Connecticut
Connecticut excludes its alternative-response calls from what it submits to NCANDS, so the state's reported dispositions understate the total volume of CPS activity relative to states that submit both tracks. Read comparisons with that in mind.
The funnel, FFY 2024
Connecticut vs. national
What happened to reports of child maltreatment in Connecticut in federal fiscal year 2024, at each decision point. Rates are what make states comparable; raw counts mostly measure population.
| Stage | Connecticut | Rate | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referrals to CPSCounts: referrals | 50,340 | 69.2per 1,000 children | 59.3 |
| Screened in (became reports)Counts: referrals | 14,44728.7% of referrals | — | 47.1% |
| Screened outCounts: referrals | 35,89371.3% of referrals | — | 52.9% |
| Children investigated or given an alternative responseCounts: children | 17,339 | 23.8per 1,000 children | 40.6 |
| Child victims (substantiated or indicated)Counts: children | 5,576 | 7.7per 1,000 children | 7.2 |
| Child fatalitiesCounts: children | 16 | 2.2per 100,000 children | 2.41 |
Referrals, reports, children, and victims are four different denominators and are not interchangeable. A referral may concern more than one child; a child may appear in more than one referral; a victim is a child with a substantiated or indicated disposition. National figures are the Children's Bureau's own estimates, not sums of the state rows.
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS), Tables 2-3, 3-1, 3-3, 4-1
What Connecticut does not report
A figure Connecticut did not report is shown as a labeled gap everywhere it would appear on this site — never as a zero, never as a blank cell. A state that does not report a number has not achieved zero of it.
- Alternative-response calls are excluded from Connecticut's NCANDS submission, so the dispositions on this page understate total CPS activity relative to states that submit both tracks.
Maltreatment and fatalities over time (NCANDS)
Child fatalities reported to NCANDS, Connecticut, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child fatalities
Child maltreatment victims, Connecticut, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child victims (substantiated or indicated)
Foster care (AFCARS)
| Measure | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adopted with public agency involvement | 497 | 506 | 573 | 529 | 488 | 497 | 661 | 450 | 460 | 483 |
| Entered foster care | 1,810 | 1,825 | 1,765 | 2,040 | 2,002 | 2,076 | 2,050 | 1,345 | 1,168 | 1,250 |
| Exited foster care | 1,558 | 1,486 | 1,448 | 1,483 | 1,527 | 1,560 | 1,794 | 1,397 | 1,553 | 1,412 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 4,263 | 3,921 | 3,908 | 4,119 | 4,135 | 4,228 | 4,352 | 4,034 | 3,488 | 3,295 |
| Children served in foster care | 5,821 | 5,407 | 5,356 | 5,602 | 5,662 | 5,788 | 6,145 | 5,430 | 5,041 | 4,707 |
| Termination of parental rights | 608 | 405 | 380 | 380 | 363 | 381 | 491 | 393 | 392 | 438 |
| Waiting for adoption | 1,166 | 1,343 | 1,197 | 1,111 | 1,157 | 1,248 | 1,556 | 1,398 | 1,137 | 1,062 |
Source: AFCARS state tables, FY2013 to FY2022
AFCARS 2020 rule, FFY2023 to FFY2025 (preliminary)
Collected under the AFCARS 2020 final rule, first effective FFY 2023. Counts include ages 0 to 23. Figures are preliminary estimates from submissions received by February 27, 2026, and states may still revise them. This series is not comparable with the FY 2013 to FY 2022 series, which was collected under the 1993 rule and counted a narrower population; this site does not join the two. Wyoming first submitted under the new rule for FFY 2024 and Washington for FFY 2025; earlier years for those states are shown as not reported.
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entered foster care | 1,419 | 1,512 | 1,549 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 3,085 | 3,210 | 3,440 |
| Exited foster care | 1,382 | 1,340 | 1,252 |
Counts: children (ages 0 to 23)
Source: AFCARS Dashboard, preliminary FFY2025 estimates (No. 33)
Connecticut in the archive
What the numbers above cost, in KARA's own reporting.
- Thank You Cyndy Etler (don’t lock them up)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenJune 20, 2026
shining a light on child advocacy,
- Best & Worst States For America's Children
KARA reportingMike TikkanenJune 19, 2026
Where does your state rank in protecting children & what can you do to make improvements. These statistics tell the stories of our best and worst states around the nation
- School Performance, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow & What To Do
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMay 5, 2026
• “Since 2020, national and state test data show steep declines in foundational reading and math skills that are not bouncing back on their own. If current trends hold, by 2034 a majority of U.S. students will need remedial support, deepeni...
- Best and Worst Hospitals For U.S. Children (Beckers Hospital Review)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenApril 8, 2026
Which states give kids the best chance at a healthy life? This review ranks all 50 states and D.C. on children’s healthcare, nutrition, and oral health—and the gaps are stark.
- America’s Child Protection Crisis: Last Week’s Most Alarming CPS Cases and Reforms
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMarch 14, 2026
Each week, children are escaping brutal homes, being harmed in foster care, and caught in CPS systems that too often miss clear danger or punish families without proof. From multimillion‑dollar settlements and court battles in Texas, Washin...
- A Closer Look At Child Fatality and Egregious Incident Reporting
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMarch 8, 2026
Child Fatality & Egregious Incident Reporting: A U.S. Overview America’s approach to exposing and understanding the gravest harms done to children—fatalities, near-deaths, torture, and catastrophic agency failures—reveals a nation deeply di...
- Egregious Child Death in America Today
KARA reportingMike TikkanenOctober 19, 2025
There are few states that report out egregious harm or death of children at the hands of their parents. Minnesota Nonprofit Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota has recently compiled this report on 88 of the 200 children dying at the hand...
- A Closer Look At Child Fatality and Egregious Incident Reporting
KARA reportingMike TikkanenJuly 29, 2025
Child Fatality & Egregious Incident Reporting: A U.S. Overview America’s approach to exposing and understanding the gravest harms done to children—fatalities, near-deaths, torture, and catastrophic agency failures—reveals a nation deeply di...