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Florida Foster Child Abuse Lawyer Howard Talenfeld Receives UM Law Alumni Achievement Award

March 25th, 2016   No Comments   Adoption, Education Issues, Florida Youth Shine

More than 150 local attorneys and officials were in attendance this week to celebrate the awarding of the University of Miami Law Alumni Association’s Alumni Achievement Award to Howard M. Talenfeld. A leading Florida foster care abuse attorney and life-long advocate for children’s rights, Talenfeld was recognized for his tireless efforts on behalf of society’s most vulnerable citizens.

The award was presented by Fort Lauderdale attorney and 2015 award recipient Bruce Lyons, Miami attorney and president of the Law Alumni Association Edward R. Shohat, and University of Miami School of Law Dean Patricia D. White.

“Howard was a natural for this award. We’re very proud of his pioneering work for children’s causes,” said Shohat. “The association represents over 30,000 alumni around the world, and Howard is an excellent ambassador for the school.”

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Florida Advocates’ Successful Push for Florida Foster Kids Gets Tuition Exemptions for College, Graduate Education

March 25th, 2016   No Comments   Advocacy, Education Issues, Foster Care

When a former foster child from Sarasota was accepted to Florida International University Law School, he wondered how he’d pay for it. After all, foster families often don’t have the money for such expenses. While state law granted tuition exemptions for foster kids seeking undergraduate and graduate educations, the State University System of Florida Board of Governors (BOG) refused to require state schools to grant exemptions.

That’s changing. After four years of work by Florida Youth Shine, Florida’s Children First, and other advocacy groups, committed lawmakers, and pro bono legal counsel that brought an administrative challenge, the BOG has directed state universities to grant exemptions to accepted students from foster care. A full repeal of the rule is said to be under consideration.

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University of Miami Law School Alumni to Honor Children’s Rights Lawyer Howard Talenfeld

March 3rd, 2016   No Comments   Advocacy, News & Events

Howard M. Talenfeld, a leading Florida foster care abuse attorney and life-long advocate for children’s rights, will be honored with the University of Miami Law Alumni Association’s Alumni Achievement Award at its annual Broward County Judicial Reception. The event will be held on Wednesday, March 23, 2016, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., in the 7th floor ballroom of the 110 Tower (110 Southeast 6th St., Fort Lauderdale 33301).

Talenfeld graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 1979 and has spent much of his career defending the rights of and seeking damages for children and the developmentally disabled harmed in cases of child abuse, child sexual abuse, and denial of benefits.

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Fort Lauderdale Event to Celebrate Florida’s Foster Children and Advocates

February 22nd, 2016   No Comments   Advocacy, Florida Youth Shine, Florida's Children First, Foster Care

This Thursday, dedicated South Florida child advocates who fight to protect the state’s most vulnerable foster children and at-risk kids will gather for the Broward Child Advocacy Awards & Reception supporting Florida’s Children First, the state’s leading child advocacy organization.

The event will be held at The Riverside Hotel (620 East Las Olas Blvd. Fort Lauderdale, 33301) on Thursday, February 25 from 5:30pm- 7:30pm.

Register here. Sponsorships are still available.

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Success Stories of Florida Youth Shine’s Former Foster Children

February 19th, 2016   No Comments   Adoption, Advocacy, Florida Youth Shine

In its 10 years serving Florida’s at-risk foster children, Florida Youth Shine has helped thousands of current and former foster children find their way – and serve as examples for other kids going through the state child welfare system. One such success story is Janice Goldsberry.

Janice with FYSNow 22 years old, Janice was in foster care for 11 years, from the age of 7 until she “aged out” at 18. She was often separated from her two siblings, had been in 15 homes that she can recall, 11 middle and high schools, and was the victim of the emotional trauma common to foster children.

Though her feelings of emotional neglect and depression continue, Janice still is a success story.

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Florida Claims Bills Seek to Help Abused Children Who Wait Years for Damage Awards

February 13th, 2016   No Comments   Abuse, Advocacy, Court Cases, Damage Claims, Department of Children & Families (DCF)

Children across Florida who have suffered rape, child sexual abuse, child abuse, and other personal injury often wait years to receive damage awarded by the court or juries – if they ever receive the money at all. Claims bills now before the Florida Legislature could make money available to help these victims receive the money they desperately need.

In one example, a Wellington boy, 9, was sexually assaulted by a foster child his parents had agreed to raise, not knowing the boy had suffered sexual abuse and had become a child-on-child predator. A Palm Beach County jury in 2013 found that the Florida Department of Children and Families was negligent and awarded the boy $5 million for damages and what could be a lifetime of treatment and therapy.

He’s yet to receive any money. “He’s living a life of paralysis,” said Howard Talenfeld, the attorney representing the now 22-year-old man.

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Florida’s Children First to Honor ‘Youth Advocate of the Year’ on Feb. 26 in Fort Lauderdale

February 9th, 2016   No Comments   Advocacy, Florida Youth Shine, Florida's Children First

Tiervondria “Tia” McCall is an amazing, and inspiring young lady, even though she struggled with stability and safety for most of her life. She will be honored as the Youth Advocate of the Year at the Florida’s Children First Broward Child Advocacy Awards & Reception. The event will be held Thursday, February 25, 2016, from 5:30pm- 7:30pm at The Riverside Hotel (620 East Las Olas Blvd.) in Fort Lauderdale.

