Seminole County Dependency Court

The Juvenile Courts in Florida have jurisdiction over all dependency matters for juveniles up to the age of eighteen years of age. Under the leadership of the judiciary, the dependency court wants to assist in the movement to institutionalize standards of excellence for safe and permanent outcomes for children who are abused, abandoned and neglected. This meaning the children of Seminole county who have removed from their homes and families due to some form of abuse, abandonment or neglect.

Abandonment meaning the situation in which the parent or legal custodian of a child, or caregiver while being able to do so, makes no effort to communicate with the child. Abuse meaning any willful act or threatened act that results in any physical, mental or sexual injury or harm that causes or is likely to cause the child’s physical, mental, or emotional health to be significantly impaired. These may also include acts or omissions. Neglect occurs when a child is deprived of, or is allowed to be deprived of necessary food, clothing, shelter, or medical treatment or a child is permitted to live in an environment when such deprivation or environment causes the child’s physical and mental or emotional health to be significantly impaired or even the danger of being impaired.

One year to permanency is the charge to our child protection community. A sense of urgency must never be forgotten for any child in the system. The dependency court strives to change the current paradigm, to create a new paradigm shift of viewing everything through the eyes of a child. As public servants, we must not forget that we are here for the protection and interests of the children of Florida. To achieve those goals in Seminole County, there are two Juvenile Judges and one General Magistrate who preside over all dependency hearings.

Partners

It is our job, with the assistance of many partners to develop and implement strategies designed to assist the children and families who are part of our dependency court. This is done by collaborations with Office of Court Improvement (OSCA), court administration, judicial education and training, and open partnerships with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, Child Protective Services Division, Community Based Care of Seminole, Human Services Associates, Guardian Ad Litem Program of Seminole County, Family Focus and many other community service agencies. There are quarterly meetings of the stakeholders involved in dependency court to work out issues and problems to ensure the safety and well being of the children who are currently in the dependency court system.

The General Magistrate and the Senior Court Coordinator from the Dependency Court attended the 2006 Family Court Conference held August 3 and 4. The Court Conferences Focus was to help attendees to discover tools to effect a paradigm shift in thinking or in other words to see our dependency system through the eyes of a child. The conference offered 40 pertinent workshops and programs to educate and inspire participants. Justice Barbara J. Pariente provided the opening and closing remarks for the two-day conference. The General Magistrate attends continuing education classes throughout the year to stay abreast of the latest laws pertaining to dependency and family law cases.

George Russell, General Magistrate
Dependency Court
407-665-5463

Betsy Poleschuk, Senior Court Coordinator
Dependency Court
407-665-5463

Teri Leonard, Juvenile Division Coordinator
Juvenile and Dependency Court
407-665-5344

Kathy Mulvaney, Senior Staff Assistant
Juvenile Justice Center
407-665-5340

Abuse Hotline
1-800-96ABUSE (962-2873)
TDD: 1-800-453-5145
FAX: 1-800-914-0004

Adoption Information
1-800-96-ADOPT (962-3678)
1-904-353-0679 (out of Florida)

Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-500-1119

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