The High Cost of Denying Permanency:
An Analysis of the Economic Impact of
Florida’s Adoption Ban
Karen M. Doering, JD
Carl A. Schuh, JD, MA
March 2006
Permanency
The federal Adoptions and Safe Families Act of 1977 ( ASFA) imposes
significant financial penalties on states that do not meet specified goals
relating to the placement of foster children in permanent homes. This
Act has a tremendous impact on the fiscal reality of Florida’s foster care
system.
Because permanency – providing children in state custody with a
permanent home – is so critical to the well- being of children, 2 in 1997
the federal government passed ASFA, which sets stringent standards with
which states must comply in order to continue receiving federal funding
for child welfare programs. If Florida does not bring its programs into
compliance with these federal requirements, it stands to lose all or part
of its federal child welfare funding, roughly $ 220 million dollars in FY
2004- 2005.3
Florida is under tremendous pressure to align its child welfare procedures
and outcomes with the permanency requirements of AFSA. In 2005,
Florida had a generally favorable review in its first round of audits;
however, much more needs to be done before 2006 federal reviews. 4
To comply with AFSA requirements, Florida must shorten the time it
currently permits to finalize permanency plans from 18 to 12 months,
institute new procedures to meet the stricter federal requirement for
permanency hearings, and shorten the time period for reunification
services to families. 5
According to the Department of Children & Families ( DCF), during FY
2004- 2005, 4,362 children whose permanency plans specified a goal of
adoption had not yet been adopted after waiting more than two years. 6
Only slightly over a quarter of eligible foster youth had been adopted
after two or more years in Florida foster placement. 7 The median wait
time was 33 months. 8 The 2005- 2006 budget goal calls for the number
to be reduced from 4,362 to only 1,700.9
Of those children successfully placed for adoption, 58 percent of adoptive
2
Executive Summary
In Fiscal Year ( FY) 2004- 2005, the Florida foster care system served 49,706
youth in out- of- home care. 1
This report addresses the economic impact of maintaining children in
foster care when otherwise qualified gay and lesbian individuals and
couples are available, able, and willing to adopt, and the resulting costs
– both direct and indirect – to the State of Florida. This report also
addresses a federal permanency law, the Adoptions and Safe Families
Act of 1997 ( ASFA), and its fiscal impact on Florida’s foster care system.
The long- term social, educational, and emotional costs to children
raised in foster care are well documented. But Florida’s law prohibiting
otherwise qualified gay and lesbian adults from adopting children also
takes a substantial economic toll on the State.
This report recommends that the Florida state legislature repeal the
current law which prohibits qualified gay and lesbian individuals and
couples from becoming adoptive parents, even for children for whom
they serve as foster parents.
1
The High Cost of Denying Permanency:
An Analysis of the Economic Impact
of Florida’s Adoption Ban
• Monthly statutory reimbursement rates per foster child to foster
parents were as follows13:
• Children 0- 5 years old: $ 369 per month
• Children 6- 12 years old: $ 380 per month
• Children 13 years and older: $ 455 per month
• Average annual state expenditure for Medicaid was $ 1,537.30 per
child. 14
• In FY 2003- 2004 Florida spent approximately $ 16.4 million for
Independent Living Transition Services ( ILTS) programs to assist
foster youth who age out of the system because permanent adoptive
placements could not be found. If the $ 1.3 million projected annual
deficit for these programs is included, the total appropriated would
be $ 17.7 million per year. 15
See Appendix A for a sample cost of an average child in foster care.
Long- Term Costs of Foster Care
The long- term fiscal cost to the government from current and former
foster youth is staggering. Youth in foster care have poor academic
outcomes compared to non- foster youth, 16 and these youth are often
unable to be fully self- sufficient after leaving the foster care system. 17
According to the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis &
Government Accountability, “ foster youth typically perform poorly in
school, are at higher risk of unemployment, have long- term dependency
on public assistance, and have increased rates of incarceration.” 18
See Appendix B for a chart of Adverse Outcomes for Florida Foster Youth.
