Find all recent publications on child safety

See the latest updates from the Office of the Child Advocate. Learn what we found, what we recommend, and what we’re doing to help keep kids safe and healthy:

  • Reports from this year and past years
  • Investigations into child deaths and system problems
  • Reports about laws we support
  • Older reports
  • Health alerts for the public
Learn more about what we do  

Up-to-date publications

Read full Legislative Advocacy (.docx)

Read our joint report calling for more federal support for affordable, licensed childcare and home-visiting programs. See how stronger funding can keep children safe, reduce abuse, and support families after the challenges of COVID-19.

Read full System & Facility Investigation (PDF)

Learn how better oversight can protect children while supporting parents right to choose home education.

Read full fatality investigation from the LR & MM cases (PDF)   Read LR & MM Investigation Executive Summary (PDF)

Read about the progress we've made since investigating child deaths and a near-fatal fentanyl case.

Read the full OCA 2024-2025 Annual Report (PDF)

The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) works to fix serious issues like abuse, trouble getting special education, delays in getting mental health care, problems leaving the hospital, and bullying. OCA meets often with other groups—like the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), and the Department of Public Health (DPH)—to help solve these problems.

Annual reports

Read key insights and actions from our yearly review. 

The Annual Report from the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) gives a yearly summary of how Connecticut protects and supports children. It highlights key findings, challenges, and actions to improve child safety, health, and rights statewide.
Go to the OCA annual reports archive 

Fatality investigations

Read the addendum: LR & MM
fatality report (PDF) 

Find the latest updates on the LR and MM case, including new findings, agency responses, and actions taken on OCA’s recommendations.

Read the Connecticut Youth
Fatality Report (PDF) 

Find what our report reveals about preventable deaths in young adults and the steps we recommend to keep them safe.

See the fatality investigations archive 

Find how our investigations help strengthen child protection in Connecticut. Each review includes what we discovered and how agencies can act to keep kids and young adults safe. 

Review reports on child safety in facilities

See how we make sure child-serving programs stay safe, effective, and accountable. 

System and Facility Investigations review how children are cared for in state and private programs. Their goal is to make sure these places are safe, fair, and effective.
Go to the System & facility investigations archive 

Legislative advocacy

Read Statement: Affordable Daycare Position (PDF) 

See why we’re pushing for stronger support for affordable childcare and home-visit programs to keep kids safe and families strong.

Read Legislative Testimony March, 2020 (PDF) 

See how we spoke up to make laws better for kids. We talked about school meals, getting legal help, stopping abuse, and tracking how kids are

Legislative advocacy archive 

See older documents that show how OCA spoke up for children and worked to improve laws in Connecticut.

Safety and injury prevention

Read more about suicide prevention (PDF)
Know the signs of suicide and how to help. Find support and ways to prevent suicide in Connecticut.

Read: Naloxone is safe for everyone (PDF)
Read more about the use and safety of naloxone (Narcan) to prevent opioid overdoses. Learn when and how to use naloxone and where to access it.
 

Safety injury prevention archive
See older reports and updates that show how OCA worked to prevent injuries and keep children safe.