DCF interim commissioner backs SB155 to consolidate reports, clarifies missing‑from‑care notifications

Susan Hamilton, interim commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, told the Committee on Children on Feb. 17 that the department supports SB155, a bill to consolidate multiple statutory reports into a single annual report and to clarify reporting duties for children who go missing from state care.

"I am currently the interim commissioner here at DCF, and I am submitting testimony today in support of Senate Bill 155," Hamilton said. She told legislators the bill combines eight pre-existing statutory reports into one public-facing annual filing to improve transparency and accountability.

Hamilton also described a statutory change requested by auditors: current language appears to require DCF to enter notifications into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, but DCF does not have NCIC access. "DCF does not have authority to enter data into that system. Only law enforcement can enter data into that system," Hamilton said. Under the change, DCF will continue to notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and local law enforcement; law enforcement will then enter any necessary information into NCIC.

Committee members pressed for clarity about how many children are missing from care and how the department tracks them. Hamilton said there are "about 3,200 children in care" overall, and that the larger category "missing from care" includes many children who are AWOL (authorized without leave) but remain in contact with caseworkers. "A very small number of children ... we don't know where they are," she told the committee, estimating fewer than "probably 150 at any given time," and said roughly 70% of episodes resolve within a day.

Hamilton described documentation and timing rules: return assessments and related case activity must be recorded in the case record within five days, and notifications to law enforcement follow separate triggers that depend on the nature of the episode. She said the department has issued new policy and practice guidance since an audit covering past fiscal years and will follow up on cases identified in the audit.

Advocates and legislators asked about audit findings that a small cohort of children accounted for the majority of long-term missing episodes; Hamilton said those cases are outliers that prompted practice changes and that DCF is taking steps to prevent repeat episodes, including placing siblings together and prioritizing relative placements where appropriate.

The committee did not take formal action on the bill during the hearing. Hamilton said the change in statutory language is intended to align legal requirements with the practical realities of which agencies can enter NCIC records, while preserving notification to NCMEC and law enforcement.