The Florida Department of Children and Families is taking issue with Franklin County Sheriff A. J. Smith, who is calling for the agency to do more for abused and neglected kids in his jurisdiction. The back-and-forth has been years in the making. Now an expert in Florida’s child welfare system says the numbers show Smith has a case.
DCF responded to Smith’s complaints on Friday, after he spoke to WFSU and wrote a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis. In both, Smith says he asked DCF for help three years ago and was promised a full-time child protective investigator. But that hasn’t happened.
Smith cites the cases of teens who are homeless, addicted and/or victims of sexual predators. He says the problems go back years. He wants an investigator in Franklin County 7 days a week. And a note to our listeners: the sheriff’s description of the following case contains graphic and disturbing details.
“A 13-year-old who had been sexually abused by 4 different men in their 20s and 30s," Smith said. "My victim advocate, my investigators, me -- we felt like that child should be in a different environment. She should be in foster care or a program, and they refused to do it.”
In response, WFSU asked to interview DCF Secretary Shevaun Harris regarding Smith’s concerns about the agency’s responsiveness. That was denied. The department did send a statement explaining its investigatory process. DCF noted that when a sex abuse complaint is received, the agency launches an investigation within 24 hours. The agency says law enforcement is, quote: “responsible for simultaneously investigating criminal activity.” And adds that the final decision on whether to remove a child from a home is made by a dependency court judge.
When the sheriff wrote to DeSantis, he noted that of the 13-year-old who was assaulted by four men, quote, “…two of which we have a possible criminal case pending.”
“Franklin County is a small county, but according to DCF’s data, they average approximately 11 new investigations per month over the last four years," says Robert Latham, the associate director of the Children and Youth Law Clinic at the University of Miami School of Law. "And national child welfare organizations recommend child protective investigators handle no more than 12 investigations per month. DCF’s own data about their investigators show the statewide average is closer to 10 investigations per month.”
Latham has long followed DCF. He believes many of the issues are due, in part, to the ongoing and extremely high turnover rate of child protective investigators at the agency. It’s hard to keep CPIs on the job. According to the department’s online dashboard, the vacancy rate for CPIs is 11-12 percent. The turnover rate is 70 percent.
“It’s a difficult job," says Latham. "It requires a lot of support. It’s a very emotionally taxing and complex job. You’re being asked to make life-or-death decisions. You’re an emergency responder. A lot of people get into it not understanding what it is and they don’t get through the year.”
DCF’s high turnover has long been a concern for the state. Even as far back as 2017, the agency and the state legislature were trying to solve the problem.
Smith says he knows the turnover issues are problematic and says they can’t be allowed to continue. He’s frustrated and growing impatient.
“And that’s the secretary’s responsibility to figure that out," he says. "If it means taking people in leadership roles and putting them in the field until they can be filled, do it! They’ve got 12,000 employees. Come on!”
