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

together. Relative Care Subsidy (RCS) training was completed in Feb. 2003. E & R statistics documents a steady increase in the
number of children achieving permanency with support from RCS funding. On-going reports. First Placement Best Placement (FPBP)
training was completed in Feb. 2003 for all staff and many private providers. The importance of keeping siblings together is
emphasized in all our training and communication initiatives. This is particularly evident in our recent initiatives focused on
recruitment of placement resources. Foster homes are sought to serve sibling groups across the state. On-going.
2 nd Quarter Federal Response: You've made a lot of progress in this area but still have more work to do. What can the State give us
to show this has been achieved for those steps you have accomplished?
Georgia's Reply 3 rd Quarter: Please see attached literature on the Jane Addams Hull House and reports on other states' efforts to
maintain siblings together. Please refer to attached RCS fiscal report. There has been a significant increase in the number of children
achieving permanency with the support of RCS payments. Also see the First Placement, Best Placement (FPBP) training schedules.
Georgia provided 17 training sessions for 2,900 staff on FPBP, which included a component on Relative Care Subsidy (RCS). The
training emphasized the importance of exerting and documenting efforts to place siblings together.
On-going staff efforts are exerted towards achieving appropriate placements leading to permanency for children in foster care,
including homes accepting sibling groups. Also see attached Community Supervised Visitation Centers.
3 rd Quarter Report: Achieved. Step 2 -- Under the auspices of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program, Georgia has several
visitation sites in operation.
Step 3 -- Achieved. Monitoring of approved RCS cases is a continuous process. The number of approved placements has risen to
1,070 as compared with 416 a year ago. See RCS data report in Appendix.
Step 4 -- Achieved. Recruitment campaigns continue to include efforts to attract and approve homes willing to accept sibling groups.
See Recruitment flyers in the Appendix.
5 th Quarter Report: Georgia considers this Action Step Achieved.
8 th Quarter Report: Achieved. Per ACF 7 th quarter request to clarify Step 2: Georgia wanted to review the literature regarding the
visitation initiatives in other states/organizations. Under the auspices of the PSSF, Georgia has 25 visitation centers operating
throughout the state. Additionally, the state is supporting the faith-based efforts of the Presbyterian Churches of the Presbyterian
Church USA (PCUSA) in Georgia for the purpose of opening their buildings as visitation centers. The churches will recruit
volunteers from their congregations who will be trained to supervise and document visits. These centers are called "Safe Haven
Visitation Centers".
Safe Future – A Plan for Program Improvement
Georgia Department of Human Resources
November, 2004 Quarter 8 - Work Plan G Page 4