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| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #1896 |
| Manatee County Citizens' Review |
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| Requester: |
R.B. "Chips" Shore |
Organization: |
Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller |
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| Project Title: |
Manatee County Citizens' Review |
Date Submitted |
1/12/2006 10:44:13 AM |
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| Sponsors: |
Miller |
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| Statewide Interest: |
| OPPAGA Report No. 01-14, published in March 2001, found that "the child protection program has not met its legislative goals for keeping children safe from abuse and neglect and for finding children permanent homes and must take additional steps to implement more effective child protection strategies." One such strategy provided by Florida law is the use of volunteer citizens review panels (FSS 39.702). Miami's foster care review has consistently received state funding since 1991. DCF and the Legislature have focused on building local, community-based partnerships to meet the needs of children and help to respond more positively with longer lasting outcomes. In 2002, the findings and recommendations issued by the Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Protection Report specitically lists "fully support foster care review panels" as a long-term priority. |
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| Recipient: |
Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller |
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Contact: |
Christine Clyne |
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PO Box 25400 |
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Contact Phone: |
(941) 741-4009 |
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Bradenton 34206 |
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Contact email: |
christine.clyne@manateeclerk.com |
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| Counties: |
Manatee |
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| Gov't Entity: |
Yes |
Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): |
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| Project Description: |
| Manatee County Citizens' Review is a private, not-for-profit agency that contracts with the Clerk of the Court to provide personnel services. Citizen review panels are comprised of trained community volunteers and act in accordance with Florida Statute 39.702, holding quasi-judicial hearings to review juvenile dependency cases of the county's 600 to 850 abused, neglected, or abandoned children placed under the protective supervision of foster care. Each of these seven, five-member panels meets monthly to take testimony from affected parties, including the child and biological or foster parents, and other interested parties, including caseworkers, guardians ad litem, etc. Keeping the best interests of the child first, panels seek to hold all parties accountable for performing court-ordered tasks, determine whether the child's physical, emotional, and educational needs are being met, and determine whether the reasons the child was removed have been remedied to the extent that it is safe for the child to return home. Panels make findings of fact and recommendations compiled in a report by staff. The judge has the final authority in the case and can choose to order the panel's recommendations, order additional tasks, change the child's placement, return the child home, or terminate the parents' rights and free the child for adoption into a safe, stable, and loving home. The program cost is well below the funding that would be required to provide either a judge or hearing officer to perform the hearings. Judge Paul Logan has stated, "I have been extremely impressed with the recommendations made by the panels, particularly for their practicality and insightfulness." Judge Peter Dubensky has stated that the program is "not only invaluable, but essential, if the court is to serve the county's abused and neglected children." |
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| Is this a project related to a federal or state declared disaster? |
No |
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| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: |
| In-depth review of a minimum of 250 cases in the project year. At least 95 percent of the recommendations made by the Citizens Review panels will be ordered by the juvenile court judge. |
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| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: |
$145,860 |
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| Total cost of the project: |
$218,460 |
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| Request has been made to fund: |
Operations |
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| What type of match exists for this project? |
Local |
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Cash Amount |
$ |
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In-kind Amount |
$72,600 |
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| Was this project previously funded by the state? |
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Yes |
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Fiscal Year: |
2001-2002 |
Amount: |
$121,796 |
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| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? |
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Yes |
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Amount: |
$145,860 |
To Fund: |
Operations |
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| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? |
No |
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| Is there a documented need for this project? |
Yes |
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Documentation: |
Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Protection |
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| Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)? |
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No |
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| Is this a water project as described in Section 403.885, Laws of Florida? |
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No |
