Child Welfare Performance Review: Statewide Performance

Jerry Regier, secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families, intent on transforming the shaky child welfare system, has met some of the goals he set out to accomplish, though there have been others that have not been executed. A statewide report released in July 2003, reviews the performance of the department, revealing some of the following positives and negatives:

• Investigations completed within 60 days improved from 30% to 40% in July 2000 through September 2002, to over 60% in 2003 
• Sheriff's offices are closing about 54% of their investigations within 60 days
• Some critical investigative activities were not always completed, or if completed there was no documentation on file
• There are almost as many children in state care as there was in 2002 (though the number did decline slightly, from 33,500 in September 2002, to 32,000 in June 2003)
• It appears that districts without privatization of care show the greatest reduction in foster children (Broward County as an example is still under state control)
• A reduction in the state's backlog of open child-abuse investigations went from approximately 30,000 in 2002 to a few thousand in 2003