The net result for foster youth is increased dependency on government
resources, whether through additional supportive and transitional
programs, through increased reliance on government aid due to the
inability of many former foster youth to adequately provide for
themselves and their families, or, in the worst case scenario, through
increased incarceration rates.
4
parents were first foster parents to the children they subsequently adopted. 10
However, under current law, lesbian and gay adults are permitted only to
serve as foster parents. Although many lesbians and gay men have been
successful foster parents, and would be willing and able to provide
permanent adoptive homes for the children currently in their care, they
are legally forbidden from doing so. Consequently the children for whom
they provide foster care have no alternative but to remain in foster care or
wait for another family to adopt them.
The federal government provides funding to states for each child adopted
out of the foster care system, plus incentive payments of $ 4,000 to $ 6,000
per child to states that exceed the previous year’s number of adoptions. 11
Categorically excluding an entire class of successful foster parents from
consideration as permanent adoptive parents is both illogical and fiscally
irresponsible. Without changing a single family placement, Florida
could save hundreds of thousands of dollars in foster care services while
simultaneously improving its chances of meeting federal permanency
requirements ( thereby protecting hundreds of millions of dollars in
federal funding), simply by repealing the ban and allowing children
being raised by gay or lesbian foster parents to be adopted. The next
federal review of Florida’s compliance is expected to begin in late 2006.
Direct Costs of Foster Care
The direct cost of maintaining a child in foster care is difficult to quantify
precisely due to administrative costs and the many variables involved: the
child’s age, length of stay in foster care, parents’ status and reunification
goals, and whether the child is placed in foster or group housing, among
others.
Data from 2004- 2005 indicate that:
• 3,258 children with a permanency goal of adoption were still awaiting
adoption at fiscal year end 2004- 2005.12
3
• Florida’s FY 2003- 2004 adult and children’s mental health
services expenditures were $ 119.9 million, serving 237,586
adults and children.
• Many mentally ill adults end up being incarcerated, creating
further burdens on the budgets of the Department of
Corrections and county jails. 30
• Other predictable outcomes include over- utilization of hospital
emergency departments, homelessness, loss of work productivity
and earned income, and increased dependency on government
resources. 31
Conclusion
Despite the massive cost, infrastructure, and best efforts of DCF staff,
community- based care contractors and foster parents, the State of Florida
has failed to provide thousands of foster children with permanent adoptive
homes.
Florida’s adoption ban exacerbates this problem. Each time a child is
denied the opportunity to be adopted out of foster care because of the
ban, that child is denied the security and permanency that only adoption
can provide. In addition, the State of Florida commits to spend tens of
thousands of dollars to maintain that child unnecessarily in a foster care
system that is virtually guaranteed to lessen the child’s life prospects. In
sum, from both a fiscal and child welfare perspective, 32 Florida’s adoption
ban comes at a high price.
6
The following figures tell the story:
Criminal Justice
Former foster youth are three times as likely to be in the criminal justice
system as their non- foster peers. 19
Temporary Aid to Needy Families ( TANF)
Former foster youth are nine times as likely to receive TANF as their
non- foster peers. 20 Florida’s state share of its TANF expenditures for FYE
2004 exceeded $ 368 million, the sixth highest in US. 21
Food Stamps
Former foster youth are four times more likely than their peers to receive
Food Stamps. 22
Homelessness
Foster teens are 17.5 times more likely to be homeless than their
non- foster peers. 23 In state funds only, Florida homeless programs cost
$ 25.7 million in 2003 with program responsibilities spread over nine
state agencies. 24
Learning Disabilities
Former foster youth are 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with a “ less
severe” learning disability and seven times more likely to be diagnosed
with a “ severe” learning disability than their non- foster peers. 25
Mental Health
The typical traumas to which foster children are exposed in their families
of origin, 26 together with the stresses of multiple out- of- home placements
make foster youth a predictably large fraction of the 29,069 children who
are at risk of an emotional disturbance in Florida. 27 These childhood
traumas are recognized as correlating closely with the incidence of
subsequent adaptive and behavioral problems. 28 Children experiencing
emotional disturbances spent an average of eight days in in- patient care
in FY 2004- 2005.29
5
Footnotes
1 DCF, Child Welfare Annual Statistical Data Tables FY 2004- 2005, HomeSafenet, “ Children in Out-of-
Home Care by Legal Status by Length of Stay,” Table F- 5, p. 180. 9/ 11/ 05.
