November 25, 2025 • 19 mins
Phil Scarpelli, President and CEO
Phil Scarpelli is president and CEO of Family Partnerships of Central Florida. He joined Brevard Family Partnership, the predecessor organization, in November 2018 and in May 2024 led the organization in expanding its growth to serve four counties encompassing two circuits, rebranding the organization as Family Partnerships of Central Florida.
As a long-term servant leader, Phil has been involved in Florida’s child welfare system since the inception of privatization, as early as the late 1990s. Previously, he worked as part of the Department of Children and Families central region’s leadership on the professional development and talent management of its middle and senior managers. Prior to that role, he was state director of Key Assets Florida Inc., part of the International Core Assets Group, a leading children’s services provider.
Phil has 35 years of experience in behavioral healthcare and child welfare in clinical and administrative capacities. Throughout his career, he has been committed to children and families at risk and to developing a perpetual learning environment willing to challenge the status quo, relentlessly integrating innovation, inclusion, transparency and trust.
Phil has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gerontology from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, and a master’s degree in psychology from Yeshiva University, New York.
Phil.Scarpelli@familypartnerships.org
Phil Scarpelli is president and CEO of Family Partnerships of Central Florida. He joined Brevard Family Partnership, the predecessor organization, in November 2018 and in May 2024 led the organization in expanding its growth to serve four counties encompassing two circuits, rebranding the organization as Family Partnerships of Central Florida.
As a long-term servant leader, Phil has been involved in Florida’s child welfare system since the inception of privatization, as early as the late 1990s. Previously, he worked as part of the Department of Children and Families central region’s leadership on the professional development and talent management of its middle and senior managers. Prior to that role, he was state director of Key Assets Florida Inc., part of the International Core Assets Group, a leading children’s services provider.
Phil has 35 years of experience in behavioral healthcare and child welfare in clinical and administrative capacities. Throughout his career, he has been committed to children and families at risk and to developing a perpetual learning environment willing to challenge the status quo, relentlessly integrating innovation, inclusion, transparency and trust.
Phil has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gerontology from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, and a master’s degree in psychology from Yeshiva University, New York.
Phil.Scarpelli@familypartnerships.org
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
iHeartMedia of Orlando presents CEOs you should know, shining a
spotlight on decision makers throughout Central Florida, showcasing the leaders
and companies that drive our local economy.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's Ray from iHeartRadio and I'm sitting here with.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Bill Scarpellich and tell us where who you're with.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
I'm the president's CEO of Family Partnerships of Central Florida.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I first when this came across my email and they're
asking if I could sit and talk with you, I
was like, oh yeah, and I looked and it is
very moving what you do here in Central Florida. So
first of all, I just want to say thank you
for what you do and you're definitely making an impact.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Well appreciate that I only represent a four hundred and
thirty plus hardworking, committed social workers. It's a blessing.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Yeah, every single day you wake up and you're on
a mission. Right.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Well, can you tell me about the need for additional
foster homes here in Central Florida because that's probably one
of the biggest things that we.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Need to mention.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
So that is a very good point.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
You know, for over twenty years, you know, we have
been a state funded nonprofit here in Brevard County and
expanded to Orange, Osceola, Seminole counties as well. So now
we encompass a large piece of central Florida and we
do everything from taking children in this from the communities
(01:23):
who have been victims of abuse, neglect, and abandonment. So
of course with that becomes the need for foster parenting
where there are children who don't have next of kin.
