Florida Senate Unanimously Passes Child Welfare Reform Bill Aiming to Strengthen Support for Vulnerable Children

The Florida Senate passed a bill 39-0 on Wednesday that would expand data collection to fight child exploitation, start a recruitment program for child welfare professionals, and begin a professional foster care pilot program to better serve children with high behavioral acuity. The bipartisan passage of HB 1127, sponsored by Rep. Meg Weinberger and led in the Senate by Sen. Erin Grall, highlights the state’s commitment to strengthening its child welfare system.

Sen. Grall, who also serves as chair of the Senate Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs, emphasized the importance of family placements for children with high behavioral needs. “We know children can struggle in group homes and more so in institutionalized settings, but benefit, and even thrive, when placed with a family. Florida needs more family-like foster placements for children with high behavioral needs,” Grall said in a release. “The professional foster care pilot program will help us identify specifically trained foster families willing to care for a child with unique needs.”

The bill requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to collect and analyze data on children assessed for placement in safe houses and foster homes to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Additionally, DCF must establish a recruitment initiative targeting retired professionals, including law enforcement officers, emergency first responders, military servicemembers, teachers, healthcare practitioners, and emergency management professionals. This program aims to address high turnover rates and workforce shortages in child protection services by leveraging experienced individuals with skills that directly benefit vulnerable children in state care.

A key provision of HB 1127 is the introduction of a four-year professional foster care pilot program, designed to provide children with high behavioral needs a less restrictive family setting. The program will place children with specially trained foster parents who can offer individualized therapeutic support. DCF will implement this program in two judicial circuits by January 1, 2026, with homes limited to two high-acuity youth at a time. Placements will last up to nine months, with an optional three-month extension. The program’s success will be evaluated independently, with findings reported to the Governor and legislative leaders by January 1, 2030.

Senate President Ben Albritton praised the initiative, emphasizing the importance of family in a child’s development. “Data is clear that the faster we can get traumatized children into loving, permanent homes, the better off those children will be in the long run. As hard as we try, government can never replace the role of family. But, we’re dedicated to working hard to be part of the solution,” Albritton said. He also stressed the importance of expanded data collection in preventing child exploitation. “We know vicious and immoral criminals are out there each and every day in search of new ways to evade our laws and exploit vulnerable children. The more data we have on when and how this evil is happening, the better chance we have to stay one step ahead of these predators and keep vulnerable children safe. Children are our future, and we are fighting together for their safety.”

The bill allocates $3 million to develop and implement the Professional Foster Care Pilot Program and provides $300,000 to launch the Child Protective Investigator and Case Manager Recruitment Program. With unanimous approval in both legislative chambers, the bill now awaits Governor Ron DeSantis’s signature. If signed into law, most provisions will take effect on July 1, 2025, while studies and recruitment efforts will begin immediately. HB 1127 stands as a landmark effort to modernize Florida’s child welfare system, offering stronger protections for at-risk children and improving the effectiveness of the state’s foster care and child protection services.