Adolescents and Juvenile Services

CHAP: The Community Housing Assistance program provides financial assistance to youth who are committed abused, neglected, or uncared for as their 18th birthday who demonstrate in interest in post-secondary education or vocational training. Several living options coupled with support services are available including individual and shared apartments, boarding arrangements and dormitories.

CHEER: Community Housing Employment Enrichment Resources (CHEER). The Department may offer CHEER and provide financial assistance to youth who were committed (uncared for, abused, and neglected) and dually committed youth as of their 18th birthday who demonstrate strong motivation and ability to pursue a post-secondary employment training and career development program. DCF offers youth in care several living options coupled with support services to assist with their gradual move towards successful adult living. Housing options include but are not limited to: individual and shared apartments, boarding arrangements and on-site living arrangements offered by employment program. Funding is based on available DCF budget appropriations and in accordance with this policy.

Fatherhood Engagement Services: Provides intensive outreach, case management and 24/7 Dad© group programming to enhance the level of involvement of fathers in their DCF case planning and provision of services and strengthen fathers’ positive parenting skills.

Fatherhood Engagement Services DOC: Offers incarcerated fathers with an open DCF case, intensive outreach, support, advocacy and linkage to community-based Fatherhood Engagement Services (FES).

Full Circle Youth Empowerment: Community-based program offering an array of positive youth development programs for youth ages 13-18 living in the greater Bridgeport area and not involved with DCF.

Juvenile Review Board: A Juvenile Review Board (JRB) is a community-based diversion process, operating under a restorative justice philosophy, for youth 8-18 years-old, exhibiting minor criminal or status offense behaviors. There are 90 JRB, serving 140 towns in CT.

Learning Inventory of Skills Training (L.I.S.T): is designed to help prepare youth in DCF care to have the skills necessary to be successful and productive adults. This is achieved by certified coaches implementing the L.I.S.T assessment tool, prioritizing learning needs, creating a skills curriculum, and implementing the teaching of specific skills. Leaning appropriate skills is a lifelong process and the L.I.S.T. assessment process is repeated in six-month intervals. Coaches partner with youth and young adults to develop unique individualized life skills training which integrates their age, learning capacity, placement, and discharge goals. The L.I.S.T. assessment and teaching process infuses elements from the Black Lives Matter movement and provides supports and strategies for youth of color when encountering law enforcement. The L.I.S.T. is required for all DCF committed youth ages 14 and up. For more information, please contact Dayna R. Snell, LCSW at dayna.snell@ct.gov or check out our website https://portal.ct.gov/DCF/LIST/Home

PREP Grant Overview: "Be Proud! Be Responsible!"
The DCF PREP Grant sponsors the "Be Proud! Be Responsible!" program which provides adolescents with the skills necessary to change their behaviors in order to reduce their risk of contracting HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases and getting pregnant. The "Be Proud! Be Responsible!" curriculum model is made up of 6 modules, works directly with teens and gives them the skills to be knowledgeable and confident in their choice to be sexually responsible. This work is done in a variety of community settings including schools and DCF run congregate facilities.

True Colors Rise: True Colors is a specialized mentoring support for LGBTQ+ youth. True Colors provides individual and group-based services. Rise is designed to ensure LGBTQ+ youth of all backgrounds are safe, feel valued and can be their authentic selves. Rise mentoring program matches healthy adult role models, one to one, with young people providing guidance and natural supports. Rise Mentoring offers a combination of group and individual activities creating opportunities to engage is social activities that support the unique needs of LGBTQ+ and the community at large.

Work to Learn: The Work to Learn program is designed to insure that youth who will age out of the foster care have the skills and opportunities provided to them that will assist in a more successful transition to adulthood. Each program provides a variety of employment and educational services including; tutoring, academic assessment, job training, job shadowing and internships as well as youth business development, financial literacy, case management, clinical support, savings and asset development. These programs are available to DCF CW and JJ youth from ages 14-21 and sites include Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, Waterbury and Norwich.

Wilderness School: The State of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families, Wilderness School is an expedition based youth development program serving families in CT. The Wilderness School offers high impact outdoor wilderness programs year round ranging in length from 1-day programs to 20-Day Expeditions.

Year Round Employment: Summer youth employment (SYE) is a collaborative effort between DCF and Department of Labor (DOL) to provide gainful employment and work experience to DCF committed youth during a six week period in the summer. DCF provides funding to DOL to ensure that approximately 300 DCF committed youths (ages 14 to 18) are able to participate. In the spring of 2012 DCF and DOL began offering a year round work experience to DCF involved youth, who completed the summer employment program and wanted to continue through the school year.

Youth Service Bureau: Coordinates prevention and intervention programs for delinquent and pre-delinquent youth, pregnant and parenting youth, and troubled youth 0 to 18 years old. There are 103 YSB serving 130 towns in CT.

Connecticut State Department of Children and Families

Transitional Supports and Success

Statewide Youth Advisory Board (YAB)

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TSS PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS