The Department of Children and Families (DCF) said The Bridge Family Center in Harwinton can no longer operate as a group home following allegations of child and sexual abuse.
Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes told NBC Connecticut that the center will no longer be used as a Short-Term Assessment and Respite (STAR) home, which provides temporary emergency housing for youth.
The Bridge Family Center was contracted by DCF, but it will now close as officials continue to investigate these allegations.
"Along with our community partners, we continue to review all aspects of our service provision for those children and families we serve," Dorantes said.
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Dorantes previously said child abuse and sexual contact allegations between Bridge Center employees and teens and youth-on-youth dating back to 2021 and into 2023.
During the summer, DCF issued a corrective action plan, and admissions at the state-funded group home were halted.
In September, a lawsuit was brought against The Bridge Family Center. The plaintiff, the mother of a 14-year-old teen, alleges their child was physically abused and exposed to sexual assault when she lived at the time.
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Alternatives for the site will be proposed at a later time, Dorantes said.
Sen. Lisa Seminara, who represents Harwinton and served as a ranking senator of the Committee on Children, said the closure is a step in the right direction.
"Harwinton officials and state law enforcement officials have repeatedly raised alarm bells about how the entire system needs to be revamped. The girls and boys in this program are extremely vulnerable. They were failed by the system. First responders’ safety was endangered. Local resources were strained to the limit. What we need now is a serious discussion about policies which can get to the root of the problem,” Seminara said.
