1. What does CHARLEE stand for?
CHARLEE is an acronym for Children Have All Rights: Legal, Educational, Emotional.
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2. How long has CHARLEE been in existence?
CHARLEE was founded in 1983 by the coordinated efforts of the Junior League of Miami, National Council of Jewish Women, and the Episcopal Diocese of S.E. Florida.
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3. What is CHARLEE's Mission?
The mission of CHARLEE is to provide exceptional services to abused, abandoned, and neglected children. Our vision is to restore a hopeful and safe future. Our goal is to empower each child and family to succeed.
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4. What does CHARLEE do?
Over the past 25 years, CHARLEE has developed an integrated continuum of care for the hardest to serve foster children; teenagers who have grown up in state care. This continuum consists of:
· residential care (foster homes and family care group homes)
· therapeutic services
· adoption services
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5. What do those services to children actually mean?
Since inception, CHARLEE has helped thousands of children in foster care begin a new life with the support of our caring professionals and a network of foster parents. Each year, CHARLEE serves approximately 1,000 children and families of all races and backgrounds, in both residential and non-residential programs. CHARLEE operates five (5) family care group homes located throughout Dade County in residential neighborhoods. The group homes consist of up to six children living with full-time foster parents who, with the support of an extensive professional staff, provide community based treatment and a stable environment for children who have experienced multiple foster homes or institutional placements. The Supported Foster Care Program started in 1996 as a system for recruiting, training, licensing and supporting foster families who take on the important task of raising abused and neglected children until such time as a permanent placement is found.
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6. What recognition has CHARLEE received for its work in our community?
CHARLEE was honored when it was selected by the Department of Children and Families to develop a Model Foster Care System as envisioned by the Florida Legislature. The program, which commenced on January 1, 2002, was an 18-month pilot study and served as a research and training model to improve the foster care system. The goal of CHARLEE's Model Residential Comprehensive Services Program was to create a safe and stable out-of-home system of care with an array of high quality services for children in need, while striving to achieve mandated permanency goals. The service delivery system is well integrated with community resources to address Medical, Educational, Clinical and Legal needs.
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7. What major challenges does CHARLEE face in taking care of children?
CHARLEE needs help from the community to raise the foster children in our community. We are always in need of caring foster parents and/or adoptive parents who would like to open their homes to a foster child. Foster parents are trained and supported by CHARLEE to take on the responsibility of raising foster children until a permanent placement is found for them, or until reunification with their biological family is accomplished. Many children have their parental rights terminated, and therefore become available for adoption. You can find out more about these services in our Join the Family Section.
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8. How else can people in the community become involved, or help, CHARLEE?
CHARLEE receives most of its funding from the state of Florida. However, in order to provide the quality care that CHARLEE is known for, we need the support of our community, in the form of donations of money, time or goods and services. CHARLEE accepts the donation of gently used or new items. Volunteers and mentors for the children are always needed to help provide support and leadership. CHARLEE also accepts monetary donations that are used to provide care or items directly for the children. CHARLEE also conducts fundraising events throughout the year to collect donations or items for the children. You can find out more about these services in our Join the Family Section.
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Email us at questions@charleeprogram.org or give us a call at (305)779-9600.