Statewide Quality Assurance Report

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Florida Department of Children and FamiliesCase Management Services - 2009-2010 Quality Assurance ReportWe think by letting us know that what we are talking about can and will make a difference:don’t tell us but show us the difference!During this meeting we brought up a discussion on how to improve the Independent LivingServices that are provided to our teen in the foster care system. We met with DCF staff at ourILS office Camelot Community Care and had an open discussion about some areas that weidentified was of concerns. We came up with some solutions that we feel are actuallyattainable. We realize that Pinellas and Pasco County has some room to grow, but we also knowthat our community is rich of assistance that can help us as we transition into adulthood.Basically in closing, let our voices be heard and let us see the change even if it is smallchanges on a local and statewide level. Make sure that the rules are clear and we know whatwe need to do, also the biggest thing is support us-let us know that we matter to someone!Monroe County Youth Perspectives ReportThe Florida Keys are like a whole other world than the rest of the state of Florida, due toour remote location (four hours from the closest big city) and very distinctive way of life. Thereare very high instances of domestic violence and substance abuse, but very limited resources totreat these. There are very limited resources for youth. The cost of living is extremely high, andthe Keys are very dependent on the tourism and service industries, which causes an extremedivide between the wealthy and the very poor. Because of these factors, the Keys havehistorically had a disproportionally high number of children in care. There has also historicallybeen limited foster homes, especially those willing to take on older youth. Frequently children,and especially teens, must be placed in non-home-like settings or in Miami-Dade County. Largersibling groups also often must be placed in those settings, group homes, shelters and othercounties in order to stay together. The distance makes visitation with family almost impossible,and living in a shelter in order to stay with siblings, or maintain contact with birth parents, whilemaybe the best option, is not a good one. This report was compiled by Wesley House FamilyServices staff, but it is completely built upon the thoughts and ideas of Monroe County’s youth.This group came together because they were invited by their Independent Livingcoordinator, Transitional Services specialist and Quality Assurance Manager from Wesley HouseFamily Services to sit down as a group and discuss the strengths and needs of the current fosterOffice of Family Safety | Page 43
Florida Department of Children and FamiliesCase Management Services - 2009-2010 Quality Assurance Reportcare system, and to try to come up with solutions for the future. They were promised pizza andthe opportunity to have their voices heard, potentially as high up as legislators in Tallahassee.The original meeting was predominantly youth who have already transitioned out of care. Atthat point, the youth currently in foster care declined to participate. Since that initial meeting,however, the younger teens have become more involved in the discussions and have providedsome valuable input. The group has consistently been youth either currently in licensed care oraged out of licensed care. There has been little to no representation from youth placed in nonlicensedsettings.Some of the youth have separately provided their descriptions of what has been positive forthem in the foster care system, as well as what could be improved. A continuous theme acrossreports from youth of all ages and backgrounds is a lack of what we call normalcy. Specificexamples of this lack of normalcy include:‣ Inability to travel for fun‣ Limited personal relationships – due to requirements placed by the CBC and the Group Homewhere she lives, it is a limited pool of people she is approved to spend time with and limitedactivities she is able to do‣ Temporary placements and frequent moves make it impossible to be involved in extra-curricularand school activities. This comes from a youth who has lived in 6 placements during her 9 totalyears in care‣ Inability to go on dates without a chaperoneAnother common theme is issues with the case management agency. Examples of this include:‣ Case managers not answering their phone calls‣ Agency not listening to the youth and taking their voices into consideration‣ Not having consistent, positive role models‣ Not being able to have a personal relationship with the case managers; it’s all businessSituational factors that the youth have concerns with:‣ Separation from siblings‣ Not being enrolled in school in a timely fashion‣ Failure to take schooling into account when placing children‣ Failure to support children’s educational development while in care‣ Inconsistent transportation causing them to miss out on services and normalcy‣ Only one mental health center, and they have a high staff turnoverOffice of Family Safety | Page 44
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Statewide Quality Assurance Report

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