Jacksonville, FL – September 20, 2024 – Action News Jax- Duval County teacher under investigation after 8-year-old is injured A Beauclerc Elementary School teacher is being investigated by Duval County Public Schools after a physical incident with an 8-year-old student.
Miami, FL – September 3, 2024 – Miami Herald- Rising costs of care could strain funding for Florida program for brain-damaged kids Facing withering criticism from parents, advocates, lawmakers and insurance regulators, Florida’s compensation program for children born with catastrophic brain injuries opened its bank account three years ago and improved the lives of some of the state’s most disabled children.
Orlando, FL – September 2, 2024 – Orlando Sentinel- Autism drowning deaths prompt push for children’s specialized swim lessons Drowning is the number one cause of death for kids with autism and Florida leads the nation in fatalies.
Aventura, FL – August 5, 2024 – WSVN News 7- Parents arrested after leaving toddler in hot car while they shopped at Target in Aventura, police say A man and woman were arrested on child abuse charges after allegedly leaving their 2-year-old child in a hot car while they shopped at Target in Aventura.
Austin, TX – July 18, 2024 – WPLG Local 10- Largest housing provider for migrant children engaged in pervasive sexual abuse, US says Employees of the largest housing provider for unaccompanied migrant children in the U.S. repeatedly sexually abused and harassed children in their care for at least eight years, the Justice Department said Thursday, alleging a shocking litany of offenses that took place as the company amassed billions of dollars in government contracts.
Daytona Beach, FL – July 9, 2024 – WESH 2- Police: Man arrested in Daytona Beach after dangling, dropping child off second-floor resort balcony A 31-year-old man was arrested on Saturday after allegedly dropping a 4-year-old off the second floor of a Daytona Beach resort, according to an affidavit from the police department.
Palm Coast, FL – July 7, 2024 – WSVN 7- Florida woman charged with child neglect after good Samaritan finds 2-year-old son wandering near busy road alone A good Samaritan found a 2-year-old boy wandering in a Florida neighborhood all alone, and now the child’s mother is facing charges after she was found fast asleep inside their home.
Homestead, FL – May 16, 2024 – WPLG Local 10- Homestead couple accused of murdering their 6-month-old baby girl Two 24-year-old parents brought their 6-month-old to Homestead Hospital in cardiac arrest Sunday afternoon; doctors found that the baby had no pulse and signs of severe child abuse, according to police.
Brevard County, FL – May 16, 2024 – WESH 2 Orlando- Family sues Brevard County day care for alleged child abuse and negligence An incident at a Brevard County day care involving a child and teacher has led to more allegations of child abuse and negligence after the Department of Children and Families studied surveillance video.
Chicago, IL – May 7, 2024 – WSIL – TV- Lawsuit alleges pervasive child sexual abuse at Illinois juvenile detention centers for decades A group of 95 people filed a lawsuit in Illinois on Monday alleging they were sexually abused as children in juvenile detention centers across the state for over two decades.
Wildwood, FL – May 4, 2024 – Fox 35 Orlando- Florida DCF worker accused of abusing 11-year-old foster child A Kids Central employee was arrested after he aggressively threw an 11-year-old foster child onto a couch and hurt her, according to an arrest affidavit from the Wildwood Police Department.
Tallahassee, FL – May 3, 2024 – The Tampa Bay Times – Nearly 600,000 Florida kids shed from government health care, study says Nearly 600,000 Florida children lost their government-provided health insurance last year after the federal government ended the national COVID-related health emergency, more than any other state except Texas, according to a newly released report by the Georgetown Center for Children and Families.
Miami, FL – April 22, 2024 – WSVN 7- Mother charged with child neglect after dropping baby in water at Miami Beach while intoxicated, police say
A judge on Monday had words of advice for a mother accused of being under the influence while caring for her young child.
St. Petersburg, FL – April 10, 2024 – WPLG Local 10- DeSantis signs 5 bills to crack down on sexual predators Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference in St. Petersburg Wednesday morning.
Tampa, FL – March 24, 2024 – News Channel 8- Toddler suffers 2nd, 3rd degree burns at Florida day care, family says A 10-month-old in Central Florida faces months of recovery, surgeries, and treatments after 30% of his body was burned while at day care, NBC affiliate WESH reported.
Chicago, IL – March 8, 2024 – The Center Square- Legislator questions whether new DCFS director brings needed changes Concern is growing that conditions at the long-troubled Illinois Department of Children Family Services may be getting worse for many of its abused or neglected children.
Largo, FL – March 6, 2024 – Fox 35 Orlando- Parents arrested after fleeing with 3 children from Largo custody meeting: Police Two parents were arrested and booked into the Pinellas County jail after taking off with their three children from a mandatory visit at the Department of Children and Families office in Largo.
Miami, FL – February 5, 2024 – The Miami Herald- Florida man who faced death penalty over child sex abuse takes life-in-prison plea deal Though Florida prosecutors sought the death penalty for a man accused of sexually abusing a child, making use of a new law Gov. Ron DeSantis signed last year, the accused man instead pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.
