Our foundation was born out of the care and concern for the families in our community involved in the child dependency system. After years of hearing “the system is broken” our goal is to gather those most acquainted with child dependency to contribute solutions from a variety of perspectives and disciplines.
Over 3,000 children were sheltered from their homes in Hillsborough County in 2023. With a majority of the children being in the system for over a year, and many being in the system in excess of 4 years, these children experience months of uncertainty, strained parent-child bonds and are at risk for engaging in deviant behavior influenced by unresolved trauma and the stress of being a child-in-care. Parents express feelings of hopelessness and frustration sometimes spiraling further into the habits and conduct that resulted in removal.
Hillsborough County faces challenges in achieving permanency and minimizing trauma for families in dependency cases. Tampa Bay Round Table is committed to facilitating necessary changes to improve our system and support the impacted community. We are dedicated to ending the practice of treating allegations and to instead begin treating families and their individual needs.
Our immediate agenda includes:
Hosting regular think-tank meetings with all participants and stakeholders in the Hillsborough dependency system.
Collaborating on solutions to reduce the average case length to 12 months.
Implementing a shelter “triage” model.
Advocating at the legislative level when necessary.
Establishing a visitation center where families utilize and practice newly learned skills necessary for reunification.
Distributing trauma-informed, attachment-based knowledge and education.
