Recognizing the impact that Department of Children and Families (DCF) investigations have on the education system as a whole, today the Connecticut DCF introduces the Education Professional Investigation Unit, which has two units dedicated to the investigation of DCF reports concerning school employees in their professional capacity with students. Through training, centralized supervision, open lines of communication and greater oversight, DCF hopes to bring uniformity across the state as it relates to investigations of school employees.
Effective immediately, these special units will be dedicated exclusively to investigating allegations of abuse/neglect against school employees. Each unit will consist of ten social workers (five in each unit) charged with investigating allegations against school employees in a more “expedient manner” and finalizing investigations in 33 business days.
Under the new structure, DCF will communicate the results of each investigation to the State Department of Education and the Superintendent of Schools of the district where the investigation occurred. Looking forward to a stronger partnership with superintendents statewide, DCF invites ongoing conversations between the Program Supervisor of the new units, Gloria Campos, and school superintendents throughout Connecticut.
Please note that the process for reporting allegations of abuse/neglect by a school employee remains unchanged and that the introduction of the Education Professional Investigations Unit addresses only the process by which DCF conducts these types of investigations.
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