Connecticut § 17a-116 (Formerly Sec. 17-44a). “Special needs” child defined.

Connecticut Statutes

§ 17a-116 — (Formerly Sec. 17-44a). “Special needs” child defined.

Connecticut § 17a-116

Title 17aSocial and Human Services and Resources

Ch. 319aChild Welfare

This text of Connecticut § 17a-116 ((Formerly Sec. 17-44a). “Special needs” child defined.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 17a-116 (2026).

Text

For purposes of sections 17a-116 to 17a-119, inclusive, and subsection (b) of section 45a-111, a “special needs” child is a child who is a ward of the Commissioner of Children and Families or is to be placed by a licensed child-placing agency and is difficult to place in adoption because of one or more conditions including, but not limited to, physical or mental disability, serious emotional maladjustment, a recognized high risk of physical or mental disability, age or racial or ethnic factors which present a barrier to adoption or is a member of a sibling group which should be placed together, or because the child has established significant emotional ties with prospective adoptive parents while in their care as a foster child and has been certified as a special needs child by the Commiss

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For purposes of sections 17a-116 to 17a-119, inclusive, and subsection (b) of section 45a-111, a “special needs” child is a child who is a ward of the Commissioner of Children and Families or is to be placed by a licensed child-placing agency and is difficult to place in adoption because of one or more conditions including, but not limited to, physical or mental disability, serious emotional maladjustment, a recognized high risk of physical or mental disability, age or racial or ethnic factors which present a barrier to adoption or is a member of a sibling group which should be placed together, or because the child has established significant emotional ties with prospective adoptive parents while in their care as a foster child and has been certified as a special needs child by the Commissioner of Children and Families. See Sec. 17a-118 re responsibility of Department of Children and Families for adoption assistance agreement and subsidy payment.

Legislative History

(1972, P.A. 86, S. 1; P.A. 75-420, S. 4, 6; P.A. 77-614, S. 521, 610; P.A. 79-631, S. 65, 111; P.A. 86-330, S. 2, 9; P.A. 93-91, S. 1, 2.) History: P.A. 75-420 replaced welfare commissioner with social services commissioner; P.A. 77-614 replaced social services commissioner with commissioner of human resources, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-631 replaced commissioner of human resources with commissioner of children and youth services; P.A. 86-330 replaced definition of “hard-to-place” children with expanded definition of “special needs” children, effective April 1, 1987; Sec. 17-44a transferred to Sec. 17a-116 in 1991; P.A. 93-91 substituted commissioner and department of children and families for commissioner and department of children and youth services, effective July 1, 1993. Term “placed” refers to process by which physical custody of a child is transferred to prospective adoptive parents and does not refer to process by which a child is given in adoption by a statutory parent, and children from other jurisdictions do not qualify as special needs children because their “placement” for adoption is not made by a Connecticut-licensed child-placing agency. 248 C. 672.