Critical Incident

Rapid Response
Team
Brayden Trahern

Florida Department of Children and Families

August 29, 2015

Critical Incident Rapid Response Team

Brayden Trahern
Northeast Region
Circuit 7
Putnam County, Florida
2015-199342

Table of Contents
Executive Summary

Introduction

Case Participants

Genogram

Child Welfare Summary

System of Care Review

Practice Assessment
Organizational Assessment
Service Array

13
14
15
16

Immediate Operational Response

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Executive Summary
On July 27, 2015, the Department of Children and Families received an abuse report after four
year old Brayden Trahern was found unresponsive in his bedroom earlier that morning. Brayden
passed away two days later after attempts by medical professionals to regain brain activity were
unsuccessful. Based on interviews conducted by law enforcement, it was alleged that another
child in the home, eleven year old
, was responsible for the strangulation and
subsequent death of Brayden. At the time of this incident, the Department had an open Child
Protective Investigation involving the families of both children who were residing together in one
household.
Brayden was born to a young mother and father,
The familys involvement with the child welfare system
began shortly after his birth. During his young life, Brayden was exposed to multiple instances of
complex trauma - living in a home with ongoing domestic violence perpetrated by caregivers with
extensive criminal histories, generational
abuse, homelessness, substance abuse
, and physical injuries suffered while in
care. Due to his mothers reliance on
others for financial and other supports, the family never stabilized in one environment for any
length of time and the mother became a victim of domestic violence in several of her
relationships. These violent episodes soon resulted in the physical abuse of Brayden. After his
mothers involvement with paramour,
, Brayden was engaging in age
inappropriate sexual behaviors and Ms. Trahern believed that Brayden had been sexually
abused by a former paramour; however, there is no indication she ever reported that to law
enforcement or sought treatment for him.
One of the most critical junctures impacting these families was during the re-entry of eleven year
old
into the home in late June 2015 after receiving six months of treatment from
Florida Palms Academy, Inc., a Statewide Inpatient Psychiatric Program (SIPP) for juvenile
sexual offenders. This report shall examine the factors involving both families and an
assessment of the response of the overall child welfare system as it relates to Braydens safety
and well-being.
Summary of findings:
Practice Assessment
A. Sufficient information was not collected and analyzed to support the identification of
existing safety threats. Consequently, available information was not effectively utilized to
identify present danger and accurately assess parental capacities, resulting in an
inappropriate level of intervention to ensure the safety of all of the children in the home.
B. When new information was received impacting child safety and decision making, there
was not an adequate response by child welfare officials to address those risk factors.

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Organizational Assessment
A. Overall, the Child Protective Investigators in Putnam County are relatively new in their
role; however, there is nothing to indicate that workload impacted the ability of the
investigative staff to conduct these investigations according to existing practices and
protocols.
B. The team determined that local relationships with child welfare partners is positive and
that there is an overall workforce culture focused on the importance of teamwork.
The executive management team has made some recent changes to the leadership in
the Child Protective Investigations program which have had a favorable impact to morale
and overall leadership.
Service Array
A. There was a lack of ongoing communication and collaboration amongst the providers
working with the family which limited the ability of agencies to effectively share critical
information and identify a comprehensive strategy to meet the behavioral health needs of
the children and family. This lack of interagency communication also resulted in unclear
expectations and blurred responsibilities relative to treatment and discharge planning as
well as service referral and follow-up with the family upon
discharge to the home.
B. The Putnam county area is limited in its capacity to meet the needs of families with
extensive and complex histories requiring a multitude of coordinated services. This
challenge is compounded by the limits of families to obtain transportation for services not
provided within the family home.
C. The level of service provision for these families was not adequate for the needs of the
family system as identified throughout child protective interventions.

