The Paisley Brown Child Protection and Accountability Act

No child should be returned to a home where violence is a known guest. The "Paisley Brown Child Protection and Accountability Act" is a legislative call to action born from a preventable tragedy. Currently, gaps in child welfare oversight allow children to be reunified with parents who share their homes—and their children’s lives—with individuals possessing documented histories of extreme violence and abuse. We are petitioning for a common-sense shift in Florida’s child welfare laws: prioritizing a child’s right to safety over a parent’s right to convenience.

This Act seeks to bridge the gap between "family reunification" and "child survival" by mandating that the Department of Children and Families (DCF) perform rigorous, mandatory background and domestic violence screenings on any adult with regular access to a child in the reunification process. Inspired by federal precedents like Kayden’s Law, this proposal demands:

• Mandatory Risk Disclosure: Explicit DCF-led criminal and abuse registry checks for all household members and regular romantic partners.

• High-Risk Restrictions: Automatic court-ordered safety plans or supervised contact when a partner has a history of violent felonies or child abuse.

• Systemic Accountability: An automatic internal review trigger if a child is harmed after being placed in a home with a known violent individual.

We are not asking for more government intrusion; we are demanding better government competence. We must ensure that "reunification" never again becomes a death sentence. By signing this petition, you are demanding that the law recognizes a simple truth: A child’s life is more valuable than a dangerous adult’s privacy.

In summary, 

Florida's child welfare system operates with the dual responsibility of protecting children from harm while also preserving families whenever it is safe to do so. Under Chapter 39 of the Florida Statutes, courts and the Department of Children and Families (DGF) work together to return children to their parents once conditions that led to removal have been addressed.

Although reunification remains a central goal of child welfare policy, certain cases demonstrate that risks to children can persist even after a parent has regained custody.

These risks may arise when there is a documented pattern of abuse or neglect by a caregiver, ongoing exposure to domestic violence, or when children are living in environments where individuals with histories of violent behavior have regular access to the household.

The Paisley Brown Child Protection and Accountability Act proposes targeted reforms intended to strengthen safety oversight in reunification cases involving significant risk factors. The proposal focuses on improving the evaluation of household safety conditions, strengthening documentation of abuse and neglect patterns, and ensuring that courts and the Department of Children and Families have clearer procedures for assessing environmental risks that may place children in danger after reunification.