TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Department of Children and Families is asking Florida lawmakers to help with a pressing issue: What to do with children in the foster care system who refuse placement.
One idea would be to place the children in secure facilities to ensure they get the services they need, but the idea is receiving pushback.
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An investigation by WFLA-TV found foster care children were sleeping in cars and offices in a Tampa facility. They had refused placement.
"Twenty to 30 children sleeping in an office building. It's completely unacceptable," said DCF Secretary Chad Poppell.
Poppell said the issue isn't isolated.
"This is a problem that's all over the state," Poppell said.
Victoria Zepp, with the Florida Coalition for Children, estimates there are a few dozen children in the foster care system who have refused to accept placement and services.
She said they often from the worst situations.
"The trauma runs deep," Zepp said.
A controversial idea endorsed by Poppell would be to put the kids in secure facilities where services can be administered, which some have likened to prisons.
Poppell said it's a mischaracterization.
"This is not a detention facility, but it is a secured facility where you can get treatment," Poppell said.
Zepp warns it's a fine line.
"At what point clinically do you force a child to be able to have an intervention that will truly save their life?" Zepp said.
The Florida Coalition for Children is endorsing increased wrap-around services for the most vulnerable kids in the foster care system.
One goal floated by DCF is to refocus the agency to prevent kids from entering the system on the front end.
Whatever the strategy, Poppell said, one thing is clear.
"We're not serving these children well and I'm not doing my job if I don't look for other alternatives," Zepp said.
On a positive note, community-based care programs are hopeful because state Sen. Wilton Simpson, who has been designated as the next Senate president, has vowed to make the foster care system one of his top priorities.