For more than a year, the Miami Herald dug through Department of Children & Families records and police reports to find out how and why nearly 500 children died over the past six years after falling through the Florida Department of Children & Families’ protective net.
The investigative series, Innocents Lost, uncovered the disturbing stories and found that the agency had embraced a family preservation philosophy without ensuring all the necessary social services were in place to keep children safe in troubled homes.
On Thursday, April 17th, ¸Û°ÄÌìϲÊand the Miami Herald partnered together to produce a town hall on improving the child welfare system. Over 200 people gathered at the Doral headquarters of the Herald to hear from a panel of reporters, state legislators, DCF officials, child advocates and concerned citizens. Listen to a one-hour excerpt and, below, follow the online conversation.