DCF, Eckerd Connects end child welfare services contracts in 3 Tampa Bay counties
DCF cites safety concerns, Eckerd blames lack of funding
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Eckerd Connects, the company that was hired to
provide foster care services throughout Florida, will no longer serve
several Tampa Bay counties.
Eckerd and the Florida Department of Children and Families announced
Monday that the company’s contracts with Hillsborough, Pasco and
Pinellas counties will end later this year. The state places blame on
Eckerd, while Eckerd blames lack of funding and resources.
In its statement, the DCF says it will not renew its contract with Eckerd in Pinellas and Pasco counties. That contract is set to expire on Dec. 31.
DCF cites “repeated failures” for its decision to not renew.
“Eckerd’s recent actions and inactions have jeopardized the health,
safety and welfare of the dependent children under your care,” DCF
Secretary Shevaun Harris wrote in a letter to Eckerd. “Coupled with a history of placing youth in unlicensed settings for extended periods of time, and repeated failure to secure appropriate
and stable placements for all children in Eckerd’s system of care, they
call into question your ability to fulfill your contractual
obligations.”
Following that notice of intent, Eckerd Connects says its board of
directors chose on Oct. 26 to end the contracts with the two facilities
they operate in Tampa Bay that provide services in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.
The company made the decision after completing a “thorough assessment
of current state funding levels and the growing needs of children in the
three counties.”
In a statement from Eckerd sent to 8 On Your Side, the company said
it had been informed by DCF that the state department would be
transitioning to a new provider in Pasco and Pinellas in the next 60
days.
“Our focus in this region and throughout the State of Florida has
always been on what is best for children and families. We have
repeatedly expressed concerns to state officials and legislators about
the mismatch between inadequate funding levels and the growing needs in
the Tampa/St. Petersburg area,” Board Chair V. Raymond Ferrara said. “We
regret that it has come to this, but we simply cannot continue under
the current circumstances.”
The statement from Eckerd said for two years, the company has seen a
40 percent increase in the amount of children removed from their homes
by law enforcement and put in their care, but the funding to properly
help the children has lagged behind.
Despite caring for more children in the programs in Tampa Bay, Eckerd
said it receives millions of dollars less in funding here than in
counties with fewer children, such as Miami-Dade County.
“Both the Hillsborough and Pinellas-Pasco child welfare contracts are
woefully under-funded, despite Eckerd’s best efforts to increase
financial resources available to serve youths and families in Tampa
Bay,” Eckerd Connects said in a statement. “As a comparison,
Hillsborough County serves nearly 1,500 children more than Miami-Dade
but receives $20.3 million less in state funding. Pinellas and Pasco
counties serve 1,745 more children than Miami-Dade and receive $27.4
million less in state funding.”
The Eckerd Board reportedly warned the DCF in 2016 and 2018 about
funding falling short in Pinellas and Pasco counties. The company sent
multiple letters “from the Eckerd Connects Board Chair to the state
agency sounded the alarm about insufficient funding in all three
counties, concluding that ‘the extreme underfunding in Tampa Bay’ is
‘causing tragic consequences for children and families.'”
While the company will end the contracts with the Hillsborough, Pasco
and Pinellas counties, it says the move will not have an effect on work
it does in other parts of Florida, or the other 20 states it performs
services in.
