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Florida’s Foster Care System Loosening Up Restrictions While Extending Eligibility to 21

BY ROCHELLE KOFF
HERALD/TIMES TALLAHASSEE BUREAU
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday signed a bill that will help children in the foster care system lead a more normal life.

Surrounded by legislators, advocates and dozens of kids who either are or have been in foster care, the governor said that “foster parents who apply the reasonable and prudent parent standard will be able to give their foster children permission to join a soccer team, ride in the car with their best friend — some of the things we all take for granted … without state involvement.

“As a father and now grandfather,” Scott said, “I know how important it is for children to experience things outside of the home, develop relationships and learn skills that are imperative for developing independence, like driving a car.”

The idea, Scott said, “is to let kids be kids.”

SB 164, signed during Children’s Week at the Capitol, allows licensed caregivers to make decisions based on the standard of what a “reasonable and prudent parent” would do. Foster care parents would be entrusted to decide whether a child could go to the beach, or the mall or sleep over at a friend’s house instead of needing a court order, background checks or the input of a case worker.

Of the state’s nearly 19,000 kids in foster care, about 9,000 live in foster care homes or group homes.

“Too many times our network of DCF (Department of Children and Families) and community-based care just puts all these controls over kids,” said DCF Secretary David Wilkins. “A child under state’s care ought to have every right that every other kid has. That’s what this bill does.”

The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, and Rep. Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula. Detert said it reflects “the wishes of foster care kids themselves and guardian ad litems.”

Manushka Gilet, 17, one of more than two-dozen members of the foster care advocacy group Florida Youth Shine at the news conference, said the law “will make a big difference in our lives.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/04/11/3338730/gov-rick-scott-signs-foster-care.html#storylink=cpy

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Alexia Nechayev

FYS Events & Meeting Chair
(Palm Beach/Miami)

Alexia Nechayev, from Miami, Florida, is a dedicated advocate for youth with lived experience in foster care and with homelessness. After being placed in foster care as a teenager, Alexia experienced firsthand the stigma surrounding the system, as well as the challenges of navigating a system that didn’t provide support for her to advocate for herself. This experience motivated her to create change, ensuring that other youth in care have the tools and resources she lacked.

She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Florida International University, and upon graduation worked as a Hope Navigator with the Department of Children and Families which allowed her to assist clients through individualized care plans, further deepening her commitment to improving the lives of marginalized youth. Alexia is now applying to law schools with the goal of advancing her advocacy work through a legal career. As the Events and Meetings Chair for Florida Youth SHINE (FYS), she creates opportunities for foster and homeless youth to collaborate and push for meaningful change. She is also an active member of the Policy and Initiative Team for Florida Youth SHINE, where she helps create and shape policies that directly impact youth in foster care. One of her proudest accomplishments is helping to develop the Foster Care Bill of Rights, a law that she feels would have made a difference during her own time in care.

In addition to her work with FYS, Alexia serves on the Board of Directors for the parent organization of FYS, Florida’s Children First. In this role, she contributes to strategic decision-making while advocating for the rights and welfare of children statewide.

Every year, she travels to the state capitol to advocate for bills she and her peers have helped shape, including key pieces of legislation that benefit foster and homeless youth. However her advocacy extends beyond her state, as she represents Florida Youth SHINE at national conferences such as the National Leaders 4 Change Conference.

Through her internship with the National Foster Youth Institute, Alexia continues to refine her advocacy skills, preparing for a future where she can contribute meaningfully to both policymaking and the legal system. Guided by the belief that “the blue sky is always there,” she remains committed to ensuring that every youth in foster care has the power and support to advocate for themselves.

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