Welcome to

Hundreds of Florida foster kids are being given psychotropic drugs without parental consent or a court order.

The Florida Department of Children and Families began investigating psychotropic drug use among foster kids after a 7-year old boy in Margate committed suicide. The boy was taking prescribed drugs at the time of his death, even though the state hadn’t received valid consent from the boy’s mother parents. DCF released a report highlighting the mistake that were made. DCF Secretary George Sheldon said the state will begin seeking permission for the hundreds of kids taking psychotropic with out valid consent.

“The first thing we have to do is bring every single case of a foster child in compliance of the law. Our current review indicates that about 16 percent of Florida’s foster children who are on psychotherapeutic medication do not have either parental consent or a court order,” said Sheldon.

DCF will also form a work group to find better ways of keeping tabs on foster kids who are taking mind-altering drugs. The report found that 13 percent of foster care kids take mind altering drugs. That’s compared to 4 percent in the general population.