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Introduction
On July 27, 2015, the Department of Children and Families received an abuse report after four
year old Brayden Trahern was found unresponsive in his bedroom earlier that morning. Brayden
passed away two days later after attempts by medical professionals to regain brain activity were
unsuccessful. Based on interviews conducted by law enforcement, it was alleged that another
child in the home, 11 year old
was responsible for the strangulation and
subsequent death of Brayden. At the time of this incident, the Department had an open Child
Protective Investigation involving the families of both children who were residing together in one
household. As a result, Secretary Mike Carroll requested an on-site CIRRT review to assess the
circumstances surrounding this case and an evaluation of the system of care as it relates to
involvement with the
/Trahern families.
Members of the CIRRT team arrived in Putnam County on July 31st and concluded their on-site
review on August 4th. The team reviewed all investigative files, medical and behavioral health
information including Child Protection Team reports, conducted interviews with investigative staff
and administration, reviewed law enforcement records, and interviewed behavioral health and
domestic violence providers as well as representatives from Childrens Legal Services and the
local Community Based Care program.
The review team consisted of representatives from the Department of Children and Families
(DCF), DCFs Office of Child Welfare, Childrens Legal Services, the Department of Health, the
Florida Abuse Hotline, Women in Distress (domestic violence service provider), Lifestream
Behavioral Health, Eckerd Community Alternatives (community-based care provider in the
SunCoast Region). In addition, two representatives from the Office of Substance Abuse and
Mental Health have been identified to conduct a review of the managed care program and SIPP
which was responsible for the coordination of care
This report presents the CIRRTs findings, including the child welfare history, the family
composition, a summary of the local child welfare services providers, a comprehensive review of
treatment records, as well as an analysis of the system of care.

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Case Participants
Name
Brayden Trahern
Kyra Trahern

Age at Time of Incident

4 years

Relationship
Deceased Child

23 years

Mother to Brayden,

1 years

Sibling to Brayden

37 years

Mother

11 years

Child
alleged
juvenile responsible for death

3 years
18 years

child in home
Adult child
home

not in

11 years

child not in home

8 years

child not in home

44 years

paramour

father/Kyras former

23 years

Braydens father/Kyras former

paramour

62 years

Maternal grandfather
Custodian

59 years

Maternal grandmother
Custodian

50 years
65 years

father/Former
Former

paramour
caregiver
Former caregiver
/Mother

75 years

Former caregiver
/Father

18 years

Son

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FAMILY GENOGRAM

Kyra
Trahern

Unknow n

Unknow n
Brayden
Trahern

Unknow n

Genogram Symbols

Male

Female

Adopted
Child

Death

Family Relationships
1
4 Marriage
4 Cohabitation
1 Love Affair
3 Other or Unknow n

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The open investigation was called to the hotline on June 1, 2015 with allegations of physical
abuse of
(
half-sibling) by
father. At the time of the report, 3 year old
was living with
older adult sibling
and the mothers friend during the mothers
incarceration. It was further alleged that
brother,
had removed the child from
the care of
mothers paramour (Kyra Trahern) due to men coming and going in the home. It
was confirmed during the commencement of that investigation that
mother,
was incarcerated and that upon her release she would be returning to the family home
with her paramour Kyra and her two children (Brayden, 4 and
2). The reporter also
cited concerns about
history of sexually molesting other children and his own history as
a victim of sexual abuse. It was further learned that
was being released from a Statewide
Inpatient Psychiatric Program (SIPP) later that same month and would also be returning to the
home to live with his mother
her paramour, Ms. Trahern, and her own two children,
Brayden and
had been admitted to the Miami program in December 2014 for
sexually reactive behaviors.
On June 26, 2015, an additional report was received by the Florida Abuse Hotline alleging that
the mother was not adequately following a safety plan created by the mental health providers
.
The reporter further stated that the mother admitted to allowing
to sleep in the same room
with other children during his first night back in the family home. No further child welfare
interventions were initiated until the incident resulting in Braydens death.

Child Welfare Summary

The prior history
is extensive, and includes multiple incidences of abusive
and neglectful behaviors
. It is evident that both
of these mothers suffered extensive
trauma and that trauma had a
significant impact on their ability to effectively parent their children and safeguard them from
potential harm.

As a caregiver, the Department began receiving abuse reports involving

in 2001.
Initially, there were concerns that she was leaving her child
(age 4) in the care of a
paramour
and the mother and
paramour were engaging in sexual conduct
. The paramour had a
significant history of abuse reports
. Soon after, the mother
sent
to live with
grandparents.

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it was reported that the mother was abusing substances

