The 2009 death of 7-year-old Gabriel Myers, an abused foster child found hanging from a shower fixture in his foster home in Margate, Florida, shone a bright light on the state’s policy of allowing doctors to prescribe psychotropic drugs on foster kids. It was a horrible tragedy – one that... View Article
Earlier this month, child advocates, attorneys who fight for abused, neglected, and injured children, business leaders, and others interested in protecting Florida’s foster children from sexual abuse, physical neglect, and other personal injury gathered for the annual Orlando fundraiser for Florida’s Children First (FCF). The event was held Sept. 17.... View Article
Throughout her career, Stacie Schmerling, a lawyer and partner with Fort Lauderdale foster child abuse law firm Talenfeld Law, has pursued the child advocacy and protection. Now, Stacie has rightfully been recognized by one of South Florida’s leading legal and professional publications for her accomplishments. The Daily Business Review recognized... View Article
Not all teenagers are model citizens. Those who find themselves in juvenile detention might have committed acts or crimes or otherwise left the police with no options but to detain them. But when a child in juvenile lock-up is injured while in detention, it’s the responsibility of the authorities to... View Article
As child abuse attorneys and advocates who fight for children abused, neglected or injured in the child welfare system, we often see countless instances of “red flags” that should have warned caregivers and authorities about how to handle or care for the children in specific cases. Often, those warnings go... View Article
While Howard Talenfeld and the attorneys at Talenfeld Law can’t exactly sic Casey on perpetrators accused of child abuse, sexual abuse or other physical harm against children, we do have the resources to bring predators to justice. For more than a generation, our attorneys have fought for the rights of... View Article
Foster child advocates often are concerned with cases of child abuse, child sexual abuse, and personal injury on kids in county and state child welfare facilities. With suspected teen prostitution, alleged drug use, and questions of lax oversight and supervision, a newspaper report regarding conditions at a state-contracted care provider... View Article
The news media recently reported about a youth league baseball coach being arrested – for at least a second time – for molesting children under his supervision. He was identified as a longtime coach with a South Florida Optimist Club. Parents had allowed the coach to have unsupervised sleepovers with a player from... View Article
The Florida Bar Foundation selected Florida’s Children First (FCF) as the recipient of the 2015 Paul Doyle Children’s Advocacy Award for its “Counsel for Dependent Children with Special Needs” Project. Through the passing of House Bill 561 last year, this project secured the right to counsel for dependent children in... View Article
Florida child advocates and attorneys who fight for the rights of abused, neglected and physically abused and sexually abused children are awaiting more information following the stabbing of a young Sarasota, Florida, girl, allegedly at the hand of her mother. The 6-year-old girl was left fighting for her life in... View Article