FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2019
MIAMI, FLORIDA— Citrus Family Care Network is proud to announce that it has been selected as the Child Welfare Community Based Care (CBC) Lead Agency for the Southern Region by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF).
DCF contracts with CBC Lead Agencies across the state to provide child welfare services in their local communities for children who have been abused, neglected and/or abandoned. The Southern Region includes Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties.
Citrus Family Care Network is a division of Citrus Health Network, a non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center that has been providing services to the child welfare population for more than 27 years.
Citrus provides specialized foster care and other child welfare services focused on helping children with emotional, behavioral and other special needs, as well as survivors of human trafficking. Citrus is currently the largest provider of specialized therapeutic foster care services in the region. Each year Citrus serves more than 200 children in the foster care system and over 3,500 children and young adults with high risk and high needs
“We look forward to working collaboratively with the Department of Children and Families, child welfare providers, foster and adoptive parents, and community partners to ensure a smooth transition and a System of Care that best serves vulnerable children and their families,” said Mario Jardon, Citrus’ President and CEO. The CBC Lead Agency contract is set to begin on July 1, 2019.
Mr. Jardon has selected Esther Jacobo, former Interim DCF Secretary, as the Director for the Citrus Family Care Network division.
In accepting her new position, Ms. Jacobo said, “I am thrilled to be joining an agency with such a strong track record of service, and for the opportunity to serve the most vulnerable children and families in our community.”