When they're removed by the Department Children of Families through investigation,
they are often sought out to find placement for those
(01:44):
that are known to the child. But as one might surmise,
you know, families sometimes have issues that extend beyond the
nucleus of the family, and the issues and problems are
you know, encompassed within relatives and those relations so the
for it to get children with families known to them
is priority one. Yeah, of course, when it doesn't happen,
(02:05):
it doesn't happen a fair amount of time that we
are obligated to find families will open their hearts and
their homes and become licensed under US and the State
of Florida to care for them. While the journey of
healing begins for the children, and while work is being
done with parents. So your question, what is the need,
(02:27):
It's a great need. It's a great need. It's not
just about a capacity need. It's about the type of
families and the type of environments that understand children of trauma,
that understand to a higher level acceptance unconditionally about from
where they're coming and what they bring is baggage because
you know, kids of trauma, they have a lot that
(02:48):
is very, very difficult to deal with and a really
neat environment that is accepting of them and patient with
them and yet creating boundaries, comfortable bound and in the
foster care world, you know, it's all you know, we
want to impose normalcy as much.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
As we can.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Of course, so when people want to come and work
with you, or if they want to volunteer them their time,
is that an opportunity that somebody can actually do that
if they have some spare time.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
Yes, you know, we're always looking for mentors, and I
love the idea of people who are thinking about fostering
or adopting, yeah, to come and meet with us and
let us talk with greater depth and not through rose
colored glasses but reality. Of course, you know, what is
this journey like and I have so many families that
(03:32):
are great advocates of saying, hey, this is what I
expected going in, this is what I experienced, and sort
of the reality in between is where we work with
them to realize that, you know, it's not meant for everybody.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Yeah, of course, right.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
It's special people who understand empathically where children and trauma
are coming from and understanding about they really begin that
journey of healing. It's amazing and all of it is
about unconditional love and acceptance and working with kids through
their trials and tribulations daily and creating an environment a
(04:09):
temporary existence. Foster gear should be temporary, temporary.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yeah, and yeah, I was going to say, you said
you have four hundred and thirty employees. Is that that
that's incredible? Four hundred and thirty people in four counties
you serve. Can you tell me what you look for
in a new employee? I was talking about like volunteers
and stuff, but as far as like hiring somebody that
(04:33):
you you know, the come and see and empathy is
what you were talking about? Is there kind of like
the hiring process for people?
Speaker 4 (04:41):
If your viewers could see the smile in my face, yes,
because you just touched my heart. I do a lot
of interviews and no one as I've asked that very
specific question in the way you asked it, because I
bet you have a lot of intuition.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yes, yeah, of course.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
But the fact of the matter is, again I will
reiterate the fact that working in child welfare really takes
a special person. You know, you don't come into an
industry like this they think you're going to get rich,
and you don't come into an industry to think you're
gonna be have notoriety and stuff like that. These are
the unsung heroes of people who have a personal journey,
who have a professional journey to want to reach children
(05:20):
and families who are really at risk for a lot
of things, and are very passionate about getting to the
root of why they're here, not defining them from where
they've been, but letting them know that there is hope
for tomorrow to change the trajectory, not only of the child.
Because foster care is an interim status to bring children
(05:43):
and families back together. The overwhelming number of children who
come into the formal foster care system will be returned
to moms and dads, and that's a good thing. Listeners
need not be afraid to say, oh my god, what
is that all about? Well, listen, they're but for the
grace of God, are parents who have probably journeyed similarly
(06:03):
from their parents and experienced trauma adverse childhood experience.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
So you see as it almost like a generational thing.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
Generation. Okay, you know what's beautiful about you recognizing the
generational thing of how they got here. It's also a
generational thing that I share with the four hundred and
thirty employees almost every chance I get to connect with them,
that their impact is going to impact not only a child,
but a generation of course children.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
You could break the generational trauma necessarily. You could say,
can you tell me about your adoption events that you
have going on this month? I understand one celebration event
is taking place later today in several county.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Is that happening now?
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Mind you?
Speaker 4 (06:44):
I'll tell you numbers. Yeah, I'll tell you what adoptions
are happening all year around, month to month on the
dockets of the local courts with the judges presiding and
our staff there in present.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
And so.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
We are having about a total of thirty eight adoptions
just in the next week of time where we're celebrating
National Adoption Month. So National Adoption Month is a month
every year that recognized nationally the adoptions of children that
are coming out of the child welfare system. Much to
(07:21):
celebrate much. We call it uniting children with forever loving families.
