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Florida law already requires the Department of Children and Families to limit kids to no more than a year in foster care, but many spend eighteen months or more our of their homes before the state moves to end parental rights and find a permanent home. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, a plan to speed up permanency for foster kids is raising concerns.

• Number of kids in foster care: 23, 251
• Number of adoptions in FY 18-19: 4,572
• Adoptions Fiscal year to date: 1, 996

Just over 23 thousand foster kids in Florida will spend Christmas away from their parents…Best practices and Flordia law requires Children and Families to find a permanent home for foster kids after a year, but Mike Watkins who runs Big Bend Community Based Care, says it seldom happens. 

“The exit cohorts are running about eighteen months.”

Now the state is pushing to get closer to the one year deadline.

But a report by the FSU College of Medicine says that eighty percent of the kids in foster care are there because their parents have mental health or substance abuse issues.

Retired Circuit Judge and longtime child advocate Karen Gievers says a year or less  year would be best for kids 

“if if if”. If the state is doing its job says Geivers.

“If The state says you have to wait two months to get into a program and then the parent starts a program and maybe has a relapse and has to restart,, and then there’s another two or three month lag. If you timeframes and no services being provided in the meantime, there a real concern whether termination of parental rights without giving a realistic fair chance  for the parents to do what they need to do, would not pass constitutional muster.”

And Mike Watkins, who cares for just over 900 foster kids across north Florida this Christmas says a shorter time in care is desired, but…

“If it comes down to the mom and dad, in the eyes of a judge deserve another month or another chance, I think those are also deserved options.”

In the end, any change will take more money, the Governor is proposing 20 million more to help in adoptions, but experts say the real need is for drug treatment.