Recently introduced House Bill 3705 amends the Illinois’ Children and Family Services Act to reinforce the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services’ (DCFS) duty to children in foster care as well as its responsibility for placing youth in permanent family homes through guardianship or adoption (as opposed to adoptive homes)... View Article
A Holly Hill man accused of repeatedly abusing at least four foster children will remain in jail without bond, a judge ruled on Monday. Lawrence Henry Williams, 50, was arrested last week on one count of sexual battery and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation. According to the state... View Article
As foster parents licensed by Florida’s Department of Children and Families, my wife and I are directly responsible for meeting critical day-to-day needs of the children in our home. Whether it is getting a child to necessary medical or therapeutic specialists, finding the most appropriate school, or advocating for educational... View Article
Twenty years ago, child advocates from across the state who were individually working on issues affecting Florida’s most vulnerable children came together with the idea that we could collectively make a greater impact. We ran the gamut in perspective — coming from private practice, businesses, law school clinics, and legal... View Article
As reported by WPLG Local 10, “Rashid Bryant was 22 months old when he died in 2020 in Opa-locka. He was in foster care until the Florida Department of Children and Families reunited him with his mother, Jabora Deris, in February. By Nov. 6, Rashid was dead.” Read the entire... View Article
As reported by the Tampa Bay Times, Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri in November announced a criminal investigation into Eckerd Connects after a child was injured and another overdosed at an unlicensed Largo office where foster children that the agency could not place slept in “deplorable conditions.” Read more here.
According to Missouri TV station KY3, a case study by the U.S. Inspector General’s Office shows that nearly 1,000 foster kids went missing from the foster care system in 2019 from that state. The inspector’s report noted that foster children are at a higher risk of being reported missing. What’s... View Article
Webinar Series will Educate Youth in the Foster Care System about their Rights WHAT: HANDY (Helping Abused Neglected Disadvantaged Youth) and Justice for Kids®, a Division of Kelley Kronenberg, proudly present “Finding Family & Friends as an Out of Home Placement,” a virtual webinar to educate youth in the foster... View Article
Several tragic cases of Justice for Kids Partner Stacie Schmerling were recently featured in USA Today concerning the failures of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to investigate and respond to credible complaints against foster care providers to ensure children are safe. Complaints to Florida’s abuse hotline about caregivers... View Article
The state of Illinois has been collecting the financial benefits for abused, neglected and abandoned children in foster care as state revenue rather than providing the benefits to the children. Last year, the benefits collected totaled over $14.2 million from sources such as disabilities or monies owed deceased parents from... View Article