That's a beautiful story. Everybody has their unique story. Yesterday
we just had one at the Space Coast Stadium where
seventeen kids were adopted into fifteen families. Oh, it presided
on the mound and home plate. It was just you know,
when we have those type of venues, we run and
(07:44):
seek them because they're large venues. We invite the community.
This is about the community. You know. This all happened
about twenty twenty five years ago when this state, God
bless Florida and it's legislature at the time, they thought
about why not move foster care, adoption, independent living, maybe
(08:04):
even diversion and prevention programs into the private sector and
allow them to innovate and engage communities to be a
part of the innovation. Yeah, right, and so we've been
doing that for years. All of the benchmarks that the
state puts under contract with us are benchmarks that are
at a federal level and nationally recognized, Florida leads the nation.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Oh wow, there are more.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Kids being adopted to loving families. There are more kids
graduating high school well over eighty ninety percent here in
Florida than than the numbers you'll hear nationally. The duration
by which children are in for foster care used to
be decades ago, years, years and years measurements. Today we're
looking at about a nine to twelve month window.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
People would say, well, Phil.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
That's still a lot of time for a kid to
be in foster care. Yes, but what is happening while
that children that child is in foster care.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
They're nets being met, yes.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
Social, emotional, educational, physical, and their parents are getting services sources.
And you know moms and dads are often plagued with
mental illness, yes, addiction, domestic violence. Those are the three
indicators that bring children into care.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
So you can look at the process or like the
time of them being in the foster care system, it's
kind of like, I don't want to say self care,
but it's like, you know, it's kind of revamping them
and like acknowledging the fact that everything is going to
be okay, you know, once they're in the foster care system,
and I think nine or twelve months is it's reasonable?
Speaker 4 (09:41):
Yeah? But can you do it faster? Do you want
to do it faster? It took them years probably to
get where they are in the state of flux and
disarray and hopelessness, and you're going to turn that round
in a short period of time by now.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Now, can you talk to me about the diversion and
prevention program and how are these helping with family reunifications
in Florida?
Speaker 4 (10:06):
Well, that's a loaded question. Yeah, for days.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
I feel like we kind of just led into it
though perfect.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Ye.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
So the initial contract years and years ago for private
agencies to take on was really about the numbers of
children that have been founded with abuse, neglect, and or
abandon bit through an investigative process and through the jurisdiction
of the courts. Well, those numbers were hot, and the
capacity for response to that was very, very challenging even
(10:37):
under state governance. When the private sector came in, they
brought a heightened sense of awareness to having evidence based
practices that we ultimately realized that you can work with
families post adjudication of dependency into foster care and parents
(10:58):
into the eyes of the cores, getting mandated services and
so forth, or you can get smarter do that, but
take what you've learned about where these parents are and
think about the parents that have yet to be discovered
and the families in distress. And so these best practices
have been converted into what we call diversion and prevention
(11:19):
efforts family preservation going upstream. Schools know about this, counselors
know about this. Other types of programs to include emergency
rooms where people are coming in because of baker acting,
where where there's a mental health condition warranting intervention or
addiction and all that kind of stuff, and saying, well,
wait a minute, if this is going on and the
(11:40):
kids still with them, are they not at risk? So
now we seek out and make awareness and thank you
because this moment is just one of those pieces of
awareness that other people know. Wait a minute, These agencies
aren't just dealing with the crisis that is the curd.
They're trying to prevent tomorrow's crisis. That's what we're doing.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
That's huge.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
It should be a movement, honestly, So what would you
like our listeners to know about how they can help
the organization and others in child welfare systems, just because
I know people hearing this, especially even if they're hearing
it from another state.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Is there a way that people can come and help?
