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The State of Connecticut has decided to close the Norwalk office of the Department of Children and Families. "It will save the state approximately $500,000," said Gary Kleeblatt of the department's Office of Public and Community Relations. "The staff will be working out of the Bridgeport office in a consolidation of offices."
Kleeblatt said the transition would happen "no sooner than the spring," as DCF is waiting for work to be done by the state Department of Public Works. Kleeblatt said 33 staff members, including six trainees, work in the office and handle about 350 cases a year.
Norwalk's office also serves Weston, Westport and Wilton.
Kleeblatt said the consolidation wouldn't have a significant impact on services in Norwalk. "We believe that we will be able to respond in a timely manner," he said. "Most of the calls that's we're responding to are not emergency calls. They require a timely response, but they're not emergencies. We are also looking into outposting staff into the schools and perhaps the police department."
But Lt. Ashley Gonzalez, commander of the Youth Bureau of the Norwalk Police Department, has expressed concern about the move. He said the police department and DCF have a "pretty much simultaneous response to calls of child abuse and child neglect" in a "very close relationship."
Having DCF and police arrive on the scene at the same time minimizes the effects on families, he said, because questions need to be asked only once.
"It's hard to tell how they're going to be running things, but I would say it could cause delays in the investigation," Gonzalez said. "If we had a mutual response in the past, we would run the investigation jointly. Now we're probably going to be first on the scene."
Do you agree with the state's decision to close this local office? Leave a comment below.
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