Florida TaxWatch Calls for Investments in Child Welfare System

Florida TaxWatch released a report on Florida’s child welfare system which “concludes that front-end investments to help case managers, emphasizing prevention services and initiating programs to grow and support opportunities within child welfare, will help ensure a safer future for Florida’s children while saving taxpayers’ money.”

Dominc Calabro, the president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, praised case workers and insisted investing in the child welfare system will pay off for the Sunshine State in the long haul. 

"Our state has a moral obligation to help these children who, through no fault of their own, have been left without the support of families that so many of us take for granted,"  Calabro said on Tuesday. "Case workers in this state are true heroes who help families and children in situations many of us can barely imagine. Investments in strengthening the field of child welfare will not only save lives but will save money as well.”

The report calls for some reforms including giving case managers more flexibility and expanding the child welfare workforce.  

"The measure of our state’s greatness is how we treat each Floridian regardless of circumstance," said Calabro. “Providing case managers with the resources to assist children and families will help ensure each Floridian has the opportunity to pursue their dreams and their futures.”

The report can be read here.