Connecticut Enacts Child Welfare Reform Law Expanding Kinship Care, Workforce Safety & System Oversight

The Connecticut General Assembly adopted legislation to reform the state’s child welfare program. The legislation expands support for kinship placements, creates new grant programs for caregivers and youth in foster care, strengthens caseworker safety, increases agency transparency, expands workforce training, and establishes a new Child Welfare Policy and Oversight Committee.

The legislation, Connecticut Public Act Number 26-26: An Act Concerning Child Welfare Accountability & Transparency, was signed into law on May 26, 2026. The law requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to implement the following changes:

Kin placements. DCF must give preference to placing a child . . .