HARTFORD, Conn. — When a 13-month-old baby overdosed on fentanyl last year in Salem, it was one of the most catastrophic cases to fall under the state's watch. Now, a year after baby Kaylee died, the office tasked with advocating for children is issuing a critical review of the state agency tasked with protecting children.
The Department of Children and Families serves more than 3 thousand kids. It was involved with three of the eight families of children that overdosed.
“About 70 percent of the families that we’re involved with have some form of substance use by one of the parents," said DCF Commissioner Vanessa Dorantes.
Child Advocate Sarah Eagan says being responsible for the most vulnerable children is far from easy work whether it's keeping kids with blood relatives or helping them adjust to foster homes. Still, her 15-page review following the death of baby Kaylee accuses DCF of "inadequate safety plans" in Kaylee and other cases.
“Some of the casework around those children and families was inconsistent and didn’t always meet the children and family’s needs and baby Kaylee’s case was an example of that," Eagan said.
“We’re recommending that that work has to be rigorously evaluated to make sure that identified deficiencies in case practice that are affecting vulnerable children are being remedied.”
Commissioner Dorantes stands by the agency's safety protocols, which she says are comprehensive and have been strengthened since Kaylee died.
DCF says it started a Fentanyl advisory group and now equips social workers with a new overdose app. The Commissioner says it works in collaboration with other child welfare agencies in other states to analyze every catastrophic and near catastrophic case to learn what to do better.
Specifically, DCF says it updated its substance use disorder policy and updated its safety practice guidelines and issued new guidance for families where fentanyl is suspected or known.
The review is also a wakeup call about the explosion of fentanyl, which now accounts for most overdose deaths and the ways it impacts vulnerable children.
"The amount that it takes to be lethal to a baby is microscopic, the side of a penny," Eagan said.
Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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