Over the past 15 years, about 50,000 Florida kids have been adopted so far. But, the head of the state’s child welfare system has mixed feelings on that number.
While 50,000 adoptions can be considered as a success, Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Mike Carroll has a mixed assessment.
“I’m an adoptive parent,” said Carroll, during a recent Florida Child Protection Summit. “It’s the greatest thing I ever did. It changed my life, changed my child’s life. So, it’s success for me. But, look at it on the flip side, 50,000 adoptions means there were 50,000 kids in the state whose parents could not provide them with a safe and nurturing environment to grow up in. And, is that a problem? And, the fact that we continue to set record after record for the number of adoptions? Is that success for is that a problem.”
Carroll says his hope for the future is: success for DCF will be defined as “eliminating the need for adoption.” Currently, 800 kids are still in need of adoption.
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