Dear Members of the Lead CBC Contract Negotiations Committee,

I am writing in support of Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe Inc. to be selected as the Lead CBC Agency for the Southern Region. I am confident in their commitment to ensuring every child in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties grows up with a safe, nurturing, loving, and permanent family were they will develop the skills needed to become a contributing, self-confident adult. 

Over the past year Our Kids has made many changes including bringing in a leadership team with a wealth of child welfare specific experience and knowledge. Under the leadership of George Sheldon and Michael Williams, and now continuing with Michael Williams and Annette Jose, Our Kids has instilled a great sense of confidence and trust by building a truly collaborative environment. Under the current leadership at Our Kids, foster parents are treated as respected and valued stakeholders in the Child Welfare community, instead of a commodity that is merely used by the system. Daily we see the Our Kids team strive to be inclusive and listen to the voices of the children, foster parents, providers, and community partners.

Our Kids has made great strides in assessing the challenges and areas of improvement in our system of care, by launching a strategic plan to improve outcomes for our children and families. As foster and adoptive parents, many of us, with no further recourse, have relied on Our Kids to step in and help resolve issues with the Full Case Management Agencies to promote change and accountability. Furthermore, they have empowered our foster parent association to meet the needs of foster parents through their support of our Peer Advocate Program.

As an agency, Our Kids has the experience, expertise and community support needed to best serve as the Lead CBC agency in our community. I wholeheartedly give them my full support.