Beginning in 2013, DCF shall have two available responses to an accepted CPS report: investigations and a Family Assessment Response (for lower risk families).

The Family Assessment Response model is a strength‐based, family ‐centered approach to partnering with families and their supports to protect children and enhance parental capacity.

This model recognizes the importance of engaging parents to recognize concerns that affect their ability to parent; empowers and helps families and their supports identify solutions to address problems or concerns; focuses more on understanding the conditions that impact child safety and the factors that need to be addressed to strengthen the family; tailors the approach and services to correspond to the family's strengths, needs, and resources; taps into community services and the family's natural supports; and establishes strong community partnerships that can help support the family in times of need. Families can decide whether they wish to participate in services once safety has been established.

Rather than a formal determination of abuse or neglect, the outcome is a determination of whether services are needed to strengthen families and promote child safety and well‐being.

In 2013, there were 25 families referred to Family Assessment Response in Coventry.  There is no follow up data about whether these families sought out services. Prior to this track, many of these cases would have likely been substantiated cases, hence the lower number of substantiated cases.

From our Community Plan...

Before looking at potential causes of child abuse and neglect, in other words the "story behind the data" it is important to note that while the total number of substantiated allegations may not seem alarming, there were 369 unsubstantiated allegations in Coventry that should not be overlooked according to local DCF Investigators. The rules of substantiation are complex and not all situations meet the guidelines and definitions. With an unsubstantiated allegation, DCF does not have reasonable cause to believe that abuse/neglect has reached the statutory requirements for substantiation after an investigation. This does not mean that the incident did not occur only that it did not reach the threshold for substantiation. This actual count is most likely an under representation of the true total number of children suffering abuse and neglect.

Towns in Tolland County ranked in order of # of substantiated allegations between 2008 -2011:

Vernon (434)

Stafford (137)

Coventry (119)

Mansfield (72)

Tolland (58)

Ellington (47)

Willington (43)

Columbia (27)

Hebron (26)

Union (24)

Andover (20)

Somers (19)

Bolton (14)

Family Violence Data:

Department of Children and Families, Human Services, School personnel, Faith Community, Program (ChildFirst, PAT, Help Me Grown, Nurturing Families),

Department of Health and Human Services 2011 Strengthening Families and Communities.

The proposed strategies focus on the enahmcement of protective factors. Protective factors are condtions when present increase the health and well being of children and families. They are qulaties that serve as shields, helping parents who otherwise may be at risk.  Research has shown that the following five protective factors are linked to lower incidents of child abuse and neglect.

Strategy 1: Improve communication between, enhance coordination of, and access to services provided by agencies and departments working with children and families.

Strategy 2: Create a Family Resource Center to serve as a one stop shopping location for parents and families to access information and services, as recommended in the 2008 Preschool Feasibility Study,  the 2014 Preschool Feasability Committee and in alignment with the Plan of Conservation of Development (2010) page 7-8.