2 Although reunification with the child’s biological parents or other family member is often the goal,
this is not always possible due to abuse, neglect, abandonment or other factors.
3 “ In FY 2004- 2005, the last year for which figures are available, Florida received $ 29,873,959 in feder-al
funds pursuant to Title IV- B and $ 190,309,299 in federal funds pursuant to Title IV- E of the Social
Security Act. In that year, these sums amounted to 23.61 per cent of the total budget for Florida's
child welfare programs, a percentage which remains fairly consistent.” Senate Staff Analysis and
Economic Impact Statement CS/ SB 1080. Florida Senate, Children and Families Committee.
February 7, 2006, pp. 3- 4.
4 Florida Senate, Committee on Children and Families, Interim Project Report 2006- 104
“ Comparison of Florida’s Permanency Provisions for Foster Children to Federal Requirements,” 9/ 05,
p. 3.
5 Florida Senate, Committee on Children and Families, Senate Staff Analysis and Economic Impact
Statement CS/ SB 1080, id., p. 4.
6 Florida DCF, Division of Health and Human Services, Measure List 05- 06, “ Number of Children
with a Goal of Adoption Who Remain in Out- of- Home Care After 24 Months.” HHS Dashboard.
http:// dcfdashboard. dcf. state. fl. us/ index. cfm? purpose_ id= gaa& mcode= M0392& page= preview_ pbb
7 Id. Targets have not been met in any of the past three fiscal years. The targets for FY 04- 05 and 05-
06 are 32%, but the rate achieved in FY 04- 05 was 28.85%. “ Percent adoptions finalized within 24
months of the latest removal,” Table FS303, HHS Dashboard.
http:// dcfdashboard. dcf. state. fl. us/ index. cfm? page= menu_ listmeasures& purpose= GAA& lastyear= 0& off
ice_ id= 60910304& filter= office
8 DCF, Child Welfare Annual Statistical Data Tables FY 2004- 2005, HomeSafenet, “ Children
Adopted Within 24 Months,” Table G- 2, p 229, 9/ 11/ 05.
9 Florida DCF, Division of Health and Human Services, Measure List 05- 06, “ Number of Children
with a Goal of Adoption Who Remain in Out- of- Home Care After 24 Months.” HHS Dashboard.
http:// dcfdashboard. dcf. state. fl. us/ index. cfm? purpose_ id= gaa& mcode= M0392& page= preview_ pbb
10 “ Adopting a Child in Foster Care” at
http:// www. myflorida. com/ myflorida/ governorsoffice/ review_ year/ foster_ care. html. 9/ 24/ 05.
11 Child Welfare League of America, Summary of Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997,
http:// www. cwla. org/ advocacy/ asfap1105- 89summary. htm ( 12 December 2005); The Adoption and
Safe Families Act of 1997, P. L. 105- 89; the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act, P. L. 96- 272.
12 DCF, Child Welfare Annual Statistical Data Tables FY 2004- 2005, HomeSafenet, “ Breakdown of
Permanency Goals Established by Goal,” Table F- 3, p. 172, 9/ 11/ 05.
13 Reimbursements include, room, board, clothing, allowance and incidentals. Forty- one percent of
these costs were paid by the State of Florida.
