Hillsborough Kids Inc. likely to lose $65.5 million annual contract

Smarting from a handful of egregious deaths of children under its watch, the agency in charge of protecting Hillsborough County's most vulnerable young people likely will be replaced.

At stake is a $65.5 million annual contract that would allow Hillsborough Kids Inc. to continue providing services to about 2,800 abused and neglected children and teenagers for the next five years. It has held the contract for more than 10 years.

No one on a committee formed to make the recommendation specifically cited the children's deaths in making the switch to Eckerd, already the lead agency for child welfare services in Pinellas and Pasco counties. Only Eckerd and HKI vied for the lucrative contract.

"I selected Eckerd due to its demonstration of being a dynamic leader," said Walter Sachs, contract specialist with the Department of Children & Families, at Tuesday's committee meeting. "It just has a getting-better-all-the-time mentality."

The committee's unanimous recommendation now goes to DCF Secretary David Wilkins, who is expected to approve it by Jan. 13.

Hillsborough County's system of child welfare services is the most complicated in the country, said Mike Carroll, DCF's regional director.

Here, the attorney general handles legal matters, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office investigates allegations of abuse and neglect, and HKI, which has caseworkers contracted by DCF, provides monitoring and counseling to families. HKI oversees a network of providers, considered subcontractors, that includes Mental Health Care Inc., Children's Home Society, Gulf Coast Community Care and several others.

"I think the fact that the selection committee voted unanimously to make a change was really a resounding message that folks are looking for improved performance, improved outcomes for kids and families, and they're not satisfied with the performance of the current system," Carroll said.

One of the most disturbing child deaths occurred under HKI's watch in May 2009, when a 17-year-old mother's boyfriend, Richard McTear Jr. threw her infant son onto Interstate 275. Caseworkers had encouraged the man, who had a history of domestic violence, to help the teenager care for the baby.

McTear is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Emanuel Wesley Murray.

"We dropped the ball," Jeff Rainey, president and chief executive officer of HKI, said at the time.

In 2011, three agencies were involved with the family of Ronderique Anderson, a 16-month-old who died after his father was given custody of him. The man said he threw the baby as punishment, hitting the boy's head on a piece of furniture, resulting in his death.

Also last year, a man previously accused of beating a toddler to death was charged in the abuse of the boy's sister. A judge had barred the man from his girlfriend's home, but he continued to live there with the knowledge of caseworkers.

"This is such a complex system," said Rainey on Tuesday. "There are so many parts to it, it's so hard to put your finger on what exactly leads to child deaths. But they are always tragic. Evil people do evil things."

Rainey, who called his work in child protective services a "lifestyle," had a request for Eckerd employees.

"Take care of our kids," he said, with tears in his eyes.

HKI began overseeing child protective services in 2001, following a 1998 state mandate that such services be "privatized," or provided by outside agencies. DCF had botched several child investigations, and a new way was sought to deal with the complicated and often messy business of trying to decide how best to help children in dangerous situations.

A board of Hillsborough community leaders and social service agencies joined together to create HKI.

Eckerd, which began 40 years ago, has offices and facilities in seven states, including Texas, Louisiana, Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire. It serves about 11,000 children and families each year. Eckerd Academy in Brooksville, a residential treatment center for at-risk boys ages 10 to 17, is one of 30 privately and publicly funded services nationwide.

April Putzulu, Eckerd spokeswoman, said the transition process in Hillsborough will take about six months.

Even with the switch to Eckerd, familiar faces will continue to provide services, said DCF's Carroll.

"The change will be seamless for clients," he said. "The subcontractors will stay the same."