16th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect
ACYF Commissioner's Award Book

Don Winstead
Deputy Secretary

Department of Children and Families
1317 Winewood Boulevard
Building 1
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700

Florida

Don Winstead, Deputy Secretary for the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), emerges as the one person in Florida making an exceptional contribution to the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. His most recent and significant accomplishment is the application for, approval of, and implementation of the Title IV-E Foster Care Waiver, approved on March 31, 2006 and implemented the following October 1st.

Mr. Winstead brings numerous talents and skills to his senior leadership role at the Florida Department of Children and Families, including: extensive knowledge of State and Federal policy and practice regarding child welfare and public assistance Federal funding, youth development, welfare reform, public policy development, data analysis, outcome evaluation, and evidence-based practice. In addition to these individual strengths, he collaborated with community-based agency leaders in Florida to bring about the first statewide waiver for flexible use of foster care funds in the country. The combined efforts of public and private child welfare stakeholders resulted in an extremely strong proposal to the Federal government and a landmark Federal approval of this waiver, which allows Federal IV-E foster care funds to be used for any child welfare purpose. This demonstration waiver puts incentives in line with program goals and good practice. Florida also takes this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of the additional members of the IV-E Waiver Senior Implementation Team as these leaders share in this significant accomplishment: Steven Murphy, President and Chief Executive Officer, Partnership for Strong Families; Melissa Jaacks, Assistant Secretary for Administration, DCF; Ron Zychowski, President, Community-Based Care of Volusia and Flagler Counties; David Fairbanks, Director, Provider Relations, DCF; and Glen Casel, Executive Director, Community-Based Care of Seminole Inc.

Don Winstead has served Florida and the United States well throughout his tenure as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services and as a former Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. His is a true success story: a talented and dedicated leader who advanced through the ranks from frontline caseworker to numerous top administrative positions over his past thirty plus years of service.