Tampa, Fla. – Since becoming the lead agency for local child welfare on July 1, 2022, Children’s Network of Hillsborough County (CNHC) has worked diligently to prevent abuse and neglect, strengthen families, and keep children out of the foster care system whenever possible. These efforts have reduced the number of children receiving out-of-home care by 783 — a remarkable 32% decrease.

CNHC’s Intensive Family Services Team (IFST) has played a significant role in reducing the number of children in care by strengthening families. IFST provides a wealth of services and support to at-risk families when they need it most. The program has served more than 3,500 children so far, leading to a 55% decrease in the number of children sheltered. By investing in families upfront, CNHC has also saved taxpayers millions of dollars in out-of-home care costs.

Successful family reunifications have also reduced the number of children in the system. When a child enters foster care, CNHC and their partners work diligently to help the parent complete their case plans and reunify with their children. To date, CNHC has reunified 790 children with their families. Every reunification represents a real victory for everyone involved, especially the parents themselves.

In cases where reunification proves impossible, CNHC turns its focus to adoption to give children a second chance at a forever family. Under their leadership, the average number of adoptions finalized monthly has more than doubled. Nearly 800 children have been adopted since July 2022, making CNHC Florida’s top community-based-care agency for the total number of children adopted.

The substantial improvements seen in prevention, reunification, and adoption are part of the comprehensive, system-wide reforms achieved by CNHC and their partners.

“We set an ambitious goal of completely revitalizing the child welfare system in Hillsborough County, and through a lot of hard work, we’re achieving exactly that,” said CNHC CEO Terri Balliet. “Our children and families deserve nothing less, and our passionate team and partners will settle for nothing less.”