The Department of Children and Family Services calls it the family redesign program.
According to DCF, in Duval, Clay, and Nassau counties the redesign program is working. They say just 10 percent of families reunited lead to new charges of abuse or neglect.
However we found the program does not always work.
It has been more than two months since 2-year-old Tariji Gordon was found dead in a suitcase in Putnam County.
Her mother, Rachel Fryer is charged with aggravated child neglect. The toddler had been in foster care 3 months earlier after her brother was killed in an apparent "co-sleeping" accident.
Gordon was reunited with her mother through DCF’s redesign program.
It is a program DCF’s John Harrell says has helped keep thousands of families together since its’ implementation back in 2007.
"The percentage of children who are re-abused within six months of those services provided is only about 6 percent,” said DCF Communications Director John Harrell.
"I am actually thankful for them stepping in the way they did,” said Stephanie Beams.
After an anonymous tip was put into DCF, Stephanie Beams almost lost Kelsey and her four other children last year.
"I wanted to find a job and everything but I could not really do so because I was sitting here with three kids all day,” said Stephanie Beams.
"They did have electric or water for a month with five kids in the summer time. On top of that the youngest child has disabilities and the middle two were not in school,” said Family and Support Services caseworker Allyson Kidd.
DCF stepped in and a judge decided rather than rip five kids from their mother who was struggling financially, they enrolled Beams and her children in the redesign program.
"I have the youngest one with medical disabilities in a medical daycare. I made sure that the mom is in mental health services, the father is getting treatment, the family really needed budgeting services,” said Kidd.
But what about that small percentage of kids like Tariji Gordon who are re-abused?
"Would you consider that a failure of the redesign,” asked Action News Reporter Jessie McDonough.
"A judge may decide on reunification. It does not guarantee that there might be further issues down the line,” said Harrell.
According to DCF, they have no evidence to suggest any child deaths for kids they oversee in Clay or Nassau County last year.
There were six child deaths in Duval County. Four were homicides. Two were determined to be neglect.
None of those children had previously been in foster care.
DCF says the Casey Family Programs has provided funding and technical assistance with the redesign project.
http://www.fox30jax.com/content/topstories/story/Action-News-Investigates-changes-at-DCF/ID9CTny-uUuSucmxj1fonQ.cspx
