Liz Linehan

 

For Immediate Release                                                                           

October 2, 2023                                                                                       

 

DATE AND ROOM CHANGE

 

REPRESENTATIVE LINEHAN AND SENATOR MAHER ANNOUNCE COMMITTEE INVESTIGATION AND INFORMATIONAL HEARING REGARDING BRIDGE FAMILY CENTER'S STAR HOME IN HARWINTON

 

State Representative Liz Linehan (D-Cheshire, Wallingford, Hamden), House Chair of the Committee on Children, and Senator Ceci Maher (D-Darien, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Stamford, Weston, Westport, and Wilton), Senate Chair of the Committee on Children, have announced an informational hearing that will focus on the Bridge Family Center's STAR Home (Short Term Assessment and Respite) in Harwinton after allegations of sex trafficking, violence, and abuse at the group home for youth surfaced.

 

In response to these allegations, the Committee on Children will hold an informational hearing on Wednesday, October 11, at 1 p.m., at the Legislative Office Building, Room 2E.

 

Invitations have been going out to individuals requested to testify before the Children's Committee on October 11. Invitations will continue to go out until the hearing.

 

"After reading published reports of the incidents in question, I immediately reached out to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) for a detailed and historical accounting of the group home," said Representative Linehan. "DCF will deliver this requested document this afternoon, at which time the committee will begin reviewing the document while consulting with the Child Advocate. We will spend the time between receipt of this document and the date of the hearing to do our due diligence which will culminate in this hearing where questions must be answered. As Children's Committee Co-Chairs, our responsibility is to ensure the safety of Connecticut's children. It is imperative this hearing is focused solely on the system and adults who may have failed these children, and not on the children themselves. This will not be a referendum on the victims, but a thorough and thoughtful review of the programs which are supposed to support our most vulnerable kids."

 

“We recognize that there is an issue at the STAR Home in Harwinton and we need to find solutions that build upon our current successes with diversionary programs," said Senator Maher. "The informational hearing we’re holding on October 11 will allow us to hear from all stakeholders and help to provide a path forward.”   

 

WHAT: INFORMATIONAL HEARING REGARDING STAR HOME IN HARWINTON

 

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1 P.M.

 

WHERE: LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING, ROOM 2E

 

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