PRIVATIZATION OF CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES |
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| Authors: | Marsha B. Freeman |
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| Affiliation: | Marsha B. Freeman is an associate professor of law and coordinator of the Children and Families Certificate Program at Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, Orlando, Florida. She teaches primarily in areas of family law and administrative law, including courses promoting nonadversarial methods of dissolution of marriage designed to help parties and children. She is a former practitioner in family law and law librarian. |
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| Abstract: | Florida is a state in flux in terms of its child protective services organization. The Department of Children and Families has suffered numerous failures in protecting children in its care. Publicity surrounding these defects have led to major overhauls in the agency itself, as well as a concerted effort to move forward toward privatization of virtually all services currently administered by the department. Many of the initial attempts at privatization have already failed; others have had to be revamped to allow for unforseen problems. It is appallingly true that Florida, like any other state with serious issues in child protective services, has an absolute obligation to search for the "miracle cure" for its ailments. But only serious attention to the mistakes of the past and the will to correct them will allow Florida to finally put its children first in its citizens' hearts and minds, where they belong. |
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| Keywords: | Privatization " child protective services" children protection " foster care" |
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