Connecticut has made improvements to granting foster parents additional opportunities to advocate for the best interest of their foster child. The link below sets forth some general information to assist a foster parent when a child they are caring for has a case pending in Juvenile Court. http://www.jud.state.ct.us/Publications/JM157.pdf In addition, there are other measures a…
School is out but grades are in for DCF in Connecticut. The bad: 1. The rate of timely adoptions is at its lowest since 2004. 2. The rate of eligible children being reunified with thier parents dropped to its lowest rate since 2009. The good: 1. More “at risk” children are being placed with relatives….
There are six grounds to terminate parental rights in Connecticut. The three most common are: 1. Abandonment. This occurs when a parent has abandoned the child by failing to maintain a reasonable degree of interest, concern or responsibility as to the welfare of their child. 2. Failure to rehabilitate. Rehabilitation refers to whether or…
A few Public Acts of interest in the DCF arena: HB-5217. Currently all adoptions must be heard in the Probate Court. This Act would allow DCF to file adoption petitions in the Juvenile Court if that was the court, which terminated parental rights. This Act is a long time coming and should make…
Connecticut General Statutes § 52-466(f) permits a foster parent to make application for a writ of habeas corpus regarding the custody of a child currently or recently in his/her care for a continuous period of not less than ninety days. The purpose of a foster parent filing a writ of habeas corpus is to prevent…
Connecticut law requires certain professionals, known as mandated reporters, to report to DCF suspected abuse or neglect of children. The common thread among all the mandated reporters is that these individuals have extensive interaction with children. For example, teachers, doctors, therapists and members of the clergy are all mandated reporters. Mandated reporters in Connecticut also…