Miami, FL – January 31, 2024 – The Miami Herald- After Herald investigation, women report coach’s alleged sexual abuse to Key Biscayne police A woman who says she was repeatedly sexually abused 13 years ago by a Key Biscayne gymnastics coach finally told her story to police on Tuesday.
Gainesville, FL – January 19, 2024 – WCJB 20- Gainesville man arrested for human trafficking of an 11-year-old girl A registered sexual predator was arrested after Gainesville Police Department officers say he sexually abused an 11-year-old girl.
Miami Beach, FL – January 12, 2024 – WPLG Local 10- Miami Beach parents jailed after signs of ‘severe physical abuse’ in 2-month-old, police say Authorities arrested a Miami Beach couple on felony charges Thursday after they said the couple’s 2-month-old son was found unresponsive with signs of “severe physical abuse,” including more than a dozen rib fractures.
Miami Beach, FL – January 12, 2024 – WTVJ NBC 6 – Miami Beach couple arrested after severely injured infant found with 18 fractured ribs A Miami Beach couple is facing charges after their infant son was hospitalized with severe injuries including 18 fractured ribs, authorities said.
Fort Myers, FL – January 7, 2024 – Fort Myers News Press – Keeping at-risk children, families intact takes a community After a decade of work inside Florida’s child welfare system, I could see there had to be a better way.
Miami-Dade County, FL – January 5, 2024 – WPLG Local 10 – Boy, 6, calls 911 to report mom left him, little brother alone in filthy Miami-Dade home, cops say A 6-year-old boy called 911 Wednesday night to tell Miami-Dade police his mother left him and his 2-year-old brother home alone. Police said they arrived to find disgusting conditions.
Chicago, IL – January 3, 2024 – WGN 9 Chicago – DCFS still failing to find appropriate care for kids, leaving them locked-up, report shows An annual report to legislators, prompted by a WGN Investigates series, shows the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is still leaving kids in crisis in psychiatric hospitals and juvenile jails longer than necessary.
Chicago, IL – January 3, 2024 – WBEZ Chicago – What’s next for Illinois’ beleaguered Department of Children and Family Services? The Department of Children and Family Services is officially transitioning leadership. But the agency has long faced systemic issues.
West Palm Beach, FL – October 3, 2023 – The Palm Beach Post – Child abuse or bad parenting? Jury hears case of Jupiter dad who kept teen locked in room in garage Was it aggravated child abuse? Or simply bad parenting?
Tallahassee, FL – September 7, 2023 – Tallahassee Democrat – Florida legislative watchdog says DCF may be at odds with sex trafficking law Florida does not know if its Department of Children and Families is following state law for the care of teens found to have been commercially sexually exploited according to the Legislature’s watchdog, the Office of Program Policies and Government Accountability.
Miramar, FL – September 5, 2023 – WPLG Local 10 – Miramar man accused of raping trafficked teen who ran away from foster care A Miramar man faces multiple felony charges after authorities accused him of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who ran away from a Miami Gardens foster facility and subsequently ended up becoming a human trafficking victim.
Chicago, IL – September 1, 2023 – State of Illinois – Illinois DCFS Launches Child Welfare Dashboard and Study of Child Protection Services to Increase Transparency and Accountability Keeping with his pledge to bolster Illinois’ child welfare system, Governor JB Pritzker unveiled today a new online data dashboard featuring unprecedented insights and performance indicators maintained by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
As Governor Signs Bills, Legislative Session Proves Good to Florida’s Medically Needy, Dependent Children
It was an especially successful legislative session for at-risk, medically needy and other foster care children throughout Florida. After passing the Legislature with bi-partisan support, two bills were signed into law this week by Governor Rick Scott ensuring Florida’s most vulnerable children have the best care from the Department of Children and Families, and skilled legal representation when in the dependency system.
The first bill was an overhaul of DCF’s child welfare process. The second bill “could begin to give voice to children long rendered voiceless,” the Miami Herald wrote. Howard Talenfeld, a leading child advocacy attorney and foster care damages lawyer and supporter of the new laws, had said this has been a long road.
“It’s been our mission since 2002 to enact a law like this because disabled children are the most vulnerable children to come into our child welfare system. Unfortunately, they have to face a maze of bureaucratic hurdles in order to obtain the benefits they need to be safe and to survive in the foster care system,” the Herald quoted Mr. Talenfeld, who also is president of Florida’s Children First, the state’s premier child advocacy organization.
HB 561 will requiring that the state pay for dependent children with special needs are appointed an attorney for representation in dependency cases. These can include the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Social Security Administration in applications and denials for benefits from the state and federal agencies and their school districts. Read a previous story here.
Under HB 561, the state will set aside $4.5 million to pay the cost of attorneys skilled in child representation cases, especially those concerning disabled and medically needy children. As has long been the case, some attorneys still may continue to provide their services in such cases on a pro bono basis. Read the Miami Herald story here.
This has been a very special season indeed for the state’s at-risk and most medically need children. We thank the Florida Legislature and Governor Rick Scott for ensuring these children have the professional attention they need now and in the future.