Court Approves New Plan Requiring Connecticut Child Welfare System to Meet Specific Improvements for

Specific improvements in safety and services required by 2006

(Bridgeport, CT, December 29, 2003) A new plan has been ordered by the federal judge overseeing the longstanding federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of abused and neglected children in Connecticut known as the Juan F. case. The new xit Plan requires the state to meet 22 specific percentage improvements by 2006, in areas such as timely investigations of reports of abuse; the delivery of medical, dental and mental health services to children; maximum caseloads for workers; and requirements for visiting children.

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The plan, developed by Dr. D. Ray Sirry, the Federal Court Monitor in the Juan F. case, was signed by Hon. Alan H. Nevas of the U.S. District Court in Bridgeport. In October, the state and the lawyers for thousands of Connecticut abused and neglected children reached an unprecedented landmark agreement after the state and its Department of Children and Families (DCF) were charged with contempt of court for failing to comply with court orders and improve services for children. Under that agreement, Governor Rowland admitted state non-compliance and handed over management authority of DCF to the Federal Court Monitor. As part of the October agreement the Court Monitor was given authority to develop the measures in the new Exit Plan. If DCF meets the requirements under the plan, federal court oversight over the state child welfare system could possibly end in 2006; if not, court oversight will continue and additional remedies are possible. Critically, the state must provide all funding and other resources needed to fully implement the plan.

he measures chosen by the court monitor in this new plan are the latest tools under his complete management authority over DCF to hold the state feet to the fire to actually improve the lives of abused and neglected children, said Ira Lustbader, Associate Director of Children Rights Inc., co-counsel for the children in the Juan F. case along with Martha Stone of the Center for Children Advocacy in Hartford. hese mandates, plus the federal Monitor authority to see that they are met, plus the guaranteed resource commitment, create real potential to improve children lives, Lustbader said. f course, we l be watching closely to make sure the improvements actually take place.

Among the required benchmarks are the following:

*At least 90% of all reports of child abuse or neglect must commence within mandated times frames.

*At least 95% of the foster children who have siblings must be placed together with their siblings unless there is a documented therapeutic reason to separate them.

*At least 80% of all children and families shall have all of their medical, dental and mental health needs met.

*Every child must receive an initial multi-disciplinary health exam and at least 85% of children must receive this exam within 30 days of coming into state custody.

*At least 85% of foster children must be visited by a worker at least once per month.

*At least 85% of children being monitored by DCFwho remain with their parents must be visited by a worker at least twice per month.

*Workers who investigate abuse cannot have more than 17 cases assigned to them; workers assigned to children in foster homes cannot have more than 20 children assigned to them.

After so many years of the state broken promises to these children and huge remaining problems such as inadequate mental health care and family preservation services, it's going to take considerable effort to meet these minimum benchmarks, said Ms. Stone. But with the management authority being exercised by the Federal Court Monitor and the decentralized neighborhood-based system which should foster more accountability, we are hopeful substantial progress can be made in meeting these measures."

Children's Rights works throughout the United States in partnership with national and local experts, advocates and government officials to document the needs of children