By Sascha Cordner
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-961435.mp3
Tallahassee, FL –
This week is the 16th Annual Children's Week at the Capitol, and it started off with a few guided tours through the Old and New Capitol in the morning as well as a few education and activity booths set up for people interested. Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary David Wilkins attended the Children's Week Community Innovation Awards Luncheon and was one of the main speakers at the event.
"I want to welcome you all to the Capitol and for making this a big part of Children's Week this week and what a great way to start Children's Week by having an event like this where you connect a lot of groups of supporters to making something important happen in the lives of our children."
He says Children's Week is a great way to focus on what children's needs are in the state, including education and healthcare.
"But, for particularly for those that are abused and are in poverty, it's the Department of Children and Families primary responsibility to engage in those families and help them get a hand up and when children are at risk to give them a safe home, and to really give them an opportunity to understand their situation and give them hope to get out of the foster care system."
He then talked about how there are 18,500 children under the Department of Children and Families' purview and without the help of many different people and organizations, the number may be much higher.
"This last year alone we had cries for help for 70,000 children in our state. Through programs like the Florida Baptist Children Homes, like all of our community partners, like our providers and substance abuse and mental health programs, we were able to address most of the needs of those children and quite frankly, we were able to reunite children back to families for 34,000 children in the last year."
Wilkins also shed some light on one high profile case his Department is still looking into, 10-year-old Victor Barohona's, one of the twins who was abused along with his sibling, Nubia, who died, while in the custody of their foster care parents.
"The long term placement of where he will go has not been decided, and remember he also has two non-biological brother and sister, who are also in a different foster home, and he is still going through rehab and all the treatment that's necessary. So, that decision will have to be made, but there is no timetable for it."
But, that's why Wilkins says he was happy there are people like teenager Brianna Thomas, who was able to tell her story about finally getting out of the foster care system, after three and a half years.
"For years, I have longed to be adopted by a Christian family who would love me and accept me for who I am. Since I have been up for adoption, I have had three attempted adoptions that did not work out. I still had faith though that God had a better family for me, and now I can say that God has provided me with a family for me with Matt and Katie Sweat and my new little sister Ciara Sweat, and I am very excited I can call them my Mom, my dad, and my little sister forever."
Brianna was not the only one with a story of her own; there was also the author of "Victor's Dream, the book everyone was talking about at the event, which showcased the author's Deborah Polston's journey to adopting six brothers. She says children advocacy is an issue that she would like legislators and their spouses to consider and she already talked with Wilkins about this as well.
"I was encouraging them to take on Children's Advocacy and to go back to their area and just be able to share about the needs of children here in Florida. So, what I would like to see happen is to go in there and show them how to do that, how to go into their district, and how to be an advocate for children."
David Wilkins also expressed his interest in certain legislation regarding the foster care system
"There is also some legislation around independent living which is the older children in foster care and how to position them in essence to get their high school, college degrees, and get out in the workforce and that would be extremely helpful to those children if we can get that legislation passed."
In addition, he talked about how in Governor Rick Scott's budget proposal, he made sure that D-C-F did not make any cuts that would affect children.
"And, in the Governor's Budget, we proposed we made a conscious decision that we would not cut services to children we would fund the substance abuse and mental health programs to the extent that they were funded last year and I know right now the House and Senate are both looking at that issue, and there are potentially proposed cuts, and those would be devastating to our programs if those types of cuts are occurring."
Wilkins says overall, lawmakers in both the House and the Senate have some tough calls to make regarding the budget, including legislation centered around the Department of Children and Families.