DEPARTMENT of CHILDREN and FAMILIES
Making a Difference for Children, Families and Communities

Susan I. Hamilton, M.S.W., J.D.
Commissioner

M. Jodi Rell
Governor

MEMORANDUM
To: All Staff
From: Susan I Hamilton, M.S.W., J.D.
Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Subject: Differential Response System Update

Achieving good outcomes for children is facilitated by effectively engaging families in
assessing, case planning and the provision of services. That has become so well-accepted
nationally in child welfare that an alternative to traditional child protection intervention -- a
"Differential Response System" (DRS) has been instituted or is being planned in 24 states. As
you know, Connecticut is among those, and we expect to begin DRS implementation early
next year in Region 3 (Middletown, Norwich and Willimantic offices) with statewide rollout
to follow. Implementation of DRS across the country has given rise to many of the outcomes
we have included in our own Strategic Plan, including reducing the need for CPS
involvement, reducing unnecessary foster care placements and reducing repeat maltreatment
of children. It is my hope that we will see the same results from DRS here in CT.
As you may know, DRS represents a significant departure in how child welfare agencies
respond to reports of abuse and neglect. For reports that are deemed low risk, the case will be
diverted to a DRS track rather than receiving a traditional CPS investigation. There will be no
requirement that a perpetrator be identified or that a substantiation decision be made at the
conclusion of a DRS response. Rather, the Department will engage and work with the family
to build on strengths and determine what services can best assist them in safely caring for their
children. There will also be an opportunity for a case to "switch tracks" if appropriate based
on new information that impacts the overall risk assessment.
The experience and research in other states shows that DRS does not compromise safety and
that it promises to make effective family engagement a more common element in our work
across all our cases This is true for a variety of reasons, including:
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Participation in DRS for families is voluntary;
The family takes the lead on identifying who needs to be involved in their case
planning;
The family drives the case planning process; and
The intervention uses a more comprehensive assessment process rather than focusing
primarily on fact-finding and investigation.

Not only does research in other states demonstrate that child safety is maintained but also that
family and staff satisfaction is improved as a result of DRS, which contributes to the critical
outcomes discussed above.

STATE OF CONNECTICUT
www.ct.gov/dcf
An Equal Opportunity Employer

 Our planning for DRS is progressing, and a report from Casey Family Services detailing our
preparations is available on our DCF Website (please find the link below). We anticipate that
necessary changes to our LINK system will be complete in the Fall and that training for DCF
staff as well as for our community partners, particularly school, hospital and police staff, will
occur shortly thereafter. After Region 3, the next rollout will occur in Region 1, which
includes Bridgeport, Danbury, Stamford and Norwalk.
Our preliminary analysis shows that nearly four of ten accepted reports could be diverted
under DRS, so the impact will be significant in terms of our prevention focus and increasing
families' capacity to receive services in the community without an ongoing need for DCF
involvement.
Importantly, DRS is based on the same family engagement approach that is a core component
of the Practice Model, which concurrently is under development and set for implementation
early next year. DRS is an excellent example of how the Practice Model principles will
impact our work with families. Good outcomes for children will be the ultimate product of
both these efforts, and I thank you for your work to support these important improvements to
make quality a hallmark throughout all our interventions.
Please click on link:
http://www.ct.gov/dcf/lib/dcf/drs/pdf/cfs_executivereport_drsfinalreprint.pdf