Fewer Children Removed from Home; Rate at 10-Year Low

March 10, 2021

St. Lucie West -

Communities Connected for Kids has much to celebrate this month, beginning with the number of children removed from home due to abuse or neglect.

That number decreased significantly in Florida’s southeast region, which includes Broward, Palm Beach, and the counties covered by CCKids – Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties.

From July 2020 to January 2021, Child-welfare professionals in the area removed 205 fewer children than the same period the year before. Even better, Judicial Circuit 19, which is made up of Okeechobee and the Treasure Coast - the smallest part of the southeast region - was responsible for 45 percent of the total reduction.

While last spring's school closures and resultant decrease in calls to Florida’s abuse hotline may have had something to do with that reduction, it's not the whole story, said Christina Kaiser, CCKids community relations director.

There may be fewer children coming into care because of last year's shutdown, she said, but the rate by which those same children are removed from home also is down – from 5.38 children per 100 alleged victims to 3.96.

That’s the lowest the measure has been since 2011.

"And while our numbers were going down, other regions throughout Florida experienced an increase in removals during the same time," Kaiser said.

This says a great deal about the local system of care and the mental-health, substance-abuse and child-abuse prevention providers whose programs are engaging families early and preventing removals down the road.

“Safely serving children in their own homes greatly diminishes the trauma and disruptions that occur as a result of removal,” Kaiser said. “That requires strong programs and services that can be trusted to keep children safe.”