Eckerd Connects Submits Corrective Action Plan For Hillsborough County, Florida Foster Care Program

On July 13, 2018, Eckerd Connects submitted a final corrective action plan to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) to address problems identified by DCF. The focus of the corrective action plan is increasing placement capacity for high-needs adolescents for Eckerd's Community-Based Care lead agency contract with DCF for Hillsborough County.

The problems included a fragmented placement process that was not child-focused or trauma-informed, and a shortage of placements for adolescents with behavioral health needs and challenging behaviors, all of which contributed to an unstable child welfare system in the county. DCF said . . .