Statewide Quality Assurance Report

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Florida Department of Children and FamiliesCase Management Services - 2009-2010 Quality Assurance Report‣ Inadequate preparation for living on their own‣ Failure to educate youth about changing policies and procedures that directly impact their lives‣ Being bullied in school because everyone knows your business in a small communityPositives that were identified by the youth were:‣ Getting them out of a bad situation and giving them an alternate, safe, place to live‣ At least having a case manager, even if they have no one else to count on‣ What works:• Family outings at the shelter were fun• Some staff was cool, caring, and volunteered on their days off.• Placement had good individual educational assistance• Self-advocacy• Youth searched and found own placement• Parenting classes for teen parents• High school in Key West is making up courses to help them pass easier• Additional college assistance for entrance exams• Weekly tutoring• A foster family pushed child to do well and achieved straight “A”s• Extracurricular activities and exercise• Educational advocate motivated the youth group and helped with homework and usedvolunteer time for field trips• Affordable bus system and given bus passes• State bought youth a bike and lock.• Some youth able to make appointments• Therapist that lasted and built trust• Services paid for• Financial help for daily living, school, and misc. items• ACCESS• Free bus passes• WIC• Health center• Family and FriendsOffice of Family Safety | Page 45
Florida Department of Children and FamiliesCase Management Services - 2009-2010 Quality Assurance ReportThe youth were able to identify many possible solutions for the problems that theyidentified during the round table discussion. With regards to placements, they believe thatyouth should be educated about the reasons for their removal, live closer to family, and be keptwith their siblings. Case management staff should be of a higher quality so as to be moreappropriate placement for kids, more child friendly, and more experienced with traumatizedchildren.Regarding educational concerns, they believe it would help for them to be enrolled inbetter quality schools, be enrolled immediately, placement close to their original school toprevent educational disturbances, being allowed to finish the school year prior to movingwhenever possible. They suggested educational advisors to advocate like a parent would tomeet with the youth and their teachers to discuss grades and classes. They believe thatteachers should be better educated about what is going on in the home of the children so theyare better equipped to handle behavioral concerns. Foster and group home parents should betrained as educational liaisons, to assist with children’s schooling, not just what goes on in thehomes.Regarding services, the youth feel that they would benefit from better sex education,especially since this has been pulled from many schools. A major issue they identified isturnover of case managers, but no solution has been identified to prevent this. They requestedcontinual mental health checkups and for doctors to take the time to really get to know them,especially prior to deciding if a child needs continued therapy based on identified behaviors.Youth state they would benefit from being better trained on local resources which are availableto them.When independent living and life skills were discussed, the youth identified acombination of agency assistance as well as personal empowerment. They identified bettercommunication and training both for and by RTI/IL staff and foster/group home parents as aneed. Interestingly, they also identified many ways that they can benefit from the experiencesof their peers including a Youth Advisory Board, and RTI Youth Group, and using each other as aresource.Monroe County is a beautiful area and a close-knit community, but it falls short on manyservices due in part to its distance from “civilization.” In order to overcome these shortfalls, wemust educate legislators about the special needs of our area. The youth of Monroe County havemuch to say including many great ideas. We encourage anyone who makes decisions aboutOffice of Family Safety | Page 46
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Statewide Quality Assurance Report

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