Foster Care Review, Inc.
Facilitate, Advocate, Innovate, Evaluate
Foster Care Review, Inc.
EIN: 65-0118944
Mission
Florida Foster Care Review (FFCR) harnesses the power of community volunteers and organizations to advance the safety, stability and success of abused and neglected children, youth and young adults by connecting them to essential services, healthy relationships and forever families. FFCR's Citizen Review Panel (CRP) Program works with trained volunteers who facilitate comprehensive review hearings of children in foster care and identify unmet needs. Through the CRP's recommended orders, FFCR advocates for abused children to receive critical services that promote stability and well being. Our Permanency Roundtable (PRT) Program engages community partners in strategic action planning for youth lingering in foster care, creating lifelong families and healthy adult connections.
Ruling year
1989
Executive Director
Ms. Candice L. Maze, JD
Main address
Miami-Dade County Children's Courthouse 155 NW 3rd Street, Suite 4338
Miami, FL 33128 USA
EIN
65-0118944
Abuse prevention
Antidiscrimination
Foster care
Population served
Children and youth
Foster and adoptive children
Victims of crime and abuse
NTEE code
Foster Care (P32)
Protection Against and Prevention of Neglect, Abuse, Exploitation (I70)
Civil Rights, Advocacy for Specific Groups (R20)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
Our community’s abused and neglected children have suffered inconceivable harm. Although removed from their home for their safety, traumatized children often experience secondary harm caused by the abrupt separation from their family, friends and community. Some are then abused by substitute caregivers, creating a seemingly endless barriers to a successful, stable life. To make matters more difficult, Miami-Dade’s child welfare system serves approx. 3,000 children with case management turnover of +/- 45% yearly. The system lacks the capacity to both ensure that children’s critical needs are met and engage in the intense process required for permanency. As children stay in care longer, their probability of negative adult outcomes -- homelessness, poverty, illness, criminal justice system involvement, unplanned pregnancies, etc. -- goes up. Key to breaking this cycle is meeting their needs while in care, minimizing time in care, and ensuring exit from care to stable, loving adults.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Citizen Review Panel (CRP) Program
Florida Foster Care Review (FFCR) was incorporated in 1989 to ensure successful implementation of the Citizen Review Panel (CRP). Citizen review—using trained, independent volunteers to review cases of children in foster care—helps ensure that abused and neglected children are safe and receiving needed services. FFCR recruits, trains and supervises 70-80 volunteers who each serve on one of 12-15 panels monthly. The panels identify children’s needs and then make recommendations that protect and further children’s well-being.
FFCR’s staff and volunteers scour medical reports, analyze academic performance, and determine whether children’s caregivers are treating them well and providing necessary resources/support. Based on the findings, the CRP makes recommendations that, once signed by a judge, become mandatory court orders with which agencies must comply. The CRP’s recommendations enable FFCR to recommend judicial actions and social services, and to maintain pressure on child welfare agencies to ensure that children attain permanent, safe families as soon as possible. Thanks to orders initiated by the CRP, a girl with an undiagnosed hearing impairment might receive treatment, a teenager with a substance abuse problem might get counseling, or a child might be provided with tutoring to overcome an educational obstacle.
The CRP Program is one of only two such programs in the State of Florida. In 2018-19, FFCR’s citizen review panels conducted 658 review hearings for 423 children, identifying over 4,000 unmet health, educational, psychological and/or permanency needs of children and their families. This was made possible by our 91 trained, dedicated volunteers who contributed 3,100 hours of service worth nearly $300,000. During FY 2019-20, we anticipate conducting 650-700 CRP review hearings for 400-450 children.
Permanency Roundtable (PRT) Program
Based on a national model developed by Casey Family Programs, FFCR’s PRT Program is the only one of its kind in Miami. For each child, FFCR staff convene and coordinate a team composed of child welfare practitioners and community stakeholders, work with the team during a 2-hour initial roundtable to develop the child’s permanency action plan, and facilitate monthly strategy sessions to achieve goals. Between sessions, team members complete assigned tasks, which may include contacting key people from the youth’s past, linking the youth with therapy and more. The team format allows individual resources to be pooled and leveraged.
To build on program success, FFCR layered in Youth-Centered Roundtables (YCRTs) and Family Finding. The YCRT, held after the initial PRT, empowers older youth to identify and access their networks, thereby increasing their probability of connecting with a “forever family.” In 2017, to launch our Family Finding Initiative, key FFCR staff were trained in Kevin Campbell’s Family Finding model, which employs specific strategies to identify relatives and potential supportive adults. Activities include use of the National Institute for Permanent Family Connectedness’ Seneca Search database to find extended family; reengaging significant actors who may not have been in a position to stay connected or provide support previously; conducting a “file dig” to literally excavate people from the youth’s past; network mapping with the youth and/or relatives, and more. Our Outreach Specialist takes the lead, engaging with up to 30 individuals for each child.