.
In January 2003, the mother was found to be living with the former paramour
in an environment that was deemed to be hazardous. She was subsequently referred for
in-home services to assist with the cleanliness of the home. Two months later, another report
was received for family violence and substance misuse. It was alleged that the mother was in a
physical altercation with her former paramour, that she was engaging in prostitution, and leaving
with inappropriate caregivers. The mother had tested positive for cocaine, however,
reported she had ceased use of substances due to her current pregnancy. After a subsequent
report was received two months later after the mother and former paramour reunited and
allegations of physical abuse were verified. Two months after that report was closed, the mother
, tested positive for cocaine. Both

had no additional involvement with child welfare officials until two years later in June
2005 after she gave birth to
The report was received due to threatened harm of the
newborn in her care
Although the
investigative summary lists the prior reports involving the family, the investigator felt there were
no safety concerns to the newborn as the mother was living with another family
The case was closed with no findings of maltreatment and no service
provision.
In June 2006, the hotline received a report of inadequate supervision of
while still in the
home
This investigation was closed with no indications of maltreatment. Later that year,
the mother was incarcerated and left
in the care of the
family. There were
concerns that due to the advanced age of the couple and their medical problems that they were
not able to properly care for
The
were also the adoptive parents and biological
maternal grandparents of
These children were the biological
children of
former paramour,
The
reported they were fully capable of caring for
and the mother had
given them a Power of Attorney for his care shortly after his birth.
further stated she
and the mother had talked about the potential of
She further reported the
mother was using drugs at the time of her felony arrest and that the mother was currently 4
months pregnant. There was no indication of maltreatment at the conclusion of this investigation
and no services provided. It is later alleged that
was sexually abused
(17) while both were residing in the
family home, however, no formal investigation was
completed.
In September of 2008, a similar report was received with concerns of the care of the children with
the
It was reported that the familys mobile home had burnt down, that
has

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medical limitations, and that the family possibly had mental issues. The investigator assisted
the family with TANF funds until the insurance company was able to compensate them for the
mobile home repairs. The mothers whereabouts were unknown and the investigation revealed
no implications as to the children being unsafe.
After a lapse of involvement for four years,
and his mother were named in a report in 2012
while residing in a new household with the
and
families. Concerns were called to
the hotline regarding
The mother had brought the child to stay at the
home after her
child disclosed
and
were already residing in this home at the
time of the report.
In September of 2013, while continuing to reside in the
home,
was alleged to have
been suffering from physical abuse and bizarre punishment by caregiver
Residing in
the home at the time were married couple
who are the parents of two
biological children
19 and
12.
was also residing in the home with
her children
, 9,
6, and
1. The Child Protection Investigator identified
three marks across
leg, however, all of the adults denied knowledge of the origin of the
childs injuries. The initial allegations reported that
was the perpetrator, however,
reported
struck with a belt. A collateral contact with
social worker
through
confirmed
that the
and
mother were involved in his program. The counselor
felt the child was now doing
well. Contact with
child care program confirmed regular attendance and no concerns
regarding
care. This investigation was closed as not substantiated for maltreatment and no
additional service referrals were made.
sexualized behaviors became evident in February of 2014 when a new report was
received alleging that
had been sexually acting out
Additionally, it was reported that
and was receiving medication for these conditions. The report added that
was digging up
dead animals, had pushed
into traffic, and had been physically and sexually
abused by another unknown child. During the investigation, it was learned that
had
been sexually involved with the
and that
was actually the biological child of
and
. The CPI determined that the mother had left
in the care of the
during another period of incarceration, however, she reports being back in the home for
the past two years.
. The adults in the home reported they were providing close
supervision of the children until such time that
could be placed in a residential setting.
Stewart Marchman, the local behavioral health provider, agreed to continue to work on a
placement for
and the investigation was closed.

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More extensive concerns of

behaviors surfaced in May of 2014 when it was learned that

After additional interviews were conducted by the Child Protection Team, it was learned that
completed a psychological evaluation with Dr. Vallely and was recommended
for inpatient treatment as a child sexual offender. During his interview,
disclosed a history
of sexual abuse by
physical abuse
, and family violence while in the
home. It was alleged during these interviews that
may have also been previously sexually abused by
(son to former
caregivers) who was eighteen at the time of the incident and now resided out of state.
were receiving sexual abuse counseling and the provider was working
with the family on effective safety planning for the children. The investigation was closed in June
and documented that efforts were being made to place
in a Statewide Inpatient Psychiatric
Placement (SIPP)
while he continued to receive outpatient counseling. An
additional abuse report had been screened out by the hotline earlier that month alleging that
had been sexually abused by

In December 2014, a report was received alleging that

and her new paramour, Kyra
Trahern, were engaging in sexual acts in the presence of the children. Both of these women
were residing at a domestic violence shelter with
and Ms. Traherns two children,
Brayden and
and it was reported that Brayden and
Upon receipt of this report,
was in the custody of
father,
, and
was placed in a local youth shelter awaiting a SIPP placement in
Florida. The mothers denied being involved romantically which was later confirmed. On
December 30, 2014,
was placed at Florida Palms Academy, Inc., a residential juvenile
sexual offender program.
Kyra Trahern
Ms. Trahern has an extensive history of involvement with the child protection system,
Brayden. Ms. Trahern

Ms. Trahern

Trahern

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Ms.

