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

O4 ACTION STEPS:
Develop and enforce statewide multi-agency protocol for assessment, including necessary confidentiality
safeguards.
Determine utilization by all counties of approved instruments pursuant to protocol.
5 th Quarter: The State request to change this action step to: "Development and implement statewide multiagency
protocol for assessment, including necessary safeguards". Reason: Major leadership changes at multiple
levels and across agencies will require redrafting and renegotiations of a protocol.
START
DATE
COMPLETION
DATE
RESPONSIBLE
PERSON(S)
Mar. 2002 June 2004 Betty Wrights, Dawne Morgan, Juanita
Blount-Clark, Governor's Action Group,
5th Quarter: Social Services Director,
DFCS Division Director, MHDDAD
Division Director, FPBP Assessment
Coordinator
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
MEASURABLE
BENCHMARKS
Development and enforcement of formal agreements
between agencies to use common assessment protocol.
5th Quarter: The State request Develop and implement
protocol for sharing information.
6 th Quarter: To better clarify the 5 th Quarter request, the
State request to change the benchmark to read "Develop
and implement protocol for sharing information".
1 st Quarter Report: In January 2002, Georgia Governor Roy Barnes named 32 individuals from the public and private sector to form
The Governor's Action Group for Safe Children. The final report was published December 30, 2002. One of their charges was to
develop a unified state vision regarding children's services including creating a system of data and information sharing among
agencies, providers, advocacy groups and the courts. This Interagency Agreement was the first step in bringing together all Georgia
agencies that provide programs and services to children and their families, with the express purpose of providing an enforceable road
map for coordinated service delivery. The intent is to formalize the State's commitment to break down real and perceived barriers to
this coordination. This Agreement laid out outcomes, timelines, and specific deliverables related to achieving this goal. This has
resulted in tentative (unsigned) agreements between the Department of Human Resources, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department
of Community Health, Department of Education, Georgia Technology Authority, Council of Juvenile Court Judges, Family
Connection and the Office of the Child Advocate. If the assessment protocol is developed, it will need to be determined how to ensure
that all counties are utilizing the tool. . A common assessment protocol is needed in order to have a seamless, effective and efficient
system of service provision. Actions for next reporting quarter: The agreement between the different agencies has not been ratified. A
common assessment protocol has been discussed but is yet to be developed including necessary confidentiality safeguards. A copy of
the final report has been provided to incoming Governor Perdue and his transition team. Governor Perdue's plans to address this need
is under consideration at this time.
Safe Futures – A Plan for Program Improvement
Georgia Department of Human Resources
November, 2004 Quarter 8 – Work Plan O Page 5