Newspaper Levels Criticism – State Agency Responds
There are children in Florida living in conditions that as adults we could not fathom. Children who only know touch when it is used to hurt, children whose stomachs ache from hunger, children who believe that drug abuse is the norm and not the exception. More children than our minds are willing to comprehend don’t know they are supposed to be treasured.
 The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is often the front line of defense for children who are not safe or free from abuse and neglect in their current situation. The public – all of us – rely on the reporting of abuse and neglect and its expert handling to jump start an inquiry when a child may be in trouble.
Investigative reporter Carol Marbin Miller of the Miami Herald has broken a story that questions whether the public can count on the DCF run Florida Abuse Hotline, the state’s intake mechanism to protect children.
Within hours of the release of the news story, DCF Secretary George Sheldon e-mailed a four-page memorandum and chart to the agency’s vast community partner network, accepting the criticism in one of the cases cited and deflecting all others.
According to the Marbin-Miller story, a change in screening procedures in 2008 has resulted in front-line DCF hotline workers essentially blocking further action on tens of thousands of abuse reports. The workers handed this weighty responsibility have seven weeks of training and a two week supervised “practicum” in preparation to handle incoming calls. Sheldon in response cites that the safety net of the reporting system was in place and caught the errors when the hotline worker’s judgment lapsed. “I want to emphasize that the changes in hotline procedures we made last year … are a step in the right direction but must still be improved,” Sheldon stated.
Reports being held up include kidnapping, rape, aggravated child abuse and more, and the callers include those required by law to report abuse. A DCF veteran told Ms. Miller that screened calls can miss small reports that are hiding bigger threats.
DCF asserts that “the cries for help were in fact heeded and the agency did respond” in all calls except one - the loss of 1-year-old Bryce Barros after ignoring three hand-written faxes from a domestic violence judge. Sheldon noted that agency previously acknowledged failure in the Barros case and promised to learn from the mistake.
The memo from Sheldon stresses that hotline workers have several options for incoming calls: they can accept the report, refer calls to law enforcement, determine a prevention referral, or screen out calls. Sheldon states, “I am very concerned about the quality of our response to calls that were not assigned for full investigation but were sent to local offices to get help for a family in need. Prevention is a significant part of the work we do, and we must take this very seriously.”
Although the Miami Herald article alludes to budget cuts, and lack of appropriate funding as the impetus behind the changes, the DCF memo, simply states, “The changes we have made over the past three years have produced significantly greater benefits for children and used taxpayer dollars more effectively.”
A review of five key areas of DCF’s procedures is underway, including a review of the hotline procedures changed in 2008. The review was requested by Secretary Sheldon several weeks ago, prior to the Miami Herald article.
DCF Attempts to Overturn Adoption to Uphold Ban
Florida’s 32 year old ban on gay adoption has reached the appellate court, following a November 2008 ruling by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman that declared the 1977 statute unconstitutional. The specific case involves the adoption of two boys by an openly homosexual man, Martin Gill, who has been fostering the children since 2004.
During the original hearing the Department of Children and Families (DCF) admitted that the shortage of adoptive parents is a significant problem and that placing children with gay adoptive parents does not harm or disadvantage children emotionally or physically.
Dara Kam, staff writer for the Palm Beach Post, wrote an article titled, “DCF lawyer: Put gay man’s kids back up for adoption” that chronicled oral arguments in the case.
According to the article, “[Deputy Solicitor General Tim] Osterhaus asked the three-judge panel to reverse the adoption and "make the children available for adoption."
Although a DCF spokesperson stated that it was not the intention of the agency to remove the children, the consequence of upholding the ban would overturn the adoption. Once again Gil would be allowed to foster the boys but the permanence would be left up to the officials at DCF.
As of today, the DCF (the Florida taxpayers) has spent nearly $400,000 in legal fees and other costs on the case.
Budget Cuts Threaten Florida’s Successful Foster Care Program
In an editorial published in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and other news dailies, David Bundy, President and CEO of Children’s Home Society of Florida, focused on the importance of Florida’s Title IV-E waiver and the need for state policy leaders to meet at least the minimum state funding to continue the pilot program.
Florida is the only state in the nation to receive the Waiver for Title IV-E. The waiver allows federal foster care funds to be used for any child welfare purpose rather than being restricted to out-of-home care as generally required under federal law. It also enables funds to be used for a wide variety of child welfare services including prevention, intensive in-home services to prevent placement of children outside the home, reunification and foster care.
According to Mr. Bundy, due in part to the flexibility of the Title IV-E pilot program, Florida has reduced the number of children living in foster care by 32 percent.
Bundy says, “We must leverage our progress, not backslide to a system that is a disservice to children.”
Read the full article.
This Promise Two Front Burner is brought to you by:
Amanda Ostrander, Website/Communications Coordinator
Roy Miller, President |
