tragedy: Connecticut Girls in Adult Prison" (). Office of the Child Advocate of Connecticut. July 2008. "DCF Girls’ Services Steering Committee" (). December 30, 2004.

External links

Connecticut Department of Children and Families Connecticut Department of Children and Families (dir.ct.gov/dcf/)

Connecticut Children's Place