Did you know the QPI – Quality Parenting Initiative – has been improving child-welfare practices throughout the nation for 12 years.  And it started right here in Florida, with the participation of Communities Connected for Kids.

Children who enter the child-welfare system come with trauma and experiences unlike those of ordinary children. They are removed from their parents, their homes and their neighborhoods, often with little understanding about what is happening to them.

The QPI program, which launched in Florida in 2008, recognizes that to undo this harm we must reorganize our systems in a way that prioritizes the QPI principal: That all children deserve quality parenting. In child welfare, this means learning how to work better together with representatives from different parts of the system, from foster caregivers and adopted families to case managers, guardians ad litem and those who work in the courts.

Communities Connected for Kids is so dedicated to this concept that we have been regularly lauded for our participation and leadership. In fact, Jerra Wisecup, our caregiver support specialist who coordinates the QPI program in our area, and Dependency Case Management Supervisor Chyna Degginger were recognized nationally in December 2020 for unwavering commitment to QPI principals and the families served by them.

Jerra and Chyna were two of eight people from throughout the country to receive the honor. Now that’s quality!