Speaker 4 (12:22):
Wow? Yeah, there really is. You know, along the spectrum
of what can people do? I think beginning, be aware,
know what your neighbors are involved, get to know people
in the community. And the old adage that we've been saying
for years now is if you see something, say something, Yeah,
you're not ratting on someone. You're reaching out to someone's
probably struggling, right, And so see things, say things, elevate them,
(12:47):
be concerned, help the neighbor. It would be a good
start point. The other point is that you started the
conversation earlier about what is the capacity and need for
foster homes. We need homes, you know, we need homes
at a greater ratio if you're thinking about bedcount at
a greater ratio of the number of kids who need
those beds. Why because we want to match them to
(13:09):
the homes that are prepared. Not everybody wants the little one,
not everybody wants the older one. But everybody is comfortable
with working outside of their race and ethnic and spiritual backgrounds.
When we are able to match families with children who
will naturally come together in familiarity and comfort, they will
(13:30):
likely build relationships sooner rather than later. Number One, we
also want capacity because there's always a spiking trend throughout
the year. I don't know if people realize this, but
when school starts, those are probably the highest points nationally
recognized of cols to the hotline. Why because those are
(13:53):
trained professionals who have an intimate knowledge of what this
child is looking like, behaving like, and how do they
come prepared to school? Yeah, you know it by how
they're dressed, you know it, whether they're lacking in nutrition,
you know the needs of them. And so getting involved
with the schools and the ptas and families that maybe
(14:16):
aren't showing up. I think the families at crisis aren't
the moms and dads or they're going to PTA probably,
I wonder why maybe going out and reaching out to
them we could always use. Mentors are wonderful, particularly for
the adolescent years and up. They need someone they can
have a relationship that has no ulterior motive other than
letting them know what it's like to have a healthy dialogue.
(14:39):
Having someone saying, hey, what kind of decisions are you
dealing with? How can I help you and stuff? And
or are you struggling in school?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
You know?
Speaker 4 (14:48):
So I think about awareness, I think about mentoring, I
think about fostering, and of course I have to put
a plug in. We need more adoptive families. We also
want to match children with families, and we do a
wonderful job. There are more adoptions to families. But you know,
the celebration of adoption is one thing. But there is
something to mourn, and that is that is a product
(15:11):
of where a family failed and where moms and dads.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Are not recovering.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Yeah, chronic and enduring mental illness, addiction that has not
been recovered and probably won't be in the near future.
The child should not be a victim of that as well.
Now waiting to live a childhood yeah, and experience a family. Yeah,
And then I gotta put one lesson.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
No, please do careers.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
I might consider working for a nonprofit even if you're
not a social worker. We have jobs within the organization.
We have financial teams, we have legal teams, you know,
we have marketing teams. We have all these kinds of
teams where they could do something in the periphery of
the beautiful things that we do with children and families
and simply be a part of it. I had a
(15:54):
woman who worked on our finance department who retired not
too long ago after many, many years of working in
finance behind a computers.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
She said, you know what.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
I loved most about it? I was a part of
an agency that served children and families in need. Yeah,
and she's that meant something to me absolutely, you know,
And I thought, yeah, all of our social workers are
knee deep into right. I studied it. But people I,
as the leader, I have recognized, you know, there's a
place for everybody.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
Yeah, and no matter what your role is, you're still
part of making a difference exactly.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
I very much appreciate, appreciate you sitting down and spreading
awareness not only through Central Florida, but of course with iHeart.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
And it's very eye opening in.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
If there's a way for people to find you online
or social media, which is obviously massive nowadays, how would
they do so?
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Well? Begin by going to Family Partnerships dot org. We
have everything that you probably need to know as an
introduction to who we are and what we do and
what the career opportunities are and how do I start
my journey towards understanding adoption and or foster care.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Perfect there.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
Our team tells us that we have all the platforms
that people are very familiar with. Look us up on
that as well, but begin with the Family Partnerships dot org.
