Posted on February 20, 2024
HARTFORD- In the aftermath of the Office of Childhood Advocate’s report on the overdose death of Marcello Meadows, State Representative Anne Dauphinais (R-44), Ranking Member of the Committee on Children, released the following statement-
“While we have certainly seen instances of overreach by the Department of Children and Family in certain cases in the past, the importance of their overall function cannot be understated. This report underscores the scrutiny that is needed when dealing with these delicate situations that impact the state’s most vulnerable populations who are under the oversight of state agencies. One of our House Republican caucus priorities is to support our most vulnerable populations as we have clearly seen that more needs to be done to protect the children of our state. As spelled out in our priorities – a heightened level of assessment, supervision, and care for children in situations such as these is needed.
With the STAR Home, and many other concerning DCF-associated stories that have come to light over the last several months, we as a legislature need to look at these individual cases and thoroughly understand what went wrong to ensure that heartbreaking stories such as Marcello’s do not repeat themselves. I look forward to working with my fellow members of the Children’s Committee, and the legislature as a whole, to begin tackling this burgeoning crisis head-on.”
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SUPPORT VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
Require more intensive DCF supervision in households where opioid abuse has occurred
That section 17a-90 of the general statutes be amended to require the Department of Children and Families to provide a heightened level of assessment, supervision, and care to children under the care and general supervision of the department where one or more of the individuals residing with said child has a history of opioid use, is currently an opioid user, or has been criminally charged with a crime involving the use, possession, or sale of opioids.
MAKE STATE GOVERNMENT RESPONSIVE, EFFICIENT, AND ACCOUNTABLE
Require state employees in human service roles to work on-site to better serve the public
That the general statutes be amended to require new state employee contracts to require state employees to work on-site.
Require the Department of Children & Families to report measurable outcomes of programs and services
That the general statutes be amended to strengthen the role of the Statewide Advisory Committee’s oversight of the Department of Children and Families and require the Department to report outcomes of programs and services to the Committee. That the general statutes be amended to require the Department of Children and Families to report to the committee having cognizance of children’s matters child fatality and near fatality data consistent with the Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)