| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #363 | |||||||||
| Manatee County Citizens Review, Inc. | |||||||||
| Requester: | R.B. "Chips" Shore | Organization: | Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller | ||||||
| Project Title: | Manatee County Citizens Review, Inc. | Date Submitted | 1/14/2003 11:31:32 PM | ||||||
| Sponsors: | Galvano | ||||||||
| Statewide Interest: | |||||||||
| OPPAGA Report No. 01-14 (March 2001) found that "the child protection program has not met its legislative goals for keeping children safe from abuse and neglect and for finding children permanent homes, and must take additional steps to implement more effective child protection strategies." One such strategy provided by Florida law is the use of volunteer citizens review panels. Two of the four existing citizens review programs in the state currently receive state funding. DCF and the Legislature have focused on building local, community-based partnerships to meet the needs of children and respond more positively with longer lasting outcomes. In their findings, the Governor's 2002 Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Protection specifically called for the full support of foster care review panels, considering that support to be a long term priority. | |||||||||
| Recipient: | Manatee County Citizens Review, Inc. | Contact: | Karl Youngs | ||||||
| 1115 Manatee Ave. W. | Contact Phone: | (941) 741-4005 | |||||||
| Bradenton 34205 | |||||||||
| Counties: | Manatee | ||||||||
| Gov't Entity: | Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): | Yes | |||||||
| Project Description: | |||||||||
| Manatee County Citizens Review, Inc., is a private organization that contracts with the Clerk of the Court to act as a watchdog over public and private entities charged with providing for the safety and care of Manatee County's abused, neglected and abandoned children placed in foster care or under protective supervision (average population between 850-950 children). The children benefit from the close scrutiny of their well-being and safety provided by community volunteers who are not a part of the juvenile dependency system. The judges' crowded calendars do not allow for the detailed reviews that are performed in citizen review hearings, which typically take 45 minutes. Juvenile Judge Peter A. Dubensky has stated that the program is "not only invaluable, but essential if the Court is to serve the county's abused and neglected children." MCCR has served more than 1,500 children since it began its quasi-judicial panel hearings in May 1997. Thirty-five volunteer panel members, from professions ranging from child psychologist to retired business executive, serve on seven panels which conduct weekly hearings. All parties, including the children, are afforded the opportunity in this open atmosphere to give testimony and input as to the progress and well-being of the children. MCCR program costs are well below the funding that would be required to provide either a judge or hearing officer to perform these hearings. | |||||||||
| Is this a water project as described in Chapter 2002-291, Laws of Florida? | No | ||||||||
| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: | |||||||||
| The project provides in-depth reviews by trained panel members of every child in foster care or protective services referred by the Juvenile Court Judge - a minimum of 540 of Manatee County's abused, neglected or abandoned children - in the project year. Also, in 101 preliminary surveys, the program averaged a "complete satisfaction" rate of 96 percent. | |||||||||
| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: | $131,681 | ||||||||
| Identify item(s) in the FY 2003-04 Appropriations Bill to be reduced: | |||||||||
| Specific Appropriation #: | |||||||||
| Specific Appropriation Title: | |||||||||
| Amount to be reduced: | $ | ||||||||
| Total cost of the project: | $203,293 | ||||||||
| Request has been made to fund: | Operations | ||||||||
| What type of match exists for this project? | Local, Private | ||||||||
| Cash Amount | $ | In-kind Amount | $71,612 | ||||||
| Was this project previously funded by the state? | Yes | Fiscal Year: | 2001-2002 | Amount: | $126,351 | ||||
| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? | Yes | Amount: | $135,000 | To Fund: | Operations | ||||
| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? | No | ||||||||
| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? | No | ||||||||
| Is there a documented need for this project? | Yes | ||||||||
| Documentation: | Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel ; Circuit Judge Peter Dubensky; OPPAGA 01-14; foster care review panel. | ||||||||
| Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)? | Yes | ||||||||
| Hearing Body: | Manatee County Legislative Delegation Hearing | ||||||||
| Hearing Meeting Date: | 12/16/2002 | ||||||||