Between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019, 92 of 140 youth served benefitted from Family Finding. From July 2014 through June 30, 2019, PRT teams have created a forever family or a lifelong permanent connection for 66% of the 108 youth who have exited the program -- an outstanding result we attribute to our pioneering multi-layered approach.
Where we work
Awards
Outstanding Non-Profit Champion for Children 2023
Florida's Children First
All-Stars Award for Volunteerism Finalist 2015
Switchboard of Miami
Outstanding Community Partner 2013
Miami-Dade Community Based Care Alliance
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Non-adult children
Related Program
Permanency Roundtable (PRT) Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Annually, the PRT Program serves 120-140 youth who have been in foster care an average of 2-3 years. Note: this metric does NOT include the 30-40 children served by Reunification Roundtables.
Number of foster care children placed with a family that were formally adopted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Permanency Roundtable (PRT) Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
65+% of youth who exit the program will achieve legal permanency or relational permanency. Reporting here the % of youth who achieved either outcome.
Number of times judge agrees with recommendations on the case/for the child made by volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Citizen Review Panel (CRP) Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Our volunteer-based review panel recommend actions to meet the physical, psychological, educational & permanency needs of each child reviewed. If judicially approved, they become enforceable orders.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Florida Foster Care Review (FFCR) provides children and youth in foster care with a powerful safety net - the Citizen Review Panel - that ensures their needs will be met while in care, and that they won't fall through the cracks due to an overburdened, under-resourced system. Our Permanency Roundtable Program connects children and youth in foster care to a "forever family" through reunification, adoption or permanent guardianship and to build lifelong, supportive adult connections - key elements of building resilience and buffering against the long-term effects of childhood trauma and adversity. Through our programs, FFCR builds knowledge about both individual obstacles and systemic barriers commonly faced by children in foster care. We have regularly used this information to address specific concerns, such as the unique needs of youth with disabilities aging out of foster care, the adolescent health issues of foster youth ages 13-17, and foster youth's experiences regarding sexual identity. We advocate for a child welfare system that is more responsive to the needs of the children and families it serves.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
FFCR harnesses the power of community volunteers to advance the safety, well-being and long-term stability of abused and neglected children and young adults in the foster care system. To accomplish our mission, we facilitate volunteer-led case review hearings that identify and address thousands of unmet needs each year. We also convene and lead teams of professionals and volunteers who strategically and systematically pursue lifelong families for children and youth otherwise destined to age out of foster care. Through our newsletter, social media, participation in/hosting of conferences and events, policy advocacy, and ongoing trainings for child welfare practitioners and community stakeholders, we provide thought leadership -- sharing best practices, developing new solutions, and advocating for system change.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
FFCR’s nearly 30 years of implementing the CRP have given us a thorough understanding of the challenges facing abused and neglected children and youth, and the ways in which the child welfare system both helps and hinders those for whom it cares. At the same time, FFCR has learned firsthand the practices necessary to facilitate an effective, collaborative process. In 2013, our board decided to leverage FFCR’s years of experience in order to do more for children in need. Through the PRT Program, we combined and leveraged FFCR's unique knowledge bank and long-standing child welfare partnerships to address one of the urgent needs seen all too often during CRP hearings -- the need for permanency. Our staff’s combined experience exemplifies not only FFCR’s ability to perform the proposed services, but also our ties to the community and depth of knowledge about the challenges facing Miami-Dade children and youth in foster care. Our staff is highly reflective of the community that we serve.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
During FY 2021-22, the CRP Program conducted 418 reviews for 264 children and young adults in foster care, or approximately 20% of the children in foster care. During this time, a total of 70 volunteers actively served on one of our 10-12 monthly citizen review panels contributing 2,400 hours of service, valued at just over $203,000. Our panels identified and addressed 2,785 safety, permanency and well-being needs. To ensure a speedy response to children’s most critical and/or urgent needs, FFCR deployed our Advocacy Manager who advocated in court or behind the scenes to ensure the CRP’s recommendations were followed. These Post Review Advocacy efforts, resulted in a record 77% compliance by case managers with court orders issued through the CRP, which ultimately ensured that children, young adults and their families received the resources, services and support they needed. The CRP Program’s special Outreach and Engagement Initiative enabled the participation of a record number of caregivers and young adults in their CRP hearings, enhancing the quality and impact of the reviews.
