DCF YouTube Update

Florida's groundbreaking foster care reforms have garnered the attention of the U.S. House of Representatives. Today Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary David Wilkins and Florida's Advocate for Foster Care and Adoption Tanya Wilkins testified about the state's trailblazing foster care reforms. Secretary and Mrs. Wilkins spoke before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee at its "Letting Kids be Kids" meeting. The meeting was named after a new state law passed this session and signed into law by Governor Rick Scott. "Florida is leading the nation with its common sense approach to foster care," said Wilkins. "The changes DCF is making will help foster children live more normal lives and allow foster parents to raise their children without fear of violating outdated rules and regulations." "We believe these changes will not only improve the lives of Florida foster children, but they'll also encourage more Floridians to open their homes to kids in need," said Mrs. Wilkins. The Secretary and Mrs. Wilkins were joined by State Senator Nancy Detert. Detert sponsored the bill in the senate which was aptly named the Nancy C. Detert Common Sense and Compassion Independent Living Act before passage. The law will allow foster parents to make decision for the children in their care without waiting on caseworkers or courts to intervene. Without the law, foster children would have to get courts involved before they could get a drivers license or, in some cases, even attend a sleepover at a friend's house.