Connecticut
Telework at DCF under fire following Child Advocate letter
A strongly worded memo raised new questions about how much work Department of Children and Families (DCF) staff were doing from home, and whether that level of teleworking was hurting child protection.
Telework expanded during the pandemic and later became part of the state’s labor agreement, allowing some DCF employees to work remotely up to 80% of the week.
While social workers continued to handle court appearances, home visits, and foster placements in person, they were allowed to start and end most workdays at home. Staff must reapply for telework permission every six months and face losing that privilege if performance slips.
Concerns over the workflow quickly followed. The state’s Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) warned that extensive teleworking could be undermining case practice and supervision inside an agency already struggling with high turnover and many inexperienced workers.
In a critical letter sent Thursday, the Child Advocate suggested that telework should be limited unless workers met specific, data‑driven performance standards, citing the loss of in‑office collaboration, supervision, and real‑time support.
NBC Connecticut Investigates also spoke exclusively with a longtime former DCF employee who remained in the child welfare field. That former worker said telework simply did not function on multiple levels at DCF, describing widespread belief among current staff and those in the judicial system that bringing people back into the office was a necessary step toward restoring the agency.
Lawmakers from both parties echoed those concerns. House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R) said staff working remotely were missing daily interaction, training, and support, instead operating in silos. House Speaker Matt Ritter(D) said the newly formed oversight committee was expected to examine the policy.
Those warnings were backed up by troubling findings. According to the OCA’s report, a review of in‑home cases in 2024 and 2025 found face‑to‑face interactions did not happen in about 40% of cases—something the OCA called alarming and in need of urgent attention.
As scrutiny over DCF intensified, teleworking became the latest flashpoint in a broader debate over accountability, supervision, and whether the systems meant to protect vulnerable children were being stretched too thin.
WASHINGTON (7News) — A Park Police chase ends with a moped rider getting hit and killed on the Taft Bridge in Northwest D.C.
7News’ Washington, D.C. reporter, Phylicia Ashley, went to the scene moments after it happened Saturday evening and spoke to multiple witnesses.
Ximen DeFillippes was riding her bike near Woodley Road when she saw the chase.
ALSO READ | Secret Service detains fleeing driver after deadly crash near White House
“The Park Police passed me. We were on Woodley Road. And then I saw the car they were pursuing,” said DeFillippes. “It was going very fast on the sidewalk. It drove up on the sidewalk up Woodley Road.”
DeFilippes was on one side of the Taft Bridge.
“I’d never seen anything that crazy,” said DeFillippes. “It was, it was like really like homicidal. It was just insane. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
7News also saw the aftermath of the chase and found Lamont Penry on the other side of the bridge. He also saw the chase. It ended on the steps of the Chinese Embassy staff housing.
“The car crashed into the diplomatic car,” Penry said. “A young man jumps out, takes off running down the street. The other three guys came out kind of dizzy. They apprehended one who was on the bench. One was at the rear. Tire of the vehicle, looked to be a Camry, and the other was on the other side of the diplomatic car.”
In the middle of the bridge, 7News saw the victim’s body covered by a white sheet. Witnesses said that when the chase reached the Taft Bridge, one of the vehicles involved struck someone riding a scooter.
“Once the gentleman on the bridge was hit. We realized that no one stopped,” said Penry. “Police continued the pursuit until here, and then they turned around.”
RELATED | President Trump allows US Park Police to chase fleeing vehicles
Penry said all the alleged suspects involved looked young. While on scene, 7News saw one person get arrested and placed in an ambulance.
DeFilippes was riding her bike when she said two cars blocked her from getting caught in the midst of the chase.
“I’m feeling lucky that for those few seconds of my path being kind of blocked,” said DeFillippes. “I’m just so glad that happened. Or else I would have been right there. I’m not at all surprised that someone was hurt. Just. Just from the way everything was unfolding, I could just tell it was going to be bad.
Marina Mabrey torched her former team for 37 points as the Toronto Tempo came back from 14 down to beat the Connecticut Sun, 101-97, at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Former UConn women’s basketball star Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 13 points and three rebounds while Aaliyah Edwards had six points and two rebounds for the Sun. Kia Nurse did not score in just five minutes for the Tempo.
Click on picture to enlarge gallery
WETHERSFIELD, Conn. (WFSB) – A tractor trailer’s diesel fuel saddle tank ruptured on I-91 north between exits 25 and 27, state police said.
Approximately 25 to 30 gallons of fuel was released to the road surface, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. No ground soil or waterways were involved, DEEP said.
The two right lanes were closed, according to the state Department of Transportation.
No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported, state police said.
Wethersfield Fire Department solidified the diesel fuel on the ground surface with Speedy Dry, DEEP said. An environmental cleanup contractor was en route for cleanup.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
-
Alaska3 minutes agoDFFP Responds to Joaquin Fire 31.5 Miles Southwest of McGrath
-
Arizona10 minutes agoArizona Lottery Powerball, The Pick results for June 20, 2026
-
Arkansas13 minutes ago
Arkansas Lottery Powerball, Cash 3 winning numbers for June 20, 2026
-
California18 minutes agoCalifornia man arrested for impersonating bank official, coercing money from Colorado victim
-
Colorado25 minutes agoColorado’s Powderhorn Mountain Resort sells historic lift chairs
-
Connecticut28 minutes agoDeveloping story: Crash closes Taft Bridge on Connecticut Avenue NW
-
Delaware40 minutes agoDelaware Lottery Powerball, Play 3 Day winning numbers for June 20, 2026
-
Florida43 minutes agoJuneteenth in Fort Myers: See photos of the celebration
