Florida Juvenile Justice Board Recommends Specialized System For Troubled Foster Youth

The Florida Juvenile Justice Board has offered recommendations on a specialized system of care for troubled foster youth. This dually-involved foster population has experienced severe trauma, and has specific mental health and behavioral needs. The recommended system includes combining both juvenile justice and child welfare approaches. Specifically, the recommendations, detailed below, revolve around:

Legislation
Model of care
The foster parent pool
Data collection and analytics, and enhanced prevention efforts
Training
Support networks

Legislative Recommendation

Currently, children under the care and custody of Florida's child welfare system routinely refuse placement that would provide an appropriate level of care for . . .