14 National Association of Children’s Hospitals, 2005, Florida Medicaid Facts. Most children in foster
care qualify for Medicaid. Feaver, E., Clarke, L., and Amey, C. 2001. Medical, Developmental and
Behavioral Problems of Foster Children and the Capacity of Foster Care Providers in Florida, Appendix
A. Lawton and Rhea Childes Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies, University of South Florida,
Tampa; Department of Health Policy and Epidemiology Institute for Health Policy Research,
University of Florida, Gainesville.
15 Operational Audit, Department of Children and Family Services, Independent Living Transitional
Services Program, Exhibit 1. Florida Auditor General Report Number 2005- 119, February 2005.
These programs are currently severely under- funded and only roughly a quarter of those youth eligible
for assistance actually receive any of the funds. Id. These amounts do not reflect the full tuition waiver
afforded to former foster youth attending state colleges. To be eligible for tuition waiver the student
must have been in foster care upon attaining age 18 or must have been in the Subsidized Independent
Living program for at least six months prior to attaining age 18.
16 For example, foster youth score substantially lower on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement
Test ( FCAT), with fewer than 22% performing at grade level in reading and math; are nearly twice as
likely to be held back a grade in school; are five times more likely to change schools ( which is strongly
correlated to reduced school performance); are more likely to be diagnosed with learning disabilities;
are twice as likely to have school disciplinary problems that qualify them for dropout prevention poli-cies;
and are more likely to be homeless. Improvements in Independent Living Services Will Better Assist
State’s Struggling Youth. Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability
report number 05- 61, December, 2005 ( OPPAGA Report No. 05- 61), pp. 4- 5.
17 For example, former foster youth are less likely to attend post- secondary schools; typically earn only
one- forth the median wage of the same- age population; are more likely to receive public assistance;
and are three times more likely to be in prison or on probation. OPPGA Report No. 05- 61, id., pp. 6- 7.
18 OPPGA Report No., 05- 61, p. 2. The average cost per year to house a male prisoner in a Florida
state correctional facility is $ 17,603.95. For male juvenile offenders this number increases to
$ 19,063.95. For females, both adult and juvenile, the number increases to $ 21,359.80 per year.
Department of Corrections, “ Inmate Cost per day FY 2003- 04 Major Facilities Only.”
http:// www. dc. state. fl. us/ pub/ statsbrief/ cost. html. The cost per inmate day in boot camps, juvenile
detention facilities and community control are not compiled for this report.
19 OPPGA Report No. 05- 61, p. 7. During FY 2004- 2005, 1,108 foster children were placed in
Florida Department of Juvenile Justice ( DJJ) Detention, 254 were placed in a DJJ facility, and 69 were
placed in a jail or prison. DCF, HomeSafenet, “ Breakdown of Placements/ Other Placements,” Table
F- 2, p. 169, 9/ 11/ 05.
20 Id. at 6.
21 US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families. “ Table E:
Analysis of State MOE Spending Levels in FY 2004 Through the Fourth Quarter.”
http:// www. acf. hhs. gov/ programs/ ofs/ data/ 2004/ tableE_ 2004. html.
22 OPPGA Report No. 05- 61, p. 6.
23 Id. at 5. During FY 2004- 2005, DCF reported that 3,326 foster youth ran away and 51 were in
runaway shelters. DCF, Child Welfare Annual Statistical Data Tables FY 2004- 2005, HomeSafenet,
“ Breakdown of Placements/ Other Placements,” Table F- 2, p. 169, 9/ 11/ 05.