And by the way, if I may just put a
quick plug, you know, we do have an annual event
golf event. Oh that is occurring. I'm trying to think
(17:22):
I had that for you in April, April seventeenth, and
it'll be at Lake Nona, Eagles Creek Golf, beautiful gouvil setting,
beautiful environment. Come meet our people who are doing the
work of God's work and with these families and they're
having a blessed day being out together, networking with the community,
building relationships, playing a beautiful round of golf and celebrating
(17:45):
with us. And of course we have a foundation. It's
on the website and if people want to donate, I
will tell you where that money is going. It's going
to build normalcy activities for children, wilds, faster care. It's
going to the young ones that are preparing to emancipate
out of the system and becoming independent. We work with
(18:06):
them formally until age about twenty three. Oh wow, but
there are subsidies and things that will help their educational
pathways until twenty eight.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Nice.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
There are children who are looking at graduate study work
that are products of the foster care system. I mean
that wasn't happening decades ago. Now today we've you know,
we've just really invested in them because we realize they
are the future of our society. They're going to be
the people will be voting for one day. Right.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
I love that so much.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Well, I appreciate you, Phil, Thank you again for sitting
down with us. And again, if you're listening to this,
make sure you reach out if you're interested in any way,
reach out to Phil and his four hundred and thirty
employees that he has, so thank you again, Thank you
so much.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
CEOs You should Know is an exclusive presentation of iHeartMedia Orlando.
You can hear more interviews with other Central Florida leaders
by searching for Orlando CEOs on your podcast in the
iHeartRadio app.
iHeartMedia of Orlando presents CEOs you should know, shining a
spotlight on decision makers throughout Central Florida, showcasing the leaders
and companies that drive our local economy.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's Ray from iHeartRadio and I'm sitting here with.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Bill Scarpellich and tell us where who you're with.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
I'm the president's CEO of Family Partnerships of Central Florida.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I first when this came across my email and they're
asking if I could sit and talk with you, I
was like, oh yeah, and I looked and it is
very moving what you do here in Central Florida. So
first of all, I just want to say thank you
for what you do and you're definitely making an impact.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Well appreciate that I only represent a four hundred and
thirty plus hardworking, committed social workers. It's a blessing.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Yeah, every single day you wake up and you're on
a mission. Right.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Well, can you tell me about the need for additional
foster homes here in Central Florida because that's probably one
of the biggest things that we.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Need to mention.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
So that is a very good point.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
You know, for over twenty years, you know, we have
been a state funded nonprofit here in Brevard County and
expanded to Orange, Osceola, Seminole counties as well. So now
we encompass a large piece of central Florida and we
do everything from taking children in this from the communities
(01:23):
who have been victims of abuse, neglect, and abandonment. So
of course with that becomes the need for foster parenting
where there are children who don't have next of kin.
When they're removed by the Department Children of Families through investigation,
they are often sought out to find placement for those
(01:44):
that are known to the child. But as one might surmise,
you know, families sometimes have issues that extend beyond the
nucleus of the family, and the issues and problems are
you know, encompassed within relatives and those relations so the
for it to get children with families known to them
is priority one. Yeah, of course, when it doesn't happen,
(02:05):
it doesn't happen a fair amount of time that we
are obligated to find families will open their hearts and
their homes and become licensed under US and the State
of Florida to care for them. While the journey of
healing begins for the children, and while work is being
done with parents. So your question, what is the need,
(02:27):
It's a great need. It's a great need. It's not
just about a capacity need. It's about the type of
families and the type of environments that understand children of trauma,
that understand to a higher level acceptance unconditionally about from
where they're coming and what they bring is baggage because
you know, kids of trauma, they have a lot that
(02:48):
is very, very difficult to deal with and a really
neat environment that is accepting of them and patient with
them and yet creating boundaries, comfortable bound and in the
foster care world, you know, it's all you know, we
want to impose normalcy as much.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
As we can.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Of course, so when people want to come and work
with you, or if they want to volunteer them their time,
is that an opportunity that somebody can actually do that
if they have some spare time.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
Yes, you know, we're always looking for mentors, and I
love the idea of people who are thinking about fostering
or adopting, yeah, to come and meet with us and
let us talk with greater depth and not through rose
colored glasses but reality. Of course, you know, what is
this journey like and I have so many families that
(03:32):
are great advocates of saying, hey, this is what I
expected going in, this is what I experienced, and sort
of the reality in between is where we work with
them to realize that, you know, it's not meant for everybody.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Yeah, of course, right.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
It's special people who understand empathically where children and trauma
are coming from and understanding about they really begin that
journey of healing. It's amazing and all of it is
about unconditional love and acceptance and working with kids through
their trials and tribulations daily and creating an environment a
(04:09):
temporary existence. Foster gear should be temporary, temporary.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yeah, and yeah, I was going to say, you said
you have four hundred and thirty employees. Is that that
that's incredible? Four hundred and thirty people in four counties
you serve. Can you tell me what you look for
in a new employee? I was talking about like volunteers
and stuff, but as far as like hiring somebody that
(04:33):
you you know, the come and see and empathy is
what you were talking about? Is there kind of like
the hiring process for people?
