New DCF head says transparency, accountability is the ‘priority' 

The new head of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) told lawmakers during a public hearing Tuesday that she’s focused on transparency.  

Interim DCF Commissioner Susan Hamilton spoke with the Children’s Committee about the agency’s recommendation, largely centered around reporting requirements.  

She faced only a handful of questions during what is likely to be one of several discussions about the agency this session.  

DCF has proposed consolidating eight reports submitted to the legislature into one document.  

“I have identified transparency and accountability as a priority,” Hamilton said during opening remarks.  

She declined to talk with reporters after the hearing. A proposed bill also suggests changing the state law that requires DCF to report missing children to the FBI. 

Hamilton said DCF doesn’t have access to the FBI’s database and instead reports cases to local police, who then share the information nationally.  

Tuesday’s hearing comes one year after a Waterbury man, named S., started a fire in his home to, he claims, escape from decades of abuse and neglect.  

His stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, is facing charges following the incident. Then, in October, police discovered the remains of Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia in New Britain, over a year after investigators believed she died.

Her mother and other family members are facing charges.  

Both families had contact with DCF, leading to questions about whether the agency is doing enough to protect children.  

Rep. Geraldo Reyes (D-Waterbury) came by the hearing to talk with Sullivan, even though he’s not on the Children’s Committee.  

“What I’m looking for from this commissioner is a solid plan going forward where they’re going to be more proactive,” he said.  

The Children’s Committee expects to consider at least two more bills related to DCF, including legislation on training, policies at staffing. That bill is still in the works.  

Sen. Ceci Maher (D-Wilton), a committee co-chair, said a separate bill will seek oversight of families who abuse children.  

“We’re looking at ways of making sure that an abuser, or someone who has committed crimes against children, cannot go back into a home with children,” she said.  

Other lawmakers, like Rep. Anne Dauphinais (R-Killingly), don’t think the committee has enough information to make any major changes.  

Criminal cases are still making their way through court, meaning Interim Child Advocate Christina Ghio is limited in the information she can share from her investigations.  

“I want to know what happened from A to Z, and there are all kinds of missing spaces that I don’t really understand, and I don’t know how you can make an agency better or more effective if you don’t really know what went wrong,” Dauphinais said.  

Gov. Ned Lamont nominated Hamilton as the new DCF chair last fall, meaning lawmakers will also need to vote on her confirmation.  

Reyes said Hamilton did not cause DCF’s problems, but he still expects lawmakers to have tough questions about how she plans to turn the agency around.  

Ghio, appearing on an episode of the Face More Facts with Mike and Mike podcast, said DCF has struggled with problems since settling a lawsuit and ending federal oversight in 2022.  

“There has to be ongoing monitoring because what we see is without that kind of pressure,” she said. “There does tend to be backsliding.”  

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