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DCF outlines Vermont juvenile justice responsibilities, custody numbers and placement patterns
Summary
Department for Children and Families officials told a joint House Human Services and Judiciary committee meeting that DCF’s Family Services Division oversees both child welfare and juvenile justice in Vermont, that about 900 children were in DCF custody, and that the agency is increasing kin placements while handling heavy intake volumes.
Department for Children and Families Commissioner Chris Winters and deputy leaders told a joint Human Services and Judiciary committee hearing that Vermont’s child-welfare agency also operates the state’s juvenile justice functions and is responsible for supervision, custody and placements for youth in state care.
“Our goal is to make sure that children and youth in Vermont are safe from abuse and neglect, and that their basic needs are met,” Garrett Horatke, deputy commissioner of the Family Services Division, told the committees. He described the division’s mission as balancing child welfare goals with public safety while trying to keep children at home where possible.
Horatke said the Family Services Division (FSD) employs…
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