- Florida foster kids are given powerful medications, but Feds find state oversight lacking (KFF Health News, 9/27/2023)
- A federal audit has revealed significant issues in Florida’s child welfare system regarding the prescription and monitoring of psychotropic and opioid medications for foster children. The audit found lax record-keeping, missing authorization paperwork, and incomplete case files in a random selection of 115 children. Over 2,200 foster children, including 73 aged 5 or younger, in Florida are prescribed mental health medications, but in nearly half the cases, there were no records of the prescribed medications in the state’s primary case management system. The lack of oversight raises concerns about potential health and safety risks for these vulnerable children.