Speaker 4 (04:41):
If your viewers could see the smile in my face, yes,
because you just touched my heart. I do a lot
of interviews and no one as I've asked that very
specific question in the way you asked it, because I
bet you have a lot of intuition.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yes, yeah, of course.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
But the fact of the matter is, again I will
reiterate the fact that working in child welfare really takes
a special person. You know, you don't come into an
industry like this they think you're going to get rich,
and you don't come into an industry to think you're
gonna be have notoriety and stuff like that. These are
the unsung heroes of people who have a personal journey,
who have a professional journey to want to reach children
(05:20):
and families who are really at risk for a lot
of things, and are very passionate about getting to the
root of why they're here, not defining them from where
they've been, but letting them know that there is hope
for tomorrow to change the trajectory, not only of the child.
Because foster care is an interim status to bring children
(05:43):
and families back together. The overwhelming number of children who
come into the formal foster care system will be returned
to moms and dads, and that's a good thing. Listeners
need not be afraid to say, oh my god, what
is that all about? Well, listen, they're but for the
grace of God, are parents who have probably journeyed similarly
(06:03):
from their parents and experienced trauma adverse childhood experience.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
So you see as it almost like a generational thing.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
Generation. Okay, you know what's beautiful about you recognizing the
generational thing of how they got here. It's also a
generational thing that I share with the four hundred and
thirty employees almost every chance I get to connect with them,
that their impact is going to impact not only a child,
but a generation of course children.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
You could break the generational trauma necessarily. You could say,
can you tell me about your adoption events that you
have going on this month? I understand one celebration event
is taking place later today in several county.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Is that happening now?
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Mind you?
Speaker 4 (06:44):
I'll tell you numbers. Yeah, I'll tell you what adoptions
are happening all year around, month to month on the
dockets of the local courts with the judges presiding and
our staff there in present.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
And so.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
We are having about a total of thirty eight adoptions
just in the next week of time where we're celebrating
National Adoption Month. So National Adoption Month is a month
every year that recognized nationally the adoptions of children that
are coming out of the child welfare system. Much to
(07:21):
celebrate much. We call it uniting children with forever loving families.
That's a beautiful story. Everybody has their unique story. Yesterday
we just had one at the Space Coast Stadium where
seventeen kids were adopted into fifteen families. Oh, it presided
on the mound and home plate. It was just you know,
when we have those type of venues, we run and
(07:44):
seek them because they're large venues. We invite the community.
This is about the community. You know. This all happened
about twenty twenty five years ago when this state, God
bless Florida and it's legislature at the time, they thought
about why not move foster care, adoption, independent living, maybe
(08:04):
even diversion and prevention programs into the private sector and
allow them to innovate and engage communities to be a
part of the innovation. Yeah, right, and so we've been
doing that for years. All of the benchmarks that the
state puts under contract with us are benchmarks that are
at a federal level and nationally recognized, Florida leads the nation.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Oh wow, there are more.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Kids being adopted to loving families. There are more kids
graduating high school well over eighty ninety percent here in
Florida than than the numbers you'll hear nationally. The duration
by which children are in for foster care used to
be decades ago, years, years and years measurements. Today we're
looking at about a nine to twelve month window.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
People would say, well, Phil.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
That's still a lot of time for a kid to
be in foster care. Yes, but what is happening while
that children that child is in foster care.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
They're nets being met, yes.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
Social, emotional, educational, physical, and their parents are getting services sources.