More than 300 youth have been served by the PRT Program since its inception. Of the 220 who had exited the program as of December 31, 2022, an incredible 74% had achieved permanency through adoption, permanent guardianship or reunification or had been linked to a lifelong, supportive adult committed to fulfilling a parental role. Considering that the youth we serve have typically spent between two and five years in foster care prior to being referred to our program, these outcomes are especially impressive.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2022 info
3.87
Months of cash in 2022 info
2.3
Fringe rate in 2022 info
20%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Foster Care Review, Inc.
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
Foster Care Review, Inc.
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
This snapshot of Foster Care Review, Inc.’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $3,705 | $15,691 | -$10,030 | $85,242 | -$266,952 |
| As % of expenses | 0.3% | 1.2% | -0.7% | 5.6% | -14.2% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$5,831 | $10,334 | -$16,910 | $77,126 | -$275,139 |
| As % of expenses | -0.5% | 0.8% | -1.1% | 5.1% | -14.6% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $1,256,928 | $1,360,613 | $1,482,436 | $1,600,222 | $1,613,590 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 2.4% | 8.2% | 9.0% | 7.9% | 0.8% |
| Program services revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Government grants | 58.9% | 47.9% | 49.5% | 55.0% | 40.5% |
| All other grants and contributions | 41.0% | 52.0% | 50.4% | 44.5% | 59.3% |
| Other revenue | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $1,253,555 | $1,344,925 | $1,492,466 | $1,514,980 | $1,880,542 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 0.9% | 7.3% | 11.0% | 1.5% | 24.1% |
| Personnel | 79.3% | 82.3% | 86.3% | 88.9% | 85.4% |
| Professional fees | 9.8% | 5.9% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 7.4% |
| Occupancy | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.8% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 10.0% | 10.9% | 9.0% | 7.6% | 6.5% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $1,263,091 | $1,350,282 | $1,499,346 | $1,523,096 | $1,888,729 |
| One month of savings | $104,463 | $112,077 | $124,372 | $126,248 | $156,712 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $225,500 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $13,602 | $6,250 | $6,934 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $1,381,156 | $1,468,609 | $1,630,652 | $1,874,844 | $2,045,441 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 4.6 | 4.8 | 6.2 | 4.7 | 2.3 |
| Months of cash and investments | 4.6 | 4.8 | 6.2 | 4.7 | 2.3 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 6.2 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 2.9 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $476,353 | $541,182 | $770,014 | $593,012 | $360,710 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $212,789 | $153,873 | $151,826 | $181,942 | $154,554 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $103,889 | $110,139 | $117,073 | $121,094 | $123,680 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 67.3% | 68.4% | 70.2% | 74.6% | 79.6% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 7.5% | 7.6% | 31.1% | 9.4% | 16.4% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $679,172 | $689,506 | $672,596 | $749,722 | $474,583 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total net assets | $679,172 | $689,506 | $672,596 | $749,722 | $474,583 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Ms. Candice L. Maze, JD
Candice L. Maze, JD has served as FFCR’s Executive Director since July 2012. Prior to joining FFCR, Candice held executive level positions at the Miami-Dade Community Based Care Alliance, the Dependency Court Intervention Program for Family Violence, and Lawyers for Children America, Inc. (Miami office). In 2002, Candice founded Maze Consulting, Inc. and spent a decade providing targeted training, programmatic consultation, strategic planning, meeting facilitation, publication development, project management, and data analysis for courts, agencies, and organizations that interface with the child welfare system. She has authored numerous publications and has presented locally and national on improving practices, systems, and outcomes for children and families involved with the child welfare system. Candice began her child advocacy career in 1997 as a Staff Attorney for Miami’s Guardian ad Litem Program.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Foster Care Review, Inc.
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Foster Care Review, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 05/19/2023
Board of directors data
Michelle Weber
Bilzin Sumberg
Term: 2023 - 2025
Michelle Weber, MBA
Bilzin Sumberg
Christopher Hutchins, CPA
Kaufman Rossin
Adam Sendzischew, MBA, CFP®, TEP
Jones Lowry
Lynne Kafka, Esq.
Attorney
Alex Rattner
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Jennifer Gross
Brown Harris Stevens
Martha Garcia
Florida Blue
Aaron Gordon
Schwartz Media Strategies
Allen J. West
Studio Miami Partners
Christian Garcia
Cherry Bekaert LLP
Giselle Hugues
Northern Trust
Lourdes Avino
Attorney
Ruth Behlman
Child Advocate
Ruth Ramirez
True North Classical Academies Fdn
Donald McCorkell Jr.
Regions Bank
Dara Jeffries
White & Case
Iris Acosta-Zobel
IAZ Hospitality Advisors
Greg Muzii
Kaufman, Rossin & Co.
Sandra Dan
DCS
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/02/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
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