TALLAHASSEE – Last month, Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris toured the state to meet with foster families, caregivers, and adoptive parents to learn about their experiences and how recent initiatives are supporting their families. The Secretary hosted roundtable conversations with a small group of foster families in Tallahassee, Maitland, and Tampa, with additional stops planned in South Florida next week. The Secretary met with families who have directly benefited from the additional supports being offered to foster parents including the expansion of Hope Florida – A Pathway to Prosperity, a cost of living increase included in the Freedom First Budget, and the $450 one-time payments for foster parents from Governor Ron DeSantis.
“We are so appreciative of the foster families who have made the decision to welcome children into their home and offer them a safe and loving place to live,” said Secretary Harris. “With Governor and First Lady DeSantis’ leadership, we have been able to invest so much in our system and have increased the resources available to the families we serve. Through these roundtable discussions, we have been able to have honest and productive conversations about how we can continue to support and improve our system. We’ve heard from so many parents about how helpful the $450 checks from Governor DeSantis have been, and we will continue working to make sure these families know how much we appreciate them.”
The secretary of Florida’s Department of Children and Families, Shevaun Harris, held a discussion in Maitland on Thursday with some Central Florida foster families and several organizations that support them.
Several foster parents said they appreciated the $450 checks that DCF recently sent to 59,000 families whose children are involved in the child welfare system.
The one-time payment was announced by [First Lady] Casey DeSantis, earlier last month and was timed to help with back-to-school shopping.
“I think the checks just serve as an added help and support in these crazy times of rising prices,” Harris said.
