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Butterworth: Champion for Children

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By DOUGLAS SESSIONS JR.

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 4, 2008

Department of Children and Families Secretary Bob Butterworth, who announced his resignation last week, will be sorely missed. The straight shooter restored confidence in the much maligned agency. Understanding that when mistakes aren't acknowledged they will be repeated, he encouraged workers to openly admit mistakes, no small task in an agency notoriously adverse to transparency.

Instead of relying solely on his own knowledge, experience and abilities, which were substantial, he did something unexpected and refreshing. He listened. Butterworth listened to department staff explain their day-to-day challenges and their proposals for solutions. He listened to foster children explain how the department could preserve families in trouble and better provide for those children who, through no fault of their own, must enter the state's care.

Because he was willing to not only listen, but to act on what he heard, something truly remarkable happened. The department began to establish trusting relationships with the communities, individuals and providers it serves. Among other things, the department became more open to innovative approaches to preventing child abuse and neglect before it ever starts. The department's focus shifted from taking children into foster care toward strengthening troubled families.

Butterworth understood the value of prevention in stabilizing Florida's families and communities and reducing short and long-term economic impacts from child abuse and neglect. He strongly supported Healthy Families Florida, the state's nationally accredited, voluntary home visiting program that is proven to prevent child abuse and neglect in high-risk families. Because of his commitment to prevention, Butterworth's funding proposals and the department's budgets were generally accepted by Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Legislature. Although the department experienced substantial cuts to its bottom line, as did Healthy Families, the prevention efforts Butterworth championed are now entrenched in the legislative mindset.

Just as family stability is critical for the healthy development of children, stability at the Department of Children and Families is critical to maintaining high quality services for Florida's most vulnerable residents. We applaud Butterworth's recommendation to Gov. Crist that the top post be filled from within. The leadership team he put in place has restored our faith and given us renewed hope for Florida's future. Bob Butterworth has taught them well. They are more than capable of staying the course.

Douglas Sessions, Jr. is president and CEO of the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida,a private, nonprofit corporation whose mission is to identify, fund, support and evaluate innovative prevention and early intervention programs for at-risk children.

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