The life of Florida foster child Tyrone Burns Smith could have gone any number of ways. Shuttled between more than a dozen foster and group homes, he always hoped to find his forever family. Though he wasn’t the victim of foster child abuse, being moved about left Burns Smith worried... View Article
Florida’s Children First (FCF) will recognize Palm Beach County individuals for their tireless efforts to advocate for the state’s most vulnerable citizens at its annual Palm Beach Reception on Oct. 28 at the National Croquet Center Point Club in West Palm Beach. FCF is a statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to... View Article
Florida’s Children First, the state’s advocacy organization for foster kids and those at risk of child abuse, sexual abuse, and personal injury, will hold its Northeast Florida / Jacksonville Child Advocacy Awards & Reception. The event will be held on Thursday, November 12th, 2015, from 5:30 pm- 7:30pm, at The Haskell Building (111 Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville,... View Article
Howard Talenfeld, the leading child advocacy attorney who fights for the rights of children who suffer sexual abuse, child abuse, and other harm and personal injury, recently was interviewed on Viewpoints Radio regarding changes to Florida’s child welfare system. In a tweet, Viewpoints posted: @htalenfeld talks about how we can improve... View Article
Five children have been found safe after walking out of their Cutler Bay foster home. The siblings — ages 16, 14, 13, 6 and 5 — were under the care of the Children’s Home Society in the Miami suburb of Cutler Ridge. They later were found in Florida City. Reportedly,... View Article
Florida’s Children First, the pioneering advocacy organization that fights for foster children and others who have been physically abused, neglected, injured, and victims of sexual abuse, was named the the 2015 recipient of The Florida Bar Foundation’s Paul C. Doyle Children’s Advocacy Award. Founded by leading foster child advocacy attorney and foster child... View Article
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
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