Report of the Attorney General and the Child Advocate
Department of Children and Families Oversight of Haddam Hills Academy
May 30, 2002
A synopsis is provided below.
The full, 114-page report can be accessed or downloaded in Microsoft Word Format by using the following link: Oversight at Haddam Hills Academy
In early 2001, a great deal of public attention was focused on Haddam Hills Academy, a facility that had formerly been licensed as a residential facility by the Department of Children and Families. During this time DCF took action to revoke the license of Haddam Hills Academy, the General Assembly’s Select Committee on Children held a hearing concerning the facility, and DCF Commissioner Kristine Ragaglia provided information to the Attorney General concerning the termination of an employee at Haddam Hills that appeared to be retaliatory for the employee providing information to DCF concerning improper practices and care at Haddam Hills.
Also during the early part of 2001, information came to the attention of the Attorney General under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 4-61dd, the “whistleblower” statute, which raised extremely serious concerns with respect to DCF’s oversight of Haddam Hills Academy. Information that had come to the Child Advocate’s attention during the same time frame also raised substantially similar concerns. In general, information provided to the Attorney General and Child Advocate presented a substantial concern that DCF had failed to adequately protect children who were placed at Haddam Hills Academy. In response to these concerns, the Attorney General and the Child Advocate initiated a collaborative investigation.
There are few responsibilities of government as important as protecting our children. This report addresses whether DCF took appropriate steps to protect children within its care. Our conclusion is that DCF repeatedly failed to take appropriate steps to protect children who were placed at Haddam Hills Academy.