7 8
Appendix A
FOSTER CARE COST EXAMPLES
Assume Sarah comes into the foster care system at age 131, spends 5 full years in
the system, and then ages out of the system. The following expenditures could be
made on her behalf2:
Program Monthly Benefit
or Expense
Annual Benefit
or Expense
Cumulative
Benefit or
Expense
Monthly Room and Board3 $ 455.00 $ 5,460.00 $ 27,300.00
Medicaid4 $ 1,537.30 $ 7,686.50
Pre- Independent Living, age
13 up to age 15 and Life Skills,
age 15 up to age 185
$ 1,129.00 $ 5,645.00
Subsidized Independent Living
( SIL), age 16 up to age 186 $ 1,129.00 $ 2,258.00
Transitional Support, ages
18 up to age 237 $ 1,975.00 $ 9,875.00
Road to Independence ( RTI)
Scholarship, ages 18
up to age 238
$ 7,267.00 $ 36,335.00
In- State tuition waiver,
undergraduate 4 years ( e. g.,
FSU, $ 88.06/ credit hour. BS in
psychology, 120 credit hours) 9
$ 2,641.00 $ 10,564.00
Total State Expenditures varies $ 99,663.50
24 Economic Impact of Homelessness Is Significant; Improvements Needed at State and Local Levels.
Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability report number 05- 01. January
2005.
25 OPPGA Report No. 05- 61, p. 4.
26 Feaver, E., Clarke, L., and Amey, C. 2001. Medical, Developmental and Behavioral Problems of
Foster Children and the Capacity of Foster Care Providers in Florida. Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center for
Healthy Mothers and Babies, University of South Florida, Tampa; Department of Health Policy and
Epidemiology Institute for Health Policy Research, University of Florida, Gainesville.
27 Emotional Disturbance - a child must be under age eighteen and meet the following criteria: have
risk factors for emotional disturbance, such as referral to an educationally handicapped ( EH) program
in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 ( IDEA),
homelessness, family history of mental illness, have experienced or are experiencing abuse or neglect,
exposure to domestic violence, substance abuse, chronic or serious physical illness, or multiple
out- of- home placements. “ Served” means that they received at least one service event during the fiscal
year. Florida DCF, Division of Health and Human Services. Measure List 05- 06, “ Number of ED
children to be served.” HHS Dashboard.
http:// dcfdashboard. dcf. state. fl. us/ index. cfm? purpose_ id= gaa& mcode= M0031& page= preview_ pbb.
28 Feaver, E., Clarke, L., and Amey, C. 2001. Medical, Developmental and Behavioral Problems of
Foster Children and the Capacity of Foster Care Providers in Florida. Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center for
Healthy Mothers and Babies, University of South Florida, Tampa; Department of Health Policy and
Epidemiology Institute for Health Policy Research, University of Florida, Gainesville.
29 Florida DCF, Division of Health and Human Services. Measure List 05- 06, “ Projected annual
days emotionally disturbed ( ED) children ( excluding those in juvenile justice facilities) spend in the
community.” HHS Dashboard. http:// dcfdashboard. dcf. state. fl. us/ index. cfm? page= details& id= M0025.
During FY 2004- 2005, 223 foster youth were placed in mental health facilities and 3 were placed in
state hospitals. DCF, Child Welfare Annual Statistical Data Tables FY 2004- 2005, HomeSafenet,
“ Breakdown of Placements/ Other Placements,” Table F- 2, p. 169, 9/ 11/ 05.
30 National Association of Mental Illness. March, 2004. The State of Mental Health Services in Florida. p. 19.
http:// www. fccmh. org/ content/ 1/ File/ NAMI% 20State% 20of% 20MH% 20Services% 20in% 20Fla. pdf.
31 Adults with severe or persistent mental illness work for pay an average of only 34 days per year.
Florida DCF, Division of Health and Human Services, Measure List 05- 06, “ Average annual days
worked for pay for adults with severe and persistent mental illness.” HHS Dashboard.
http:// dcfdashboard. dcf. state. fl. us/ index. cfm? page= details& id= M0003.
32 The following child welfare organizations have passed policy statements supporting adoption by
otherwise qualified gay and lesbian adults: American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 1999;
American Academy of Family Physicians 2002; American Academy of Pediatrics 2002; American Bar
Association 1995, 1999, 2003; American Psychiatric Association 1997, 2002; American Psychoanalytic
Association 2002; American Psychological Association 1976, 2004; American Medical Association 2004;
Child Welfare League of America 1988; National Association of Social Workers 2002; North American
Council on Adoptable Children 1998, 2002, 2005.
