Since then, the state Department of Children
& Families has been reviewing case files on the more than 20,000
foster children in Florida. Before Gabriel's death, just under 10
percent -- 1,954 -- were listed as being on mood-altering drugs, said
John Cooper, the department's acting assistant secretary for operations.
That number will rise markedly when DCF releases the findings of its
current study next week, Cooper said.
"I don't know by how much, but it will be significant," he said.
In Gabriel's case, he only was listed in the database as being on
Adderall, an attention deficit/hyperactivity drug, that he had been
taken off of months before his death, said DCF Secretary George
Sheldon. The two drugs that Gabriel was taking when he died--Symbyax
and Vyvanse--had not been approved by either his parents or a judge--a
violation of state law.
Child welfare officials acknowledged that failure Thursday to the
six-member panel as they traced the last 10 months of Gabriel's life.
Throughout the eight-hour hearing, questions arose about communication
between social services providers and whether vital information about
Gabriel's behavior and background was being shared and acted upon
quickly.
No one checked to see why Gabriel had been prescribed Adderall before
moving to Florida from Ohio or if he had been on any medications prior
to that. No one obtained a copy of his child welfare history from Ohio
until after his death.
In his last month, Gabriel saw his world turned upside down--going to a
new foster home, changing therapists, changing after-school programs
and his mother being transferred from the Broward County Jail to an
Ohio jail. His behavior worsened during that time with him destroying
property and threatening to hurt others.
"Was Gabriel spiraling out of his control or was his environment
spiraling out of control?" asked panel member Bill Janes, DCF assistant
secretary for substance abuse and mental health.
Sheldon, who attended part of Thursday's hearing, told the panel he
wants every aspect of Gabriel's case investigated and people held
accountable.
"We got to get every component of this system right," he said. "When
you deal with children, no one can have a bad day."