DCF.

A recent investigation into the deaths of 477 children who were known to be at risk by Department of Children and Families shockingly revealed the abysmal failure of DCF and its community partners.

The reality is that as DCF reduced the number of children in its dangerous, burgeoning out-of-home care system from 50,000 in 2002 to 16,000, it failed with its private partners to take action to protect community children that investigators determined were in harm's way.

Recently, Interim DCF Secretary Esther Jacobo has been open and invited collaborative solutions to address these failures, and the Florida Legislature is considering several measures that could create the reforms advocates have been demanding for years to protect both community children and children taken into state care, as well.

Under the current law, when state workers investigate reports of abuse, they must close their investigations within 60 days, no matter the finding of future risk. Proposed legislation would require lead...