Florida's Children First

LEGAL HEALTH CHECK UP: Free Legal Consultation for Young Adults 18-25 who Spent Time in Foster Care – Updated 5.2023

A Legal Health Check Up is a FREE personal meeting with a lawyer who will review all aspects of your life and help you determine whether you have current un?met legal needs. UPDATED 5.23 LEGAL HEALTH CHECK UP

I NEED MY MONEY FAST! Economic Stimulus Payments Tips (Added 4.16.20)

This Economic Stimulus Payment Tip Sheet is intended to help youth who had child welfare involvement understand how to obtain a stimulus payment.

Income Tax Tips (Added 4.16.20)

This Income Tax Tip Sheet is intended to give youth who had child welfare involvement some items to consider when filing your taxes.

Reemployment Assistance (Unemployment Insurance) Tip Sheet (Updated 4.16.20)

Reemployment Assistance (Unemployment Insurance)  provides critical information about unemployment benefits. (Updated 4.16.20)

COVID-19 Resources (Florida) – for Foster Youth and Their Supporters (Added 3.26.20)

Florida Youth SHINE and its partner Vita Nova are maintaining a running resource list for foster youth and their supporters.

COVID-19 Tips for Professionals (Added 3.26.20)

COVID-19 Tips for Professionals offers adult professionals, volunteers and frontline staff who work with young people information to share with the youth they serve.

Freaked About Finances: Surviving Loss of Income (Added 3.26.20)

Freaked About Finances, address the most pressing issue  – what to do when facing the loss of income.

Independent Living Benefits Chart – UPDATED 8.22

Florida’s independent living laws offer terrific benefits for young people. But the laws are complex and basic placement decisions can have enormous consequences. The Independent Living Benefit Chart advises readers about the law and benefits available to young people based on placement type.  It is intended to help young people and the adults who work […]

Homeless Youth Handbook

Florida’s Children First has partnered with Baker McKenzie and The Walt Disney Company in a joint pro bono project that resulted in a resource available in print and online for youth dealing with homelessness. The Homeless Youth Handbook is an excellent resource for youth transitioning into adulthood without the support of a parent. The resources […]

Petition to U.S. Supreme Court on Due Process Rights of Parents.

Florida’s Children First is proud to have been the lead party in a friend of the court brief in the U.S.Supreme Court asserting that all parents should have a due process right to be heard in a child welfare case that could result in a court determining that the child had no parent.  In this […]

Fostering Higher Education Success – Tuition & Fee Exemption for Florida’s Foster Youth

Tuition Exemption White Paper This important White Paper concerning the problems and possible solutions surrounding the higher education tuition and fee exemption for our foster youth is a great resource to help promote change and help these kids get the education that was promised.

Alphabet Soup – Top Terms You Need to Know

Alphabet Soup – Top Terms You Need to Know

Top Ten Actions Florida Can Take to Eliminate the Unnecessary Use of Psychotropic Medications

Top Ten Actions Florida Can Take to Eliminate the Unnecessary Use of Psychotropic Medications

Florida’s Children First: The First Ten Years 2002-2012

Florida’s Children First is proud to release this report in honor of our 10 year anniversary of operation. Inside, you will find messages from key FCF leadership, members of the community, our highlights and accomplishments over the years, and much more. Please enjoy, and if you would like to request some copies, please email us […]

Legal Representation of Dependent Children: A 2012 Report on Florida’s Patchwork System

This report examines how Florida’s system of child representation evolved, which children are supposed to get representation today, and which communities provide counsel to children. It also provides a list of the programs that provide counsel for children in each judicial circuit and shows what percentage of children in each community potentially have access to […]

State Survey of Post-Adoption Contact Agreements

This paper surveys how other states handle the issue of continued communication between an adoptee and siblings and other relatives.

Child’s Right to Post-Adoption Communication: Myths That Impede Healthy Relationships -Truths That Hurt

This paper dispels the myths that underlie the harmful practice of cutting off communication between adopted children and their siblings and other relatives.

Know Your Rights: MONEY

Our most recent publication! This booklet covers key issues for youth in out-of-home care: obtaining money, master trust accounts, and special concerns for youth with disabilities.

How to Get Your Child Welfare Records

Children and young adults are entitled to a complete and accurate copy of their child welfare records under Florida Statute 39.00145. This publication explains the law and provides a form to help youth make a formal request for records.

Adult Adoption: Brochure & Forms

Many young people are discouraged about adoption because they think they’ve missed the change to connect with forever family. But it’s never too late! This brochure explains the Florida law on adult adoptions. The separate appendix provides the documents and forms for adult adoptions.

CBHA: Comprehensive Behavioral Health Assessments for Children In State Care

The purpose of this memo is to provide basic information
on CBHAs so that all players in the child welfare system will know what a CBHA is, what it covers, how to obtain one and how to use it. Prepared by the Children’s Legal Services Grantees of the Florida Bar Foundation. CBHA Packet

Florida’s Children First Calls for Thoughtful Reform of Florida’s Child Welfare System

March 11, 2011 First, every day, in every part of the state, at-risk children and families are provided high quality, appropriate and timely services by Florida’s child welfare system. As a consequence, families remain together or children who cannot live with their parents are placed in safe, loving and nurturing homes, and many children get […]

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