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in June of 2003.

While there is documentation that the situation was staffed with

Childrens Legal Services, there is no documentation as to the outcome of the staffing. The
grandparents were reminded of their responsibility to be protective of the children and the
investigation was closed with some indications of family violence.

The first report in which Ms. Trahern was involved in an abuse report as a parent was in June of
2011 when she was 18 years old.

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The mother began a new relationship with

the mother had filed a temporary injunction against him for his physical and mental
abuse toward her and the children. The mother reported that
had punched Brayden in
the stomach and kicked him so hard he vomited. The injunction was not granted by the court
and the mother continued to reside at the domestic violence shelter with the children. This is
where the mother and
met and initiated a romantic relationship in late 2014.

System of Care Review

This review is designed to provide an assessment of the child protection systems interactions
with the
Trahern family and to identify issues that may have influenced the systems
response and decision-making.

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Practice Assessment
It is evident that both of these families had a significant history of abuse and neglect involvement
stemming from adverse childhood experiences by the caregivers which were not adequately
treated or resolved. As a result, these two mothers were not sufficiently equipped with the
necessary capacities to protect their own children from complex trauma their children suffered
caused by the very adults entrusted with the childrens care.
FINDING A: Sufficient information was not collected and analyzed to support the identification
of existing safety threats. Consequently, available information was not effectively utilized to
identify present danger existed and accurately assess parental protective capacities, resulting in
an inappropriate level of intervention to ensure the safety of all of the children in the home.
Danger threats impacting the children were significant and clearly observable throughout multiple
interventions with the family. More specifically, the behaviors and family condition was out of
control and there was nothing internal to the family to control the threat. In addition to the factors
that enhanced the vulnerabilities of the children in the home, both caregivers lack of protective
capacities exacerbated the present danger threats. Once
was placed in the residential
facility, there was essentially no further assessment of necessary interventions for the children in
the home upon his discharge.
The willingness and ability of a parent to protect their child is a critical consideration when
effectively assessing their capability to be protective and mitigate present danger threats. When
protective capacities are lacking, the threat of serious harm increases and the caregivers ability
to meet a childs basic needs are impaired. In this case, the Ms. Trahern and
unresolved trauma stemming from
victimization, cognitive limitations, and
demonstrated inability to place their childrens interests first clearly indicated they were not
adequately equipped to protect her children from future harm.
Once it was learned that
would be returning to the home, it was necessary to examine the
appropriateness of his transition plan and identify appropriate interventions to ensure the safety
of all children in this home. His sexually aggressive behavior toward other children placed
Brayden, and the other children in the home at greater risk for future incidences of abuse
without appropriate safeguards in place. The safety plan created by the behavioral health
provider did not involve the CPI and was insufficient to fully address the danger threats present
in the home and relied on
to provide constant supervision of her son. When a new
report was received with concerns that
was not abiding by the supervision agreement,
child welfare officials relied on the mothers self-reports that she was providing an appropriate
level of supervision.
Much of the information gleaned to support investigative findings was focused on the specific
allegations in the abuse reports. In addition, there was an over-reliance on the caregivers selfreports and assurances to conclude investigations with findings of no maltreatment. Few
collateral sources were explored to validate and reconcile information provided by household
members.

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FINDING B: When new information was received impacting child safety and decision making,
there was not an adequate response by child welfare officials to address those risk factors.
Throughout several prior interventions, new information came to light which impacted the safety
of the children residing in the family home(s). In one of the prior interventions in 2014,
brother who was a convicted sexual predator was found to be residing on the property
with the children and was discovered in the home when the CPI arrived. The CPI notified law
enforcement and
was arrested for violating restrictions of his probation (no contact
with children under 18). When interviewing the mother and the adults
in the home, none of the caregivers felt
presented a risk to their children and had in fact
tried to hide
from law enforcement by locking the bathroom door. No further assessment
of those caregivers for ongoing protective capacities was completed.
In June 2015, Ms. Trahern reported to the CPI that she had suffered extensive domestic violence
by her former paramour which caused her to flee to the shelter
In addition, she reported that she believed a former paramour to have messed with Brayden.
However, there is no indication that law enforcement was notified of this new allegation.
Brayden was not evaluated by the Child Protection Team or referred for services, and these new
allegations were not called to the hotline for formal investigation.
On June 26, 2015, an individual named
was supervising all of the children in the
Trahern home after
was discharged to the home. Despite child protection staff
recognizing this individual as someone already involved with the dependency system and in the
process of having
parental rights terminated, there was no additional action or safety
planning conducted prior to leaving the residence.