9 10
5 Operational Audit, Department of Children and Family Services, Independent Living Transitional
Services Program. Florida Auditor General report number 2005- 119, February 2005. Exhibits 1 and 2
for the fiscal year 2004- 2005.
6 Prorata of state share of SIL expenditures for 2001- 2002 FY. Chafee Foster Care Independence
Program ( Cfcip) Fys 2001- 2004 Application and 2003 Progress Report. Department of Children and
Families, June 2003.
7 Chafee Foster Care Independence Program ( Cfcip) Fys 2001- 2004 Application and 2003 Progress
Report. Department of Children and Families, June 2003, amount based on median financial award,
OPPAGA Report 05- 61, p. 8.
8 Id.
9 2005- 2006 Florida State University Catalog.
10 According to Florida’s Partners in Crisis, local jails have become the largest public psychiatric hos-pitals
in the state, housing over 10,000 offenders with mental illnesses, many of whom are incarcerat-ed
for minor offences. National Mental Health Association,
http:// www. nmha. org/ shcr/ community_ based/ costoffset. pdf.
11 Fiscal year 2005- 2006.
12 Figure based on average cost of treatment for the 85,613 child served and does not include the
41,163 children in need of mental health services who received no treatment at all. Children’s Mental
Health Services Funding Equity/ Treatment Gap ( FY 2003- 2004), Annual Report of the Florida
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation, December 31, 2004, pp. 31- 32.
13 Cost of State Inpatient Psychiatric Program ( SIPP) is $ 330 per day. Celeste Fernandez, Pinellas
Emergency Mental Health Services ( PEMHS).
14 National Association of Children’s Hospitals, 2005, Florida Medicaid Facts. Most children in foster
care qualify for Medicaid. Feaver, E., Clarke, L., and Amey, C. 2001. Medical, Developmental and
Behavioral Problems of Foster Children and the Capacity of Foster Care Providers in Florida, Appendix
A. Lawton and Rhea Childes Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies, University of South Florida,
Tampa; Department of Health Policy and Epidemiology Institute for Health Policy Research,
University of Florida, Gainesville.
15 Chafee Foster Care Independence Program ( Cfcip) Fys 2001- 2004 Application and 2003 Progress
Report. Department of Children and Families, June 2003, amount based on median annual financial
award, OPPAGA Report 05- 61, p. 8.
16 The cost per year to house a female prisoner, whether adult or juvenile, is $ 21,359.80. Department
of Corrections, “ Inmate Cost per day FY 2003- 04 Major Facilities Only.”
http:// www. dc. state. fl. us/ pub/ statsbrief/ cost. html. Costs of prosecution, public defender, post- release
supervision, training and social welfare, recidivism, and poor earning power are not compiled for this
report.
12
Or, assume Sarah is in and out of foster care for most of her life, her biological
parents’ parental rights are terminated when Sarah is 13, and she spends 5 full
years in the system. Assume Sarah suffers from a psychological disability that
hampers her ability to learn and causes her to be disruptive in the classroom. Also
assume that Sarah suffers an emotional disturbance at age 16 and spends 8 days in
a mental health facility. Sarah is ultimately incarcerated on her 18th birthday and
is released 5 years later on her 23rd birthday. 10 The following expenditures could
be made on her behalf:
1 Children who enter Florida’s foster care system at age 12 or older have a 71.5% chance of aging out
of the system rather than being adopted. US Department of Health and Human Services,
Administration for Children and Families, Child Welfare Outcomes 2001: Annual Report.
http:// www. acf. hhs. gov/ programs/ cb/ publications/ cwo01/ statedata/ fl. htm.
