The DCF Plantation blog has been contacted by several Youth Service Officers at Connecticut Juvenile Training School about the memo below. I will not mention the names of the YSOs, but will mention their particular Unit and comments.
Female YSO Unit 6B said- " how come DCF always places blame on front line staff ?"
Male YSO Unit 4D said- " for years management allowed the things in this memo to occur & ignored it."
Male YSO Unit 4B said- "seems to me Katz is cracking down now when management did not
discipline people they favored. One YSO hit a kid in 2009 and got 10 days off."
Female YSO Unit 6C said.- "now that the DCF plantation blog is exposing management as inept memos like
this appear. This is a joke."
Female YSO Unit 5B said- " DCF is targeting certain YSOs in this memo but not management."
Male YSO Unit 5C said- " hell, only when things were unraveling did such a memo come out."
Male YSO Unit 5D said- " no one mentioned the things Operations Staff got away i.e. computer use etc.
Now people want to correct things that were part of past practice."
DEPARTMENT of CHILDREN and FAMILIES
Making a Difference for Children, Families and Communities
Joette Katz
Commissioner
Dannel P. Malloy
Governor
MEMORANDUM
TO: Connecticut Juvenile Training School Staff
FROM: Joette Katz, Commissioner
RE: Expectations
DATE: December 31, 2013
The mission of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School is to provide a safe, secure and therapeutic environment for male youth as well as to furnish opportunities for growth and success. National best practices interventions and standards are integrated into facility operations with the goal of reducing risk of re-offending, preparing youth for community re-entry and developing positive youth outcomes. This mission is achieved by our many dedicated staff who believe in this mission and who work extraordinarily hard each day for the young men in our care and custody. The success that many of our young men have achieved is a direct reflection of our work and the connection to the changes that have occurred in the regions and within DCF.
In the past year, there have been some actions by certain staff that are damaging to this mission and serve to erode the progress occurring within CJTS. There have been allegations of abuse and neglect; lack of supervision that has resulted in youth being injured; language grievances regarding how staff speak to youth; lack of immediately reporting or accurately reporting incidents and overall a sense that some staff are not here at CJTS for the benefit of the youth we serve. These behaviors will not be tolerated.
It is the responsibility of each employee to become familiar with and adhere to department and work site policies and procedures that explicitly inform staff of expectations as state employees and behaviors that are not permitted. Incorporated among them is the mandate that employees are not to neglect their duties. Neglect of duty includes being inattentive to job functions and responsibilities; leaving a duty station or assigned responsibility without permission; failing to follow prescribed department or work site policy relevant to job duties and responsibilities; or any other activity deemed by the department administrator to endanger the health, safety, or wellbeing of clients or staff. If an employee is found to be in neglect of his/her duties, disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, may be taken. It would seem obvious that watching television or using a computer for personal enjoyment while on assignment constitutes a neglect of duty, but apparently, the recent rash of such behavior by staff who were supposed to be monitoring youth at CJTS has necessitated a reminder and this message. Additionally, any employee who engages in workplace violence will also be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. Moreover, managers and supervisors who learn of such deviations must immediately evaluate, investigate, report and take appropriate action in response thereto. Again, these are obvious employment conditions that have been set forth in our employee handbook as well as our HR policies, but recent allegations of abuse and the failure to immediately report same require this reminder.
Because of these recent deviations from policy, there will be adjustments made to the way we monitor and supervise. I anticipate that these modifications will cause some consternation but am confident that they will ultimately set a better tone and make all of us more accountable. We each are here at DCF to act in the best interest of children and must behave in ways that fundamentally advance the therapeutic work occurring within CJTS. You are part of a facility that has achieved many significant changes and have helped to elevate the expectations about how youth are to be treated within secure care. I am confident that I speak to the majority of you at CJTS when I express my gratitude for the difficult work you do and for the majority of you at CJTS when I remind us all that there can be no excuse or room for behaviors that jeopardize our mission
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