FWSN-advisorybd-repo.. - The Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance

I. Introduction
A. Legislative Mandate
The purpose of this report is to carry out the legislative mandate of Public Act 06-188,
which established the Families with Service Needs (FWSN) Advisory Board and directed
the Advisory Board to (1) monitor the progress made by the Court Support Services
Division of the Judicial Branch (CSSD) and the Department of Children and Families
(DCF) in developing services and programming for children and youth from families
with service needs and addressing problems that are unique to girls in the juvenile justice
population; (2) monitor the progress being made by the Judicial Branch in the
implementation of the requirements of Public Act 05-250, An Act Concerning Children of
Families with Service Needs (P.A. 05-250); (3) provide advice with respect to
implementation upon request of the Judicial Branch or the General Assembly, and (4)
make written recommendations to the Judicial Branch and the General Assembly with
respect to the accomplishment of implementation of Public Act 05-250, no later than
December 31, 2007. (See Appendix I for the text of the Public Act)
The report describes the FWSN Advisory Board’s efforts to discharge its responsibilities
under the legislative mandate. In this report, the Advisory Board outlines its passionate
commitment to building a system that supports and serves children and their families who
are at risk of court involvement or are already court involved due to “status offenses” and
provides gender-specific services for girls in the juvenile justice system. 5
The report provides a detailed explanation of the federal and state laws and statutory
changes that address children from families with service needs, a clear description of the
children who are subject to these laws, lessons learned from national models and
research, current processes and services, identified gaps, programs and services in
response to Public Act 05-250 implementation, and what additional steps are necessary to
accomplish the legislative mandate.
B. The FWSN Advisory Board: Collaborative Process
The FWSN Advisory Board and Subcommittee members represent a multi-disciplinary
group from each branch of state government and community organizations. Individuals
5 It should be noted that two previous reports called for changes to the FWSN laws. They were “Plan for a
Continuum of Community Based Services for Female Status Offenders and Delinquents in Response to
Substitute House Bill No. 5366, Special Act No. 04-05”.. Darlene Dunbar, MSW Commissioner
Department of Children and Families, in collaboration with Court Support Services Division, Judicial
Branch, Office of the Child Advocate, Department of Social Services, Department of Education, private
providers, women’s and children’s rights advocates and girls in the juvenile justice system in Connecticut
DCF Girls’ Services Steering Committee, February 2005(2nd edition) and “The Connecticut Juvenile
Justice Strategic Plan: Building Toward a Better Future”, A Strategic Planning Process Facilitated by the
Child Welfare League of America for the Department of Children and Families-Bureau of Juvenile
Services and the Connecticut Judicial Branch-Court Support Services Division in Collaboration with many
Public and Private Stakeholders, (Connecticut: 2006)
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