Florida Shares Success Stories in Nation’s Capital

Florida Shares Success Stories in Nation’s Capital
Department of Children and Families’ Adoption and Food Stamp Programs
Serve as National Models

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – National leaders will learn more this week about
Florida’s efficient, compassionate and successful efforts to protect the
state’s most vulnerable.

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) senior leadership
team, Secretary George Sheldon and Deputy Secretary Don Winstead, were
invited to Washington D.C. to testify this week before two separate
subcommittees on the success of programs that protect Florida families.

“In the past four years, thanks to the hard work and diligent
professionalism of the department’s 13,000-plus employees and our many
community-based partners, Florida’s most vulnerable children and adults
can dream of a brighter future,” Secretary Sheldon said.  “We welcome the
opportunity to share these successes in our nation’s Capital.”

Secretary Sheldon is scheduled to speak on Thursday to the U.S.
House Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support about Florida’s
Title IV–E waiver.  Florida was the first state granted the waiver which
allows the Department to focus funding on a wide variety of child welfare
solutions rather than being restricted solely to foster care.

Since January 2007, the department has safely reduced the number of
foster children by 36 percent while achieving record-setting adoption
levels and permanent guardianships.  Child safety has improved and the
department’s performance on the national outcome measure for the absence
of the recurrence of abuse has improved from 89 percent in 2006 to 93
percent at the end of 2009.

Deputy Secretary Winstead is scheduled to speak Wednesday before a
subcommittee of the U.S. House’s Committee on Agriculture. Speaking on
behalf of the American Public Human Services Association, Winstead will
speak about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). One of
the most important support systems for low-income individuals and
families, Florida’s food stamp program currently serves more than 2.7
million Floridians, a 126 percent increase from 1.2 million clients in
April 2007.  Despite rising caseloads, the department has received federal
bonuses for achieving the best payment accuracy rate in the nation for the
past two years.