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

4 th Quarter Report: As reported in the 3 rd quarter report the enhancements to the CPRS system are pending completion in December
2003. The Foster Care Unit has developed a training plan for 2004. Foster Care Consultants will train DFCS staff, private providers
and other community partners in representative areas of the state. Networking sessions will also be planned to allow for sharing of
information about intervention and preventive services to children and families involved in the foster care system in Georgia. In these
sessions, post substance abuse counseling, monitoring and support will be discussed.
The Department of Family and Children Services and the Public Health Collaborative effort has expanded to include private
physicians and a representative of the Department of Community Health. Through this collaboration, public health will begin to track
and monitor the health care services of children in foster care. The Collaborative will determine an electronic tracking mechanism for
recording health care services, recommendations, and diagnosis for children in foster care. This information will be available to
Medicaid approved health care providers in the state. Public Health and DFCS will team up to provide training to DFCS and Public
Health employees. A Collaborative session with representatives from County DFCS offices and Public Health Districts was held on
August 19, 2003. This endeavor will focus on meeting the overall health needs of children in foster care in Georgia.
DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED 4 TH Quarter:
See 'Children in Foster Care An Emerging Partnership between Public Health and DFCS'.
4 th Quarter Federal Response: The enhancements to the CPRS system are incomplete.
5 th Quarter Report: The enhancements for CPRS were added in 12/03. The system now has the capability to capture data reported
from the Multi-Disciplinary Team Meeting such as the service needs and recommendations of the child. A pilot of county staff is
projected for April 2004 after which the capability will be introduced statewide. The reporting capabilities for CPRS is expected to be
available in April 2004 with the projected reports the system will generate as a result of the addition of the enhancements which allow
for the collection of specific data from the comprehensive child and family assessment.
The Department of Public Health, Department of Community Health (DCH) and the private physicians collaborative with DFCS will
begin training initiatives for state staff to include identifying and reporting abuse for Public Health staff and health care services
available through the local public health department for DFCS staff. Also, training will focus on the importance of collecting medical
history from the family at the first point of contact with the family.
5 th Quarter DOCUMENTATION: Letter Dated January 15, 2004 to Janet Oliva, Director, Division of Family and Children
Services, from Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D. M.P.H., Director, Georgia Division of Public Health
Safe Futures – A Plan for Program Improvement
Georgia Department of Human Resources
November, 2004 Quarter 8 – Work Plan N Page 6