President's Message
November 12, 2009
More than seven years ago, several
of us thought that there needed to be a statewide legal
advocacy organization focused on at-risk children,
especially children in foster care. We thought
that if we combined our individual efforts, prioritized
our efforts, and fought united battles, we could make a
difference. We also though that we could help give these
children a voice in their own dependency case and also
in shaping Florida’s child welfare system.
Today,
Florida’s Children First (FCF) has grown into an active
Board of Directors twenty-four members strong, an
Advisory Board of fifty, and committees with hundreds of
members in local communities that are all dedicated to
protecting the legal rights of children. We went
from an all volunteer effort to a professional staff
with two of the state’s best children’s rights attorneys
– our new Executive Director, Christina L. Spudeas and
Deputy Director, Robin L. Rosenberg.
We have also helped to give birth
to Florida Youth Shine, a group of older foster children
and former foster children who have organized local
chapters and who communicate their recommendations for
systemic change to Florida Department of Children &
Family Services and the Florida Legislature. In 2008, we
added a full-time Transitioning Youth Coordinator, Mike
Dunlavy, to help with the Florida Youth Shine (FYS)
program. With Mike entering law school this fall, FCF is
pleased to welcome Lindsay Baach as the new Coordinator
and look forward to her assistance with the very
important issues involving FYS.
Much of the work we do is done
through passionate volunteers who assist with pro bono
legal representation and by raising funds to help keep
making a difference. FCF could not make such
significant progress were it not for our grants and
sponsors. The Florida Bar Foundation has been
extraordinarily supportive and has helped us grow. The
recently awarded “Pilot Pro Bono Grant” will allow for
expansion of pro bono legal services for foster youth in
the system.
We at FCF are especially proud of
the publications we have been able to put forth.
Beginning, with FAQ Booklet Frequently Asked Questions
For Foster Youth Transitioning to Adulthood and Hearing
Your Voice: A Guide to Your Dependency Court Case to the
recently released Transition: A Guide for Youth with
Disabilities Existing Foster Care, these important
resources will no doubt serve as life guiding tools for
youth and those who serve them. Currently in
production are resource manuals for youth about Money
and one targeted to the challenges of Aging Out with
Felony Conviction. For a complete listing of our
publications, please refer to our website. (See
Resources, FCF Publications). Additionally, training
lawyers throughout Florida and technical assistance to
DCF for improvements to the quality child welfare system
are among our highest priorities.
Finally, our highest priority has
to be giving each child in the dependency system a
quality advocate to help navigate the child through
their own dependency case whether a Guardian ad Litem or
an attorney. Since our inception, we have worked very
hard to strengthen the GAL Program and protect and
increase its funding from the state. This year, in spite
of a downward slide in state revenue, we will work hard
to protect the funding of the GAL Program and to
sponsor legislation that will provide dependent
attorneys to children in critical cases.
All of our work
would not be possible were it not for the generous
contributions of our private sector sponsors. A
complete list is available on our website. (See
Sponsors). Among them is founding Statewide
sponsor and continuing sponsor, United Automobile
Insurance Group and also the Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld,
Karlinsky and Abate, P.A.. We have hundreds of
contributors that give in small amounts and dozens who
contribute goods and services. Together, we have
made a difference and look forward to doing even more.
Thank you,
Howard M. Talenfeld, Esq.
Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky
& Abate, P.A.