Statewide Child Welfare Advocates Release National Right for Kids Ranking Report

January 27, 2020

The following release was prepared by the Florida Coalition for Children:

Statewide Child Welfare Advocates Release National Right for Kids Ranking Report
National report provides a look at how well each state performs at achieving the best results for kids who enter the foster care system.

Tallahassee, FL –

Florida continues to have one of the best child welfare systems in the country according to a new national study, Right for Kids Ranking, that looks at which states are achieving the best results for children and youth in the child welfare system.

In addition to Florida being ranked sixth in the country, the study also gave Florida high marks for getting children quickly and safely to their forever families, including the average length of time children spend in care, and how long it takes for a state to successfully achieve permanency for children through either reunification or adoption.

“We are excited to see that Florida is performing well in several categories. Our state has demonstrated successes within our system and this report demonstrates the value and importance of the right policy and practice to produce continuing improved outcomes for children and families,” said Kurt Kelly, CEO of the Florida Coalition for Children. “FCC and our community-based care lead and provider agencies from throughout the state are committed to continuing collaborating with the legislature, the Department of Children and Families, and Governor Ron DeSantis to secure additional resources for our community of care that will allow us to advance innovations and continue improving outcomes for Florida families.”

On Monday, the Florida Coalition for Children (FCC) and child welfare advocates from across the state released the Right for Kids Ranking, a report detailing how well states perform at achieving the best results for children who enter the foster care system.

“Being ranked number six in the nation in terms of child welfare is certainly something to be proud of, especially given the time and energy that so many individuals have dedicated to improving our system over the years,” said DCF Secretary Chad Poppell. “Still, there’s a lot of work to be done, and we will continue to work alongside Governor and First Lady DeSantis, our legislative leaders, and FCC to instill transparency and accountability within Florida’s child welfare system, ensuring that our children are safe and our families are strong.”

The Right for Kids Ranking was published by the Texas Public Policy Foundation and provides an annual look at how well each state performs at achieving the best results for kids who enter the foster care system.

The report identified seven major outcome categories related to safety, permanency, stability, and older youth in care and focused solely on data that was directly related to actual outcomes for children in foster care or at risk of entering foster care -- data related to inputs, such as caseloads or the number of visits by a child protective worker, was excluded because, while important, they do not necessarily show how well a state performs at generating optimal results for kids.

“We are pleased to present this report as a snapshot of how well states are performing in achieving results for children who enter the foster care system,” said Andrew C. Brown, J.D., Director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Families & Children. “By ranking states based solely on the results that directly impact the life of a child, we are able to develop a clearer understanding of what works and what doesn’t in the child welfare system. If the entire nation performed like Florida and the other top ten highest-performing states, there would be over 57,000 fewer child maltreatment cases.”

The report used data reported by the states to the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and made available to the public through the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) (Administration for Children and Families 2015), the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (Administration for Children and Families 2019), and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (Administration for Children and Families 2012b).

About Communities Connected for Kids
CCKids is responsible for the local child-welfare system of care, which includes foster care, adoptions and protective services. Our mission is to enhance the safety, permanency and well-being of all children in Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties.

About the Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan research institute. The Foundation promotes and defends liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the nation by educating and affecting policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach. To learn more visit: TexasPolicy.com