Latest news with #DepartmentofChildrenandFamilies
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bipartisan bill aiming to better future for Florida's at-risk youth heads to governor
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A bill now heading to the governor's desk promises to help keep children on the right path. Florida lawmakers passed legislation that prioritizes early intervention, ensuring at-risk youth receive the support they a bi-partisan push, the legislation revamps state statue to create a more efficient and responsive juvenile justice framework. Florida enacts Dexter's and Trooper's Law to combat animal abuse The bill aims to improve agency coordination with a focus on promoting education, strengthening families, and preventing youth from being involved in criminal behavior. 'As a former Department of Children and Families attorney, I have witnessed how delayed interventions, and systemic red tape can derail a child's future. I've seen parents begging for help, and I've seen the consequences when help comes too late,' said State Rep. Bracy Davis (D- Ocoee). Sponsors of the bill say schools, courts, service providers, and families now all have a role to play in building a better path forward for Florida's youth. 'These are youth who are running away from home. They're not showing up to school. They are right there at the cusp of something different — whether that's dependency or delinquency — and so the services are there to make sure that they don't go down that path,' said State Rep. Berny Jacques (R-Seminole). Jacques added that one important piece of the bill focuses on improving the education system and addressing student attendance issues. 'Since the pandemic, unfortunately in Florida, we've seen a drop in attendance when it comes to school. So right now, with this bill, we've added additional measures for the schools to track how many absences are occurring and they have to report those in a more robust fashion — and not just the number of absences, but who is absent so we can start intervening in a very early stage,' Jacques said. Representative Jacques worked alongside the Department of Justice to get the bill across the finish line. He says this was a priority for the governor's administration and expects him to sign the bill into law. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
28-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Wednesday's Child: 9-year-old Laren
MARE - Laren is a quiet, introspective 9-year-old girl who loves animals, especially turtles. She enjoys drawing, music, dancing, going to the beach and reading Harry Potter books. Laren would do best if she could be the youngest child in a family of any constellation, especially one that supports her relationship with her grandmother and sisters. For more information you can contact MARE: 617-964-MARE (6273) or visit Since its inception in 1981, Wednesday's Child has been a collaboration of the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), the Department of Children & Families and WBZ-TV/CBS Boston. Hosted by Jack Williams for 34 years, this weekly series has given a face and voice to the children who wait the longest for families. Wednesday's Child has helped find homes for hundreds of waiting children and continues to raise awareness about adoption from foster care.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State sues SDC, claiming the anti-poverty agency has not paid nearly $360K in wages, benefits
The state Department of Workforce Development is suing the Social Development Commission, claiming the anti-poverty organization has failed to pay its employees nearly $360,000 in wages and benefits. The civil lawsuit filed May 23 in Milwaukee County Circuit Court seeks twice that amount, the second half "as penalty for the defendant's wrongful withholding of the wages," according to a five-page complaint. The agency's attorney, William Sulton, told the Journal Sentinel that SDC was aware of the outstanding payments owned to employees, but did not believe the $359,609 figure was correct. He also accused the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families of refusing to provide the reimbursement SDC needs to pay its employees. "We think that's wrong and beyond unfortunate, but that is the reason why employees have not been paid," he said. Sulton said he would be filing a third-party complaint against the Department of Children and Families "asking them to make the payments they committed to." The lawsuit is the latest blow to the anti-poverty agency, which once had a $30 million operating budget to support dozens of programs. The lawsuit was first reported by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. SDC has been under scrutiny since its misallocation of more than $100,000 in state funds surfaced last year. The agency abruptly shut down in April 2024 but reopened in December to offer four programs. In early May, the Department of Children and Families announced it was terminating the organization's status as a community action agency, the Journal Sentinel reported. Without the designation, the agency will lose access to millions of federal Community Services Block Grant funds, effective July 3. Gina Castro of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this story. Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: State files lawsuit accusing SDC of failing to pay wages and benefits
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
This Massachusetts bill would permanently protect benefits due to foster kids
BOSTON (SHNS) – Children's attorneys and disability advocates are trying to reignite their push to safeguard benefits that are owed to foster kids but were previously diverted to state coffers. The Department of Children and Families last year ended the practice of depositing certain benefits — including Social Security and veterans benefits intended for foster children whose parents had died or became disabled — into the state's General Fund, Sen. Jo Comerford said. The state used to take about 90% of the benefits each year, which Comerford said translated into nearly $5.5 million that was meant for roughly 600 foster kids. Advocates say the approach disproportionately harmed children of color and LGBTQ youth, who could have used the money to cover certain expenses while in foster care or to gain financial stability after aging out of the system. 'DCF, again, has taken the right steps, and I commend the Healey-Driscoll administration to fulfill its fiduciary responsibilities to manage state resources in the best interests of foster children,' Comerford said at a committee hearing on Tuesday. 'While this is incredibly meaningful for youth who are currently being served by the foster care system, again we must codify these DCF directives into state law to protect vulnerable children from the unpredictability of future administrations and budgets.' Comerford and Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier refiled bills (S 105 / H 227) to ensure the state conserves benefits for foster children. Under the bill, DCF would be required to offer financial literacy training to children beginning at age 14, and provide updates on benefit accounts that the state is managing for foster children. A redrafted proposal (H 4704) last session cleared the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities in early June before dying in the House Ways and Means Committee. Protecting Social Security benefits preserves foster children's 'humanity and dignity,' said Alexis Williams Torrey, co-director of strategic advocacy at the Children's Law Center of Massachusetts. She said her clients in foster care have used benefits to buy 'modest items,' such as noise-canceling headphones and their preferred feminine hygiene products. Young adult clients also have more capacity to plan for their future, since those benefits can help them cover rent or a security deposit, she said. 'My clients understand that this money was always their money and don't want other young adults to feel the same insecurity that they have felt,' Williams Torrey said. Rick Glassman, former director of advocacy at the Disability Law Center who retired last year, said the bill has 'essentially no opposition,' after lawmakers, state officials and advocates worked to refine it last session. 'This is fair because parents pay into the Social Security system knowing that [if] they pass away or they become disabled, their kids will have financial support. And SSI benefits are given because the federal government understands that even with Medicaid, there are additional expenses to being disabled and to becoming economically self-sufficient,' Glassman said. Individuals exiting foster care are at heightened risk of negative outcomes, he said, including experiencing homelessness or unemployment. 'We're better off to conserve these benefits, not inflict unnecessary pain and trauma, and not pay increased costs for human services at the back end,' Glassman added. DCF so far has opened more than 800 accounts to support the various benefits available to foster children, including survivor and disability benefits, said Linda Landry, senior attorney at the Disability Law Center. The legislation is a 'moral' issue, said James Mackey, associate director of government relations and policy at youth empowerment nonprofit More Than Words. 'There's broad bipartisan support for this bill,' Mackey said. 'The youth we work with are watching, and they deserve to know that the commonwealth is willing to do what's right — not just what's routine. By passing these bills, you send a powerful message that foster children are not a burden.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
11-05-2025
- CBS News
Man arrested after fleeing traffic stop in Miramar; 3-year-old found in car, police say
Miramar Police arrested a man Sunday after he allegedly fled from a traffic stop near Arcadia Drive and Miramar Parkway, prompting a brief foot chase. The suspect, whose identity has not been released, was taken into custody and faces multiple traffic-related charges as well as two outstanding felony warrants, police said. A 3-year-old child was discovered inside the suspect's vehicle. Authorities confirmed the child is safe and is now under the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families. Police emphasized there is no ongoing threat to the public.
