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

8 th Quarter DOCUMENTATION: (1) Updated supervised visitation sites referenced in the pages from the DHR Promoting Safe and
Stable Families Program Service Provider Resource Guide FFY 2005 and (2) August 25, 2004 Memorandum to all levels of DFCS
staff in support of the Safe Haven Visitation Centers sponsored by the Georgia Presbyteries.
BARRIERS TO ACHIEVEMENT:
2 nd Quarter Report: The primary barrier in increasing the placement of sibling groups together is having enough families, who are
willing to care for siblings, to come forward to begin the approval process. Heightened emphasis on this need is being made in an
effort to remedy this problem. On-going.
2nd Quarter Federal Response: HOW DID YOU PLAN TO OVERCOME THIS BARRIER?
3 rd Quarter Report/Georgia's Reply: This goal is considered Achieved. There is no one-time remedy or solution to this problem.
For this reason, there will always be a challenge to expeditiously identify and approve relatives, willing, able and eligible to be a
placement resource. However, counties can assess recruitment efforts based on needs and patterns over the past two years. This data
may be used to project future placement needs based on age, gender, sibling groups, special needs, etc. Georgia will continue to
assertively seek and pursue extended family resources first, for all children entering agency custody. Georgia will, also, continue its
outreach efforts to identify and recruit homes for children entering foster care by informing citizens of their placement needs and
available services to support their placement. Heightened emphasis will be placed on placements pertaining to sibling groups.
G7 ACTION STEPS: Goal #4
Step 1: Develop foster parent training to include specialized segments on managing sibling groups.
Step 2: Evaluate effectiveness of respite care funding as a strategy to prevent placement disruptions.
Step 3: Develop resource homes to support foster parents and children in placement.
Evaluation: Determine the number of foster parents who will accept sibling groups and establish a percentage
of the additional homes needed.
5 th Quarter Report: Per Annual Evaluation/renegotiations, the State requested to change the evaluation
statement to 'As a result of improved recruitment strategies, 5% of all new foster homes will accept sibling
groups'. Reason: The original language was vague, as it did not specify how the State would measure success
with this initiative. Providing a percentage of the total population recruited for a specific time period allows the
State to determine whether or not the goal is met.
Safe Future – A Plan for Program Improvement
Georgia Department of Human Resources
November, 2004 Quarter 8 - Work Plan G Page 5