an overview georgia program improvement plan - Department of ...

Monitoring for compliance is ongoing via the E & R Reviews and the QCR process. The appropriateness of the plan’s selection, as well as the documentation of
compelling reasons in both the court order and the child’s case plan is monitored.
The CPRS requires the documentation of compelling reasons in a mandated field whenever APPLA is selected.
The Barton Clinic examined Georgia’s laws regarding guardianship to determine if any changes needed to be made for greater compliance with the permanency goals
established by ASFA. As a result of the 2003 Legislative Session, Senate Bill 236 was enacted to strengthen permanency options for children in care. One provision
allows the court to grant a permanent guardianship following the termination of parental rights. It was the conclusion of the Barton Clinic in its written report that the
appointment of a legal guardian is more in line with the permanency goals established under ASFA. Further, there is another provision in Senate Bill 236 that allows the
court, following an order of non-reunification, to enter an order that does not expire and remains in effect until age 18. (Such arrangement also provides a subsidy
payment when a relative is granted extended custody.) The Barton Clinic reached the conclusion with respect to this permanency arrangement that it was not technically
“legal guardianship” and probably would be more aptly categorized as APPLA. Regardless, this option for permanency is still considered viable for certain children in
deprivation cases.
Permanency Outcome 2, The Continuity of Family Relationships and Connections Will Be Preserved for Children
Item 12, Placement with Siblings: The continuity of family relationships and connections will be preserved for children in care by increasing the number of children placed with
their siblings. At the initial review Georgia was 72.2% compliant with sibling placements. The most recent QCR (10/2003 - 09/2004) rated this indicator as a strength in 68 of the
relevant cases (89.71%) reviewed. Areas as needing improvement pertinent to “placements with siblings” include:
Enhanced efforts toward other permanent placement options (custody to age 18, guardianship, emancipation, etc.).
Enhanced use of relative care resources to preserve the continuity of family ties.
Improved documentation of efforts to place siblings together.
Broader efforts to recruit and better train foster parents, especially with regard to special needs populations, including sibling groups.
To bring Georgia’s sibling placements into substantial conformity, Georgia took the following actions:
Formed a workgroup, whose specific task was to address changes needed to improve the Supervisory Review Form and implementation process. The group’s directive
was to assure that supervisory reviews included staff efforts to place siblings together, and to adequately document this information in the case record.
Safe Futures – A Plan for Program Improvement
Georgia Department of Human Resources
November, 2004 Quarter 8 – Table of Contents Page x