DCF received two neglect reports before Manchester 3-year-old's death, official says
The Connecticut Department of Children and Families received two reports alleging neglect involving 3-year-old Akari Cortes before she was struck and killed by a vehicle in Manchester, a department official said Thursday.
Ken Mysogland, DCF’s Chief Administrator of External Affairs, said the agency received reports on June 1 and June 5 alleging a lack of supervision. According to Mysogland, both reports came from law enforcement.
The 3-year-old was hit and killed by a vehicle on East Center Street just after 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, according to police.
While DCF declined to discuss specifics of the case, citing confidentiality rules, Mysogland explained the process the agency follows when it receives reports of suspected child abuse or neglect.
If a report meets the agency’s criteria for investigation, it is assigned one of three response times based on the allegations, risk factors and any prior history DCF may have with the family.
A caseworker is then assigned to conduct an assessment, which includes visiting the home and interviewing all children and adults who live there.
“We will observe the familial surroundings. Is it safe for the kids? Are there any other risk factors that we see?” Mysogland said. “With the parents’ permission, we will contact schools, maybe therapists, any other collateral contacts, doctors that the family is involved with to understand how the family functions and to ensure the children are up to date medically, are they going to school consistently, and verify information contained in the report.”
Mysogland did tell us that the agency did have contact with the Cortes’ family but didn’t provide any other details on what that contact looked like.
He said the agency is continuing to work with law enforcement in the Manchester investigation.
The girl’s death comes amid heightened scrutiny of DCF. It is the third case in the past four months involving a child who died within a week of having contact with the agency that has become public.
Mysogland said DCF’s Careline receives more than 61,000 reports of suspected child abuse and neglect each year.
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