General FAQs 1. What does CHARLEE stand for? 2. How long has CHARLEE been in existence? 3. What is CHARLEE’s Mission? 4. What does CHARLEE do? 5. What do those services to children actually mean? 6. What recognition has CHARLEE received for its work in our community? 7. What major challenges does CHARLEE face in taking care of children? 8. How else can people in the community become involved, or help, CHARLEE? 1. What does CHARLEE stand for? CHARLEE is an acronym for Children Have All Rights: Legal, Educational, Emotional. return to top 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. return to top 3. What is CHARLEE’s Mission? The mission of CHARLEE is to provide therapeutic, residential, and supportive services to abused, abandoned, and neglected children within a safe environment in a community-based continuum of case. Our goal is to enable each child to reach his or her full potential as a healthy and productive adult. return to top 4. What does CHARLEE do? Over the past 20 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, family care group homes and the Gladstone Center for Girls) • therapeutic services • and adoption services return to top 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 over 500 children and families of all races and backgrounds, in both residential and non-residential programs. CHARLEE operates six family care group homes located throughout Dade County in residential neighborhoods. We also operate an apartment style Independent Living Facility for teens transitioning out of foster care, and out on their own. 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 Gladstone Center for Girls opened in 1994, and serves severely abused girls between the ages of 3 and 18. This residential treatment center provides housing, intensive therapy, and an on-premise school to up to 21 girls at any given time. 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. return to top 6. What recognition has CHARLEE received for its work in our community? CHARLEE was honored recently 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, is an 18-month pilot study and serves as a research and training model to improve the foster care system. The goal of CHARLEE’s Model Residential Comprehensive Services Program is 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 return to top 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 home 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. return to top 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 at its CHARLEE Children’s Depot warehouse located in central Miami. 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. return to top