Florida must do more to support the Suncoast's vulnerable children
In October Safe Children Coalition CEO Brena Slater presented data regarding the underfunding of child welfare services in our region during the annual meeting of the Sarasota County legislative delegation.
The state provides about $24 million annually in core funding to Safe Children Coalition to address approximately 2,170 vulnerable children under court jurisdiction – as well as to provide services for, and the diversion of, an additional 2,000 children. This is nowhere near sufficient given the need, and what's even worse is that there are marked disparities in the money granted in some communities compared to others.
Safe Children Coalition, which serves children and families in Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit (Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties), receives by far the one of the lowest funding amounts per child served – a whopping $50 million less in core funding than the highest-funded Community Based Care agency – while contending with the highest child removal rates in the state, due in large part to the opioid crisis.
To jump-start the community conversation on this issue, the Manatee County Foster Care Initiative is sponsoring the Foster Care Fair Funding Forum on Dec. 7. It will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Historic Asolo Theater at The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road in Sarasota.
The goal of the event, which will be moderated by former Sarasota Herald-Tribune Opinion Editor Tom Tryon, is to mobilize the community to speak out for additional funding and exert pressure to revise Florida’s funding model to address the formula's glaring inequities.
I know firsthand about the underfunding of child welfare services: My husband and I have fostered 15 children, and we’ve adopted three. I’ve seen the struggles of children who are in the state care system due to parental drug and alcohol use, neglect, physical abuse and abandonment. And I understand the challenges for the caretakers who are doing their best to provide a loving and supportive home, but who may not have access to resources due to prohibitive costs.
There are long-term consequences for children who have suffered due to circumstances detrimental to their development. There are babies who can’t feed from a bottle, kids with learning and processing disorders, children who see violence in their home and mimic those behaviors. They are not bad kids. They are children who come from bad circumstances, and they deserve all of our support.
Over the past six years Safe Children Coalition has ranked at or near the bottom in funding per child served. In the highest-paid circuit in 2020, there was funding of $22,000 for each child served; meanwhile, in our circuit each child served was deemed worthy of just $6,795.
Safe Children Coalition is responsible for serving children who have been abused – and reducing the likelihood of children being abused. Services include fostering, adoption, prevention, protective services, diversion, out-of-home case management and more.
With the help of our amazing community, local government and foundations, we are utilizing all of our available resources to provide the best care possible. In 2021, we facilitated 174 adoptions, found safe homes for nearly 1,700 children through foster and out-of-home placements, empowered 175 teens through growth opportunities and support, and ensured children were safe by sending out our team of 300 dedicated case managers and staff members to protect children, strengthen families and build community.
For information on our work, visit sccfl.org. Registration for the Dec. 7 forum is required by Dec. 1 and attendance will be capped at 150. To register email: forum@sccfl.org.
Ann Marie Jones is a board member for Safe Children Coalition.
(Editor's note: This column has been updated to reflect the new location for the Dec. 7 forum.)