It’s been almost two years since a law took effect extending the age for foster care youth in the system. Florida lawmakers are now looking to build on that effort.
Sen. Nancy Detert (R-Venice) is spearheading the Senate’s effort. She’s also responsible for the new law extending the age of foster care to 21.
“So, now we want to talk about what kind of placement that has created for the 18 to 21-year-old group. And, we want to talk about continuum of care and services,” she said. “So, this bill will require an assessment when the child comes into care to determine the best placement.”
The assessment would be carried out by the Community Based Care organizations, or CBCs—which partner with the Florida Department of Children and Families to provide services to foster youth and parents. The goal would be to make sure the first foster home placement is the last because moving a child from place to place is seen as not beneficial.
Detert says she also wants to make sure that when CBCs are placing kids, they’re not automatically being placed in group care. So far, the proposal is just in the planning stages.
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