Florida Children and Youth Cabinet: Crossover Children Workgroup

Co-Chaired by Florida House of Representative Gayle Harrell and Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Christina K. Daly, the Crossover Children Workgroup will focus on a sub-set of vulnerable children who are: 1) involved in both the dependency and delinquency systems or 2) at-risk of being involved in both systems.  Many of these children have mental health and substance abuse issues, and have experienced additional drama and trauma resulting from multiple moves between group homes.  Of particular concern within the sub-set are those children who are aging out of foster care and children who have been court ordered as a direct release from residential care.  These children have not received necessary services and supports that can enable them to be effective living on their own or back within their communities.

The Crossover Children Workgroup will work to identify strategies and solutions in order to refine, improve and strengthen the systems that will address the issues, drama and trauma experienced by these children.  They will also assess how funds “follow the child” to determine if they are being used in the most effective manner.