Click here to register or learn more.

Tia and her brother lived with her mother and stepdad until the age of eight. After her stepdad died she was separated from her brother but eventually reunited in the care of her brother’s grandmother, until the age of 17.

Throughout this time, Tia suffered from verbal and physical abuse often witnessing drug use in her home. She could have easily taken the wrong path but she focused her time and effort working hard in school for a better life for herself and her younger brother.

Today, she is the model of success. For the past five years, Tia has grown to be an amazing leader in Florida Youth SHINE, having become the youngest president of a Florida Youth SHINE chapter at age 15. She has served as President of the Broward chapter for the past three years and has lead, recruited and impacted youth around the state.

She is now 18 years old, a freshman at Broward College studying Criminal Justice, works part-time and interns at Florida’s Children First.

Join Tia and other honorees who do so much for Florida’s abuse and injured children. Honorees include Champion for Children Dr. Frederick Lippman; and Child Advocates of the Year Stuart Singer & Carl Goldfarb with law firm Boise Schiller & Flexner.

Florida Supreme Court Rules for Lawyers for Foster Children

January 24th, 2016   No Comments   Advocacy, Court Cases, Department of Children & Families (DCF)

When the Florida Supreme Court issued its Juvenile Rules Opinion this week on requiring attorneys for Florida foster children with special needs, it was the successful culmination of a 10-year effort by the state’s leading foster child advocates, including the Florida Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program and Florida’s Children First (FCF), as well as the Legal Needs of Children Committee of The Florida Bar.

The Court ruled to implement legislation requiring legal representation for at-risk children facing administrative hearings. Read the ruling here.

Since the 1990s, FCF, the state’s premier child advocacy organization, and the GAL have worked closely advocating the legislation. They two organizations jointly submitted comments to the court supporting advancement of state legislation providing for attorneys ad litem and other programs to require legal representation for children in the child welfare system.

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Florida Youth Shine Reaches 10 Year Milestone

January 18th, 2016   No Comments   Advocacy, Florida Youth Shine, Florida's Children First, Foster Care

Florida’s Children First (FCF) proudly celebrates 10 years of Florida Youth SHINE Advocacy! After FCF was established in 2002, Florida Youth SHINE was formed so that foster children could tell their stories and advocate for legislative change.

For the past ten years Florida Youth SHINE, a statewide organization now consisting of more than 200 former and current foster children, has been advocating around the state and in the Florida Legislature, for positive change to the system of care by using their experience and stories. In 2005, Florida’s Children First, a statewide group of child advocates (www.floridaschildrenfirst.org)  created Florida Youth SHINE because it believed that the youth are the experts and when making decisions about youth and it is critical to have a youth voice at the table. Florida Youth SHINE empowers their members to identify and share the issues they experienced and work for solutions through advocacy. One of the ways they do this is by educating others about the issues and improvements that need to be made.

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South Florida Judge Blasts Agency for Foster Kids Forced into Cockfights

January 13th, 2016   No Comments   Abuse, Advocacy, Department of Children & Families (DCF)

Every South Florida child advocate and foster abuse attorney fights to prevent child abuse, personal injury and other harm or damages like those a Miami judge saw in a video this month. He called the events they endured the result of ineptitude and incompetence. The judge was responding to the violent “cockfights” and brawls children at a Miami group home for foster kids were forced to perform – with the encouragement of an adult supervisor.

“I saw a cockfight … between foster kids,” Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman said in court, according to news reports. The supervisor was “provoking and encouraging violence” as “these two boys battled it out and beat each other up.” The supervisor has since been fired.

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Fort Lauderdale Children’s Rights Attorneys, Advocates to Gather for Broward Fundraiser

January 12th, 2016   No Comments   Advocacy

Lawyers, elected officials and advocates who fight for the rights of those harmed by child abuse, child sex abuse, or other personal injuries in the child welfare system will gather in February to help share a very important message. You are Invited to the Broward Child Advocacy Awards & Reception on Thursday, February 25, 2016, from 5:30 pm- 7:30pm at The Riverside Hotel (620 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale).

The event will honoring the Champion for Children – Dr. Frederick Lippman; the Child Advocates of the Year – Stuart Singer & Carl Goldfarb; and the Youth Advocate – Teirvondria McCall.

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Phoebe Jonchuck’s Death Still Haunts Child Abuse Advocates

January 10th, 2016   No Comments   Abuse, Advocacy

Just about a year ago, Florida child advocates and attorneys who represent children who have been harmed by child abuse, sex abuse and other personal injuries were aghast at the story of Phoebe Jonchuck, the 5-year-old Central Florida girl whose father, John, threw her from a bridge into Tampa Bay. We all were left to wonder how a father could kill his daughter, what authorities might have known about Mr. Jonchuck’s and Phoebe’s lives leading up to this horrific event, and how it could have been prevented.

The Tampa Bay Times recently wrote a compelling story that compiles police, court and Florida Department of Children and Families records to recreate the brief history of Phoebe’s life. Reporters spoke with Phoebe’s mother and other relatives; in all, 50 people helped paint the story of the little girl – “a happy child who helped her kindergarten classmates zip their jackets and brought out the best in everyone who loved her. And they knew her father, a violent and unstable man.”

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