Florida Florida Statutes

§ 39.4015 — Family finding

FS § 39.4015Ch. 39

Statute text

(1)LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—(a) The Legislature finds that every child who is in out-of-home care has the goal of finding a permanent home, whether achieved by reunifying the child with his or her parents or finding another permanent connection, such as adoption or legal guardianship with a relative or nonrelative who has a significant relationship with the child.

(b)The Legislature finds that while legal permanency is important to a child in out-of-home care, emotional permanency helps increase the likelihood that children will achieve stability and well-being and successfully transition to independent adulthood.

(c)The Legislature also finds that research has consistently shown that placing a child within his or her own family reduces the trauma of being removed from his or her home, is less likely to result in placement disruptions, and enhances prospects for finding a permanent family if the child cannot return home.

(d)The Legislature further finds that the primary purpose of family finding is to facilitate legal and emotional permanency for children who are in out-of-home care by finding and engaging their relatives.

(e)It is the intent of the Legislature that every child in out-of-home care be afforded the advantages that can be gained from the use of family finding to establish caring and long-term or permanent connections and relationships for children and youth in out-of-home care, as well as to establish a long-term emotional support network with family members and other adults who may not be able to take the child into their home but who want to stay connected with the child.

…