Hello, we’re Kathey and Rob Raskin of Las Vegas and we care about children throughout the foster care system across this great nation. Our country’s child protection departments must do better and now a lawsuit may help get them the care they need.
A worldwide law firm and a children’s advocacy group are litigating with the Florida Department of Children and Families for neglecting to provide satisfactory housing and care for children in foster care.
Law firm Baker McKenzie and the non-profit Children’s Rights on Tuesday filed a class action lawsuit versus the DCF on behalf of roughly 2,000 foster kids in both Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties.
Between January of 2016 and June of 2017, over 400 children resided in 10 or more separate foster homes, referred to as placements, per the lawsuit. It also names the DCF Secretary Mike Carroll as a defendant. Roughly 185 children had 20 or more placements and 27 children were shuffled between 80 and 140 homes throughout their time in foster care.
Children under six have been placed in emergency shelters and group homes, and the received care from shift workers, according to the lawsuit.
The unpredictability which accompanies being bounced around from home to home “causes emotional, psychological, and physical harm,” per the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also states that the recurrent relocations also mean several children with mental health conditions are not receiving the treatment they require. It calls for a system-wide overhaul to be made to better the level of care and housings.
In Hillsborough County, placement has also been an issue where kids were forced to sleep in unlicensed accommodations such as an office and teen rec center in 2016. Following lead agency Eckerd Connects firing of a contractor for abandoning older children without any supervision, the DCF ordered a state appraisal of the county’s foster care system.
The lawsuit is still underway.
We, Kathey and Rob Raskin, have made it our goal to stop DHR corruption in this nation to protect our kids. If you have a complaint, report it immediately on our main page. Then, contact your local representatives here to make a larger impact.