Announcement: RSVP for CT Voices Forum - State Budget Reform and Connecticut's Economic Development Strategies

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RSVP for CT Voices Forum - State Budget Reform and Connecticut's Economic Development Strategies

This year will be challenging for our economy and our state's ability to meet the needs of its families and communities. We need creative solutions that preserve the education, health, transportation, and other services that make Connecticut a great state in which to live and raise a family. This forum will explore budget options and approaches to economic development that can help to keep Connecticut strong and help our families and communities prosper.

When: Tuesday, January 26, 9:30 a.m. registration, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. program
Where: Old Judiciary Room, State Capitol, Hartford

State Budget Reform and Connecticut's Economic Development Strategies

Connecticut State Budget Overview
Hon. Nancy Wyman, State Comptroller
State Strategies for Balancing Budgets
Nicholas Johnson, Center on Budget & Policy Priorities
A Balanced Approach to Connecticut's Budget Deficit
Jamey Bell, Connecticut Voices for Children
The Economic Role of State Government
Prof. Jeffrey Thompson, UMASS Political Economy Research Institute
Evaluating State Business Tax Incentives
Jennifer Weiner, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's New England Public Policy Center

Space is limited - Reserve your seat today!
Please RSVP to Veronica Marshall – veronica AT ctkidslink.org or (203) 498-4240

CT Voices for Children's work on tax and budget issues is supported by the Melville Charitable Trust, The Stoneman Family Foundation, and the CT Health Foundation.

Directions to the State Capitol

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Event flier (92.83K)

Protecting Children and Youth in Connecticut's Child Welfare System

The state of Connecticut bears legal and moral responsibility for the children in its care and custody. As of December 2009, nearly 4,000 Connecticut children and youth were in the custody of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and placed outside their homes because they had been abused or neglected by their parents. Many other children and families are receiving services from DCF to avert out-of-home placements. While there have been some improvements in Connecticut's child welfare system in recent years, Connecticut still fails to meet its basic responsibilities to many of the children and youth in its care.

DCF needs to do a much better job of caring for children � especially children under 12 -- in families, rather than in expensive institutional care and orphanages. As of May 2010, 1,019 children in DCF care, including 235 children under the age of 12, were placed in orphanage settings. Historically, Connecticut has had one of the highest rates of use of "congregate" care for young children in the nation.
Connecticut's DCF needs to improve services for older youth in the system. Connecticut falls short of ensuring that many vulnerable older youth who "age out" of foster care get a healthy and secure start in life. Each year, approximately 90 youth turn 18 and leave the care of DCF entirely on their own, without any formal family relationships.
Continued federal oversight of DCF is critical to ensuring accountability. Despite the fact that DCF has been under federal court supervision since 1991, the agency has failed to meet key performance objectives in providing appropriate case plans and meeting identified treatment and permanency needs.

Download this publication from Connecticut Voices for Children.

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