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The Connecticut Department of Children and Families Differential Response System: Executive Report

The State of Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) has been working with a Statewide Steering Committee over the past three years to redesign Child Protective Services through the development of a differential response system (DRS). DCF contracted with Casey Family Services, the direct service agency of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, to assist in designing the community partnership component of a differential response system. Casey was asked to coordinate a community readiness planning process in each of the five DCF regions of the state, producing a plan that provides a proposed design of a community partnership and service delivery model for implementing a regional differential response system.

This Executive Report provides an overview of the outreach and planning process and sets the context for DRS in Connecticut and nationally. The report highlights common themes across the regional plans and provides a set of conclusions about implementing DRS. This information was drawn from the collective regional plans, feedback from diverse audiences throughout the state, input from a National Advisory Committee, and consultation with states that have implemented differential response systems.

Download the Connecticut Department of Children and Families Differential Response System: Executive Summary (PDF).