And you know moms and dads are often plagued with
mental illness, yes, addiction, domestic violence. Those are the three
indicators that bring children into care.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
So you can look at the process or like the
time of them being in the foster care system, it's
kind of like, I don't want to say self care,
but it's like, you know, it's kind of revamping them
and like acknowledging the fact that everything is going to
be okay, you know, once they're in the foster care system,
and I think nine or twelve months is it's reasonable?
Speaker 4 (09:41):
Yeah? But can you do it faster? Do you want
to do it faster? It took them years probably to
get where they are in the state of flux and
disarray and hopelessness, and you're going to turn that round
in a short period of time by now.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Now, can you talk to me about the diversion and
prevention program and how are these helping with family reunifications
in Florida?
Speaker 4 (10:06):
Well, that's a loaded question. Yeah, for days.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
I feel like we kind of just led into it
though perfect.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Ye.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
So the initial contract years and years ago for private
agencies to take on was really about the numbers of
children that have been founded with abuse, neglect, and or
abandon bit through an investigative process and through the jurisdiction
of the courts. Well, those numbers were hot, and the
capacity for response to that was very, very challenging even
(10:37):
under state governance. When the private sector came in, they
brought a heightened sense of awareness to having evidence based
practices that we ultimately realized that you can work with
families post adjudication of dependency into foster care and parents
(10:58):
into the eyes of the cores, getting mandated services and
so forth, or you can get smarter do that, but
take what you've learned about where these parents are and
think about the parents that have yet to be discovered
and the families in distress. And so these best practices
have been converted into what we call diversion and prevention
(11:19):
efforts family preservation going upstream. Schools know about this, counselors
know about this. Other types of programs to include emergency
rooms where people are coming in because of baker acting,
where where there's a mental health condition warranting intervention or
addiction and all that kind of stuff, and saying, well,
wait a minute, if this is going on and the
(11:40):
kids still with them, are they not at risk? So
now we seek out and make awareness and thank you
because this moment is just one of those pieces of
awareness that other people know. Wait a minute, These agencies
aren't just dealing with the crisis that is the curd.
They're trying to prevent tomorrow's crisis. That's what we're doing.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
That's huge.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
It should be a movement, honestly, So what would you
like our listeners to know about how they can help
the organization and others in child welfare systems, just because
I know people hearing this, especially even if they're hearing
it from another state.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Is there a way that people can come and help?
Speaker 4 (12:22):
Wow? Yeah, there really is. You know, along the spectrum
of what can people do? I think beginning, be aware,
know what your neighbors are involved, get to know people
in the community. And the old adage that we've been saying
for years now is if you see something, say something, Yeah,
you're not ratting on someone. You're reaching out to someone's
probably struggling, right, And so see things, say things, elevate them,
(12:47):
be concerned, help the neighbor. It would be a good
start point. The other point is that you started the
conversation earlier about what is the capacity and need for
foster homes. We need homes, you know, we need homes
at a greater ratio if you're thinking about bedcount at
a greater ratio of the number of kids who need
those beds. Why because we want to match them to
(13:09):
the homes that are prepared. Not everybody wants the little one,
not everybody wants the older one. But everybody is comfortable
with working outside of their race and ethnic and spiritual backgrounds.
When we are able to match families with children who
will naturally come together in familiarity and comfort, they will
(13:30):
likely build relationships sooner rather than later. Number One, we
also want capacity because there's always a spiking trend throughout
the year. I don't know if people realize this, but
when school starts, those are probably the highest points nationally
recognized of cols to the hotline. Why because those are
(13:53):
trained professionals who have an intimate knowledge of what this
child is looking like, behaving like, and how do they
come prepared to school? Yeah, you know it by how
they're dressed, you know it, whether they're lacking in nutrition,
you know the needs of them. And so getting involved
with the schools and the ptas and families that maybe
(14:16):
aren't showing up. I think the families at crisis aren't
the moms and dads or they're going to PTA probably,
I wonder why maybe going out and reaching out to
them we could always use. Mentors are wonderful, particularly for
the adolescent years and up. They need someone they can
have a relationship that has no ulterior motive other than
letting them know what it's like to have a healthy dialogue.