2 Although the following Independent Living Services are available to current and former foster youth,
they are significantly under- funded and under- utilized ( for example, only 28% of eligible former foster
youth received assistance during FY2003- 2004) due to a variety of factors including, for example, fund-ing
shortfalls, administrative problems, and eligible youth being unaware that the aid is available.
See OPPGA Report 05- 61, pp. 8- 9.
3 Fiscal year 2005- 2006.
4 National Association of Children’s Hospitals, 2005, Florida Medicaid Facts. Most children in foster
care qualify for Medicaid. Feaver, E., Clarke, L., and Amey, C. 2001. Medical, Developmental and
Behavioral Problems of Foster Children and the Capacity of Foster Care Providers in Florida, Appendix
A. Lawton and Rhea Childes Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies, University of South Florida,
Tampa; Department of Health Policy and Epidemiology Institute for Health Policy Research,
University of Florida, Gainesville.
11
Program Monthly Benefit
or Expense
Annual Benefit
or Expense
Cumulative
Benefit or
Expense
Monthly Room and Board,
age 13 – 1811 $ 455.00 $ 5,460.00 $ 27,300.00
Mental Health Services12 $ 663.36 $ 3,316.80
Eight days in mental health
facility13 $ 330.00/ day $ 2,640.00
Medicaid14 $ 1,537.30 $ 7,686.50
Emergency Aftercare
assistance15 $ 1,200.00 $ 1,200.00
Average per diem at a Florida
women’s correctional facility
($ 58.52/ day) 16
$ 21,359.80 $ 106,799.00
Total State Expenditures varies $ 148,942.30
Appendix B
ADVERSE OUTCOMES FOR FOSTER YOUTH1
1 Unless otherwise noted, all figures in this appendix are from Improvements in Independent Living
Services Will Better Assist State’s Struggling Youth. Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis &
Government Accountability report number 05- 61, December 2005 ( OPPAGA Report 05- 61).
2 Failure to graduate high school is highly correlated with frequent change of schools and is a predictor of
future incarceration, diminished income, and reliance on social support programs. Dropout Prevention,
UCLA Mental Health in Schools Training and Technical Assistance Center, 2000. See, also, OPPAGA
Report 05- 61, pp. 4- 5.
3 The average cost per inmate- day for incarceration in Florida state correctional facilities is $ 48.23 as of
FYE 2004. The average cost is exceeded by male youthful offenders ($ 52.23/ day) and female offenders
both youthful and adult ($ 58.52). Florida Department of Corrections, “ Inmate Cost per day FY 2003- 04
Major Facilities Only.” http:// www. dc. state. fl. us/ pub/ statsbrief/ cost. html. The cost per inmate day in boot
camps, juvenile detention facilities, and community control are not compiled for this report.
13
Indicator/ Behavior General Population Foster Youth
Frequency of changing
schools 7% 38%
Disabilities that impede
learning: Less severe
Severe
13%
3%
34%
19%
Scored at grade level on
their FCAT exams:
Math
Reading
52%
38%
22%
18%
Held back a grade 10% 18%
Grade Point Averages 2.6 2.2
Disciplinary problems 24% 47%
In drop- out prevention
programs2 11% 29%
Prevelance of teen
homelessness 0.4% 7%
Seek post- secondary
education 54% 21%
Employment rates 53% 52%
Income $ 8,807.00 $ 2,234.00
On Food Stamp Program 5% 19%
On TANF Program < 1% 6%
In the criminal justice
system3 2% 6%
Each time a child is denied the opportunity to be
adopted out of foster care because of Florida’s ban,
that child is denied the security and permanency that
only adoption can provide. In addition, the State of
Florida commits to spend tens of thousands of dollars
to maintain that child unnecessarily in a foster care
system that is virtually guaranteed to lessen the child’s
life prospects. In sum, from both a fiscal and child
welfare perspective, Florida’s adoption ban comes at a
high price.
The High Cost of Denying Permanency:
An Analysis of the Economic Impact
of Florida’s Adoption Ban
March 2006