DCF

An employee of the Department of Children and Families was arrested Friday after police say she helped a woman wanted on sex trafficking charges elude police. Officers responded to the DCF office on Hamilton Street in Hartford Friday just after 4 p.m. after learning a woman wanted on child sex trafficking charges was in the building, according to police. While…

There was an unveiling of a fatherhood mural on the side of the DCF office in Hartford on Friday.

With Father’s Day around the corner, the state Dept. of Children and Families is delving into the role that dads play in kids’ lives. Whether a biological father or a foster parent, they say an actively involved dad is really important to a child.

A new social work program at the University of Connecticut is putting students on track to serve Latinx families. It gives undergraduate students hands-on training with the Department of Children and Families, and trains them to become bilingual social workers. Virgen Guardarrama was one of the first two students to graduate from the program at UConn’s School of Social...

Officials say in households where children are being abused, animals are often being harmed too. Take a look into what agencies are doing to try and stop the abuse.

There is a new resource for Connecticut kids in foster care and their parents, and it is behind the doors of a charming cottage. It’s a safe space for kids in care to spend quality time with their biological parents, while moms and dads can also get support. The ultimate goal of the Trowbridge Cottage program is getting families...

Gov. Ned Lamont was joined by Attorney General William Tong and Department of Children and Families Commissioner Vanessa Dorantes Thursday afternoon to discuss the end to the consent decree imposed on DCF for more than three decades. The Juan F. Consent Decree stems from a 1991 settlement between the state and plaintiffs who alleged dangerous and unlawful policies that DCF…

More resources are coming to kids and their families here in Connecticut thanks to the state’s Family First Prevention Plan, which has now been approved by the federal government.

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) is conducting an investigation into a sexual misconduct allegation against a substitute teacher in New Haven. A spokesperson for New Haven Schools said a student at Jepson School alleged that the teacher touched her in a manner that constituted sexual misconduct. The incident occurred on Wednesday. The school notified DCF, who is now…

DCF reports a rise in cases since the start of the pandemic.

COVID-19 has spurred many problems. Among them: local agencies that work with children report an uptick in substance misuse by parents since the start of the pandemic. They are working to support kids dealing with the fallout, and to prevent moms and dads from overdosing and leaving some children as orphans. “The pandemic has wreaked havoc on communities,” Vanessa Dorantes,...

The Olive Branch Toy and Gift Shop offers more than 1,000 donated toys for families with open DCF cases to choose from.

The Olive Branch Toy and Gift Shop offers more than 1,000 donated toys for families with open DCF cases to choose from.

With the pandemic, the last two years have been difficult, but something positive has also happened during that time span. Today, there are fewer kids in foster care in Connecticut.

Fifty-two Connecticut kids are being welcomed into new homes. It is Connecticut Adoption Day, and emotional ceremonies took place all across the state Friday. “I never imagined that it would be this,” Kally Moquete said during her virtual court hearing to adopt. At the noon hearing, there were high emotions, celebrations, and a judge officially made Kally and Zander Moquete…

Zander Moquete is one of 52 Connecticut children adopted on the state’s annual Adoption Day.

When kids are separated from their parents and put into the care of another family member or into foster care, it is difficult for everyone involved. Now, there is a new resource to make it a bit easier. The new Quality Parenting Center has opened its doors in Manchester. The facility is the first of its kind in Connecticut. The…

A new Quality Parenting Center has opened its doors Manchester. The facility is the first of its kind in Connecticut.

Officials say reports to the DCF child abuse and neglect care line went down more than 20% when schools closed or went remote. Now as schools reopen, reports are back up.

Child advocates say reports of child abuse and neglect were down during the pandemic and some fear with kids not in school, some incidents may have gone unreported.