(14:39):
Having someone saying, hey, what kind of decisions are you
dealing with? How can I help you and stuff? And
or are you struggling in school?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
You know?
Speaker 4 (14:48):
So I think about awareness, I think about mentoring, I
think about fostering, and of course I have to put
a plug in. We need more adoptive families. We also
want to match children with families, and we do a
wonderful job. There are more adoptions to families. But you know,
the celebration of adoption is one thing. But there is
something to mourn, and that is that is a product
(15:11):
of where a family failed and where moms and dads.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Are not recovering.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Yeah, chronic and enduring mental illness, addiction that has not
been recovered and probably won't be in the near future.
The child should not be a victim of that as well.
Now waiting to live a childhood yeah, and experience a family. Yeah,
And then I gotta put one lesson.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
No, please do careers.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
I might consider working for a nonprofit even if you're
not a social worker. We have jobs within the organization.
We have financial teams, we have legal teams, you know,
we have marketing teams. We have all these kinds of
teams where they could do something in the periphery of
the beautiful things that we do with children and families
and simply be a part of it. I had a
(15:54):
woman who worked on our finance department who retired not
too long ago after many, many years of working in
finance behind a computers.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
She said, you know what.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
I loved most about it? I was a part of
an agency that served children and families in need. Yeah,
and she's that meant something to me absolutely, you know,
And I thought, yeah, all of our social workers are
knee deep into right. I studied it. But people I,
as the leader, I have recognized, you know, there's a
place for everybody.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
Yeah, and no matter what your role is, you're still
part of making a difference exactly.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
I very much appreciate, appreciate you sitting down and spreading
awareness not only through Central Florida, but of course with iHeart.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
And it's very eye opening in.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
If there's a way for people to find you online
or social media, which is obviously massive nowadays, how would
they do so?
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Well? Begin by going to Family Partnerships dot org. We
have everything that you probably need to know as an
introduction to who we are and what we do and
what the career opportunities are and how do I start
my journey towards understanding adoption and or foster care.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Perfect there.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
Our team tells us that we have all the platforms
that people are very familiar with. Look us up on
that as well, but begin with the Family Partnerships dot org.
And by the way, if I may just put a
quick plug, you know, we do have an annual event
golf event. Oh that is occurring. I'm trying to think
(17:22):
I had that for you in April, April seventeenth, and
it'll be at Lake Nona, Eagles Creek Golf, beautiful gouvil setting,
beautiful environment. Come meet our people who are doing the
work of God's work and with these families and they're
having a blessed day being out together, networking with the community,
building relationships, playing a beautiful round of golf and celebrating
(17:45):
with us. And of course we have a foundation. It's
on the website and if people want to donate, I
will tell you where that money is going. It's going
to build normalcy activities for children, wilds, faster care. It's
going to the young ones that are preparing to emancipate
out of the system and becoming independent. We work with
(18:06):
them formally until age about twenty three. Oh wow, but
there are subsidies and things that will help their educational
pathways until twenty eight.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Nice.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
There are children who are looking at graduate study work
that are products of the foster care system. I mean
that wasn't happening decades ago. Now today we've you know,
we've just really invested in them because we realize they
are the future of our society. They're going to be
the people will be voting for one day. Right.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
I love that so much.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Well, I appreciate you, Phil, Thank you again for sitting
down with us. And again, if you're listening to this,
make sure you reach out if you're interested in any way,
reach out to Phil and his four hundred and thirty
employees that he has, so thank you again, Thank you
so much.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
CEOs You should Know is an exclusive presentation of iHeartMedia Orlando.
You can hear more interviews with other Central Florida leaders
by searching for Orlando CEOs on your podcast in the
iHeartRadio app.
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