Organizational Assessment
PURPOSE: This section examines the level of staffing, experience, caseload, training and
performance as potential factors in the management of this case.
FINDING A: Overall, the Child Protective Investigators in Putnam County are relatively new in
their role, however, there is nothing to indicate that workload impacted the ability of the
investigative staff to conduct these investigations according to existing practices and protocols.
Currently, the average investigative caseload for Child Protective Investigation staff in the
Putnam County area is approximately ten investigations per investigator. This is also reflective
of the average workload during the period of May through July of 2015 when the open
investigation was received. This workload is well within industry standards for child protective
investigations.
Putnam CPI consists of two CPI units, one with six CPIs and the other with seven CPIs (one of
which is OPS). Currently, the office has four vacancies with an operational capacity of 70%.
Most of the CPI staff have one year or less experience and the Family Intervention Specialist
position has remained vacant for some time, which limits access to subject matter expertise in

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assisting CPIs with substance and behavioral health issues when working with families. The unit
conducting the investigative work on these families has a supervisor with twenty one years of
child welfare experience with three of those years as a supervisor. In addition, the Operations
Program Administrator was recently brought on seven months ago along with a new Operations
Manager who has been in her role for six months. It was reported by internal and external team
members that recent changes to key leadership were positive and have favorably impacted
overall morale of the workforce.
While Putnam County was one of the original areas in the Northeast Region to implement the
safety methodology, it is not evident that existing practice is aligned with the concepts contained
within the practice model. Most of those interviewed felt that the new pre-service training and
new leadership will provide a positive foundation for improvement moving forward.
FINDING B: The team determined that local relationships with child welfare partners are
positive and that there is an overall workforce culture focused on the importance of teamwork.
The executive management team has made some recent changes to the leadership in the Child
Protective Investigations program which has had a favorable impact to morale and overall
leadership.
The CPI workforce overall reported a positive and supportive work environment. Several staff
identified teamwork as a strength within and between units resulting in a cohesive team
environment. Overall, feedback from external stakeholders was also positive, citing positive
relationships with the CPI staff and the current leadership team.

Service Intervention/Array
FINDING A: There was a lack of ongoing communication and collaboration amongst the
providers working with the family which limited the ability of agencies to effectively share critical
information and identify a comprehensive strategy to meet the behavioral health needs of the
children and family. This lack of interagency communication also resulted in unclear
expectations relative to treatment and discharge planning as well as service referral and followup with the family upon
discharge to the home.
Timely and purposeful interagency collaboration is essential to effectively and holistically meet
the needs of families served by multiple agencies. Such relationships require comprehensive
planning and well defined communication channels focused on the development of joint
strategies to achieve a favorable impact on the children and families served. In addition,
behavioral health service plans must be developed to address the behavioral health treatment
needs of the entire family, and should strive to be consistent with and incorporate service goals
established by other agencies involved.
A psychological evaluation was completed on
May 2014 which resulted in the
recommendation for his residential placement in a SIPP. It was learned during that assessment
that
presented as an imminent danger to other children due to his sexualized behaviors.

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However, sufficient information was not shared with evaluators to allow a comprehensive
strategy for behavioral health treatment for the entire family. The psychologist was not aware
that
had been an untreated victim
and that she had
perpetrated these behaviors
. Had this critical information been shared,
the discharge plan would likely have been created to include an evaluation and recommendation
for therapy for the mother prior to
return to the home. In addition, there is no indication
that considerations for treatment and protection were made for Brayden who was reportedly a
victim of sexual abuse by one of his mothers former paramours and the physical abuse he
endured while in his parents care.
Once
was recommended for residential placement, there were treatment team meetings
that included the Family Services Planning Team Coordinator (Camelot), the mother, the
Domestic Violence Provider (Lee Conlee House), the childs therapist from Stewart Marchman
and the Peer Support Specialist (Camelot). These meetings occurred throughout
placement in the residential facility, however, the mothers participation dropped off in February
2015. It was later by learned by residential provider, Florida Palms Academy, Inc., that
was again incarcerated. She was released on or about June 3rd and was involved with a
discharge staffing which included the residential provider, Stewart Marchman, the ESE Director
of the school,
therapist and the case coordinator with Camelot. During a staffing on
th
June 9 , the mother made participants aware that she had an open DCF case, however, there is
no documentation that the CPI was then added as a participant in the planning meetings. The
team recommended the following discharge plan:

