Florida says it will investigate unlicensed children's homes for abuse, neglect

[madfloridian]

Apparently this has been going on awhile, according to research by the Tampa Bay Times. It seems their investigation has gotten the attention of Florida's Department of Children and Families. Some of the privately run homes appear to have a religious background.

Florida investigates unlicensed children's homes for abuse, neglect

The review has identified seven "boarding schools" with no apparent credentials — no state license, no religious exemption and no other state-recognized accreditation. The Times had previously uncovered four of those facilities.

In addition, state investigators now say more than a dozen foster children have been illegally placed in unlicensed homes since 2001. Officials continue to look for more illegal placements and are trying to determine why they occurred and how much taxpayer money was spent.

There was a religious exemption given in 1984. Many have operated since then.

DCF started its review of unlicensed homes after the Times began asking about more than 30 religious facilities that have cared for children with no state license or monitoring. Many of those homes operate legally by earning accreditation from a private, nonprofit group under a religious exemption created in 1984. Others operate with no recognized oversight at all.

In a series of stories this week, the Times revealed that about a dozen unlicensed religious homes have been plagued by allegations of abuse, neglect and mistreatment. Children have been choked, threatened, shackled for days, bruised, beaten, sexually abused and medically neglected to near death.

The response from the legislative leaders here about the Tampa Bay Times research makes me wonder just how serious their investigation will be. They say it is "on their radar" and they are "going to take a look at it."

I doubt it helped that Florida began a risky policy several years ago in its system for reporting abuses. There was much room for serious abuses to be ignored. I do not know if the policy has changed since 2009.

Absolutely shocking. Calls to Florida family services abuse line often ignored deliberately

Sept. 16, 2:02 p.m.: A Broward sheriff's deputy calls the Florida child-abuse hot line to report that a 4-year-old had been molested by a babysitter as the sitter's boyfriend videotaped the assault. A hot-line counselor declines to forward the report to an investigator.

..." Nov. 16, time unknown: A father is attempting to break into his estranged wife's home. He says he will kill his children. That call, too, is not accepted for investigation.

These decisions, and thousands more, are the result of a little-known -- but potentially dangerous -- practice by the Department of Children & Families: Beginning last year, DCF dramatically increased the number of abuse calls considered unworthy of investigation. In an effort to reduce workload -- and the system-wide stress that high case loads generate -- intake workers at the Tallahassee-based hot line have been screening out tens of thousands of calls.

Among the screened-out allegations: reports of kidnapping, rape, aggravated child abuse, medical neglect, malnutrition, kids roaming the streets unsupervised and domestic violence that threatens to harm the children. Among the callers being turned away: school counselors, grandparents, circuit court judges, hospital social workers, day-care workers and juvenile-justice staffers.

Their new policy set "a new protocol to reject complaints about children who have suffered bruises or welts from beatings -- unless such beatings result in a trip to the doctor or hospital, or ``permanent disfigurement."

[Angry Dragon]

1. Throw their asses in prison

[madfloridian]

2. Never happen, unfortunately.

Some of the abuses are shocking, though. Look how many decades the Mariana School for Boys went without any reform. Even after it was publicized it took years to fix.