State Statute Concerning the Children’s Trust Fund
2006 Supplement section
Sec. 17a-50. (Formerly Sec. 17-500). Children's Trust Fund established. Regulations. Children's Trust Fund Council. Parent Trust Fund. Report. (a) There is established a Children's Trust Fund, the resources of which shall be used by the council established pursuant to subsection (b) of this section to fund programs aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect and family resource programs. Said fund is intended to be in addition to those resources that would otherwise be appropriated by the state for programs aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect and family resource programs. The Children's Trust Fund Council may apply for and accept any federal funds which are available for a Children's Trust Fund and shall administer such funds in the manner required by federal law. The fund shall receive money from grants and gifts made pursuant to section 17a-18. The Children's Trust Fund Council shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to administer the fund and to set eligibility requirements for programs seeking funding. Youth service bureaus may receive funds from the Children's Trust Fund. The Parent Trust Fund, established pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, may receive funds directed to it through the Children's Trust Fund.
(b) There shall be established, within existing resources, a Children's Trust Fund Council which shall be within the Department of Children and Families for administrative purposes only. The council shall be composed of sixteen members as follows: (1) The Commissioners of Social Services, Education, Children and Families and Public Health, or their designees; (2) a representative of the business community with experience in fund-raising, appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; (3) a representative of the business community with experience in fund-raising, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives; (4) a representative of the business community with experience in fund-raising, appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; (5) a representative of the business community with experience in fund-raising, appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; (6) a parent, appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives; (7) a parent, appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; (8) a parent, appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; (9) a person with expertise in child abuse prevention, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives; (10) a person with expertise in child abuse prevention, appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; (11) a staff member of a child abuse prevention program, appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; (12) a staff member of a child abuse prevention program, appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives; and (13) a pediatrician, appointed by the majority leader of the Senate. The council shall solicit and accept funds, on behalf of the Children's Trust Fund, to be used for the prevention of child abuse and neglect and family resource programs, or on behalf of the Parent Trust Fund, to be used for parent community involvement to improve the health, safety and education of children, and shall make grants to programs pursuant to subsections (a) and (c) of this section. The council may, subject to the provisions of chapter 67, employ an executive director and any necessary staff within available appropriations.
(c) There is established a Parent Trust Fund which shall be used to fund programs aimed at improving the health, safety and education of children by training parents in civic leadership skills and supporting increased, sustained, quality parental engagement in community affairs. The fund shall receive federal or private money from grants and gifts made pursuant to section 17a-18.
(d) On or before July 1, 1997, and annually thereafter, the Children's Trust Fund Council shall report to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services, public health and education concerning the source and amount of funds received by the Children's Trust Fund and the Parent Trust Fund, and the manner in which such funds were administered and disbursed.
2006 Supplement section
Sec. 17a-56. Nurturing Families Network. (a) The Children's Trust Fund Council shall establish the structure for a state-wide system for a Nurturing Families Network, which is intended to demonstrate the benefits of preventive services by significantly reducing the abuse and neglect of infants and by enhancing parent-child relationships through hospital-based assessment with home outreach follow-up on infants and their families within families identified as high risk.
(b) Within available appropriations, the Children's Trust Fund Council shall establish Nurturing Families Network pilot programs in geographic areas which are not currently served by prevention outreach services and which have a high rate of confirmed child abuse and neglect, a high rate of infant mortality and low birthweight infants, or a high rate of teen pregnancy.
(c) The Nurturing Families Network pilot programs shall: (1) Provide a comprehensive risk assessment of all newborn children and their families; (2) identify families that would benefit most from the program; (3) provide and coordinate support services including, but not limited to, community-based home visiting intervention services, counseling, child care and primary health care services; and (4) provide follow-up and support services until the child attains the age of five.
(d) The Children's Trust Fund Council shall: (1) Develop the comprehensive risk assessment to be used by the pilot programs; (2) develop the training program, standards, and protocols for the pilot programs; and (3) develop, issue and evaluate requests for proposals to procure the services required by this section. In evaluating the proposals, the Children's Trust Fund Council shall take into consideration the most effective and consistent service delivery system allowing for the continuation of current public and private programs.
(e) The Children's Trust Fund Council shall establish a data system to enable the programs to document the following information in a standard manner: (1) The level of screening and assessment; (2) profiles of risk and family demographics; (3) the incidence of child abuse and neglect; (4) rates of child development; and (5) any other information the Children's Trust Fund Council deems appropriate.f) The Children's Trust Fund Council shall report to the General Assembly, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, on the establishment, implementation and progress of the Nurturing Families Network, on January first and July first, of each year.
ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY
(a) An agency assigned to a department for administrative purposes only shall: (1) Exercise any quasi-judicial, rule making or regulatory authority, licensing and policy-making functions which it may have independent of such department and without approval or control of the department; (2) prepare its budget, if any, and submit its budgetary requests through the department, and (3) hire its own personnel or enter into contracts, if authorized by law, or if the general assembly provides or authorizes the expenditure of funds therefor.
(b) The department to which an agency is assigned for administrative purposes only shall; (1) Provide record keeping, reporting, and related administrative and clerical functions for the agency to the extent deemed necessary by the department head; (2) disseminate for the agency any required notices, rules or orders adopted, amended or repealed by the agency; (3) provide staff for the agency subject to the provisions of subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of this section, and (4) include in the departmental budget the agency’s budgetary request, if any, as a separate part of said budget and exactly as prepared and submitted to the department by the agency.