Soon after
release from the program on June 25th, the mother became unresponsive to
attempts by the peer support specialist to make contact with the family. On June 26th, an
additional report was called to the hotline with concerns that the mother was not providing proper
supervision of
placing the other children in the home at risk of sexual abuse. The CPI
responded and found all three children being supervised by a man named
It was later
learned that
was in the process of having
rights to
own children terminated by the
dependency court. The CPI observed alarms on doors and was provided assurances by the
mother that she was providing appropriate supervision of
. On July 14th, it was learned that
had left
with his adult brother and Ms. Traherns child,
The peer
support specialist left a message for the CPI about
access to the 1 year old and the
CPI advised that an additional visit would be conducted which did not occur. No further
communication occurred between these agencies prior to Braydens death. On July 21, it was

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documented by the peer support specialist that the mother had been allowing
to go to the
store by himself however; she agreed to time him. The peer support specialist reminded the
mother of the importance of the safety plan and supervision of
.
Ms. Trahern fled an abusive relationship and entered a domestic violence shelter
just prior to the receipt of the abuse report in June 2015. Interviews with the mother
were focused on the specific allegations in the abuse report and lacked an assessment of
necessary service interventions based on her extensive unresolved trauma. A domestic violence
advocate is co-located with the Child Protective Investigator workforce, however, that advocate
was not sought out to assist with evaluating the dynamics of the mothers ongoing domestic
violence victimization and potential service interventions to address her service needs and
enhance her ability to protect her children. Understanding all of the dynamics of the family
system is essential to effective planning for necessary ongoing treatment and service provision
to reduce the likelihood of recidivism and future harm to children.
FINDING B: The Putnam county area is limited in its capacity to meet the needs of families
with extensive and complex histories requiring a multitude of coordinated services. This
challenge is compounded by the limits of families to obtain transportation for services not
provided within the family home.
The Putnam County area does face some challenges regarding the availability and array of
services. Many of their providers share responsibility for service provision with larger
neighboring counties such as Volusia and Flagler. This does limit the capacity to effectively
serve families with complex issues through and intensive approach that serves the family as a
system in their own home. Many families in Putnam County have transportation issues and are
not able to report to an office for ongoing service provision.
FINDING C: The level of service provision for these families was not adequate for the needs of
the family system as identified throughout child protective interventions.
Both the Trahern and
It was also reported that

families had significant histories of abuse

at one time was being treated for
however, was no longer taking any medication or engaged in
any treatment for these conditions. The children in both families suffered a chronic history of
abuse and neglect, however,
was the only child engaged in any treatment to address his
sexualized behaviors, and this was prompted by a Child Protection Team interview and
subsequent psychological recommending residential treatment. Both mothers have significant
unresolved trauma that remains untreated, limiting their capacity to safely parent and
appropriately protect their children.
The Trahern family was never referred for formalized case management services. Although
several reports indicate the mothers willingness to follow through with voluntary services, the
only service she engaged in was child care for the children and some degree of counseling while
residing at the domestic violence shelter.

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she was never referred for any

additional services. Once
was evaluated by a psychologist in May 2014 for his sexualized
behaviors, the process was initiated to admit him to a residential psychiatric program for juvenile
sexual offenders. It was not until six months later that he was placed at the Florida Palms
Academy, Inc. in Hollywood, Florida. Two facilities denied his admission due to the critical
nature of his behaviors and further delays were caused due to a lack of paperwork.
A thorough review of the treatment records provided by the residential program indicate that
progressed favorably while in treatment, and at the time of discharge, he had successfully
completed his treatment goals, resulting in his discharge from the facility. The treatment team
met prior to his discharge to discuss planning, however, these meetings did not include the CPI
who had an open investigation at the time of his release back to his mothers care. Without
addressing the unresolved risk factors present in the family home, it was unlikely that
would continue to benefit from the progress he achieved during his treatment.
Immediate Operational Response

The Northeast Region has created a new leadership team for Putnam County CPI. The
team has extensive experience in child protective investigations and is well-versed in
child welfare practices and principles.
The Regional leadership team is already in the process of creating a Multi-Disciplinary
Protocol to enhance communication and collaboration across agencies for families
served by multiple providers

Florida Department of Children and Families

Critical Incident Rapid Response Team Report Trahern

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