The Department of Children and Families (DCF) announced major changes to a group home program, including $6 million in additional funding.
DCF rebranded the program STTAR – former STAR -- and said the name change represents more support.
“Our kids are struggling, they’re struggling,” Jodi Hill-Lilly, the DCF commissioner designate, said.
Gov. Ned Lamont picked Hill-Lilly to replace Vannessa Dorantes, but lawmakers have not yet confirmed her nomination.
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The new acronym stands for Specialized Trauma-Informed Treatment Assessment and Reunification.
The funding will provide more staffing and training for the STTAR homes, enhanced programs and the opening of two intensive care units.
DCF is also lowering the capacity at eight homes from six to five. Lawmakers said the changes will allow clinicians to spend more time with each child.
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“We are not looking for another clinician, we have those, we are looking for another support person,” Sen. Ceci Maher (D-Wilton) said.
State Child Advocate Sarah Eagan said the changes will help the STTAR program, but won’t address broader problems at DCF.
She said the department still needs more funding for a range of programs that are supposed to support children before they end up in a group home.
“Enhancements with the STTAR homes, excellent, but they exist within a crumbling service system,” she said.
She also questioned if the changes would prevent the problems that led DCF to close a home in Harwinton.
Girls living at the home complained of violence and abuse, resulting in frequent calls to police.
Eagan said the abuse is rare among group homes, but group home workers and other DCF-funded programs often rely on emergency calls to deal with issues in their facilities.
“Those problems are prevalent and widespread across the STTAR homes and across the deep end of our system,” she said.
Rep. Liz Linehan (D-Cheshire) said the problems in Harwinton are an outlier and are not a reason to halter the program.
“We cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater,” she said. “This program is so needed.”
The state ended the Harwinton group home, but Hill-Lilly said DCF plans to open another one to bring the number of STTAR homes back to eight.
