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

2 nd Quarter Report: Accomplishing this goal is contingent upon selecting validated instruments for risk assessment as well as more
comprehensive diagnostic assessments for mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse, which is in progress.
Representatives from DFCS, MHDDAD, DPH and DJJ are meeting regularly this reporting period. Once the screening/assessment
efforts have concluded and recommendations formulated, a draft protocol will be presented to the appropriate commissioners. The
protocol will encourage partnership with other agencies in accepting their screening / assessment tools.
3 rd Quarter Report: Same as Action Step 3.
5 th Quarter Report:
6 th Quarter Report: Standards for the First Placement Best Placement Comprehensive Child and Family Assessment have been
updated and sent to the field. A copy is attached. HIPPA issues have been resolved. A HIPPA compliant release form has been added
to program forms.
6 th Quarter DCOUMENTATION: Social Services Manual Transmittal No.2004-02
6 th Quarter Federal Response: O4: State requested extension of completion date and revision of the benchmark in its Annual
Evaluation/Renegotiation Report.
7 th Quarter Report: Achieved as noted in the 6 th Quarter report. The State did not request an extension of the completion date. The
State requested a revision to the action step and the benchmark.
8 th Quarter Report: Achieved. As noted in the 1 st Quarter Report, former Governor Barnes charged a public/private sector group,
the Governor’s Action Group for Safe Children, with the task of developing a unified state vision for children’s services. This vision
included a plan for coordinated service delivery by creating a system of data and information sharing among agencies, providers,
advocacy groups and the courts.
Incoming Governor Perdue did not include this initiative in his agenda. Therefore the Interagency Agreement 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 was never
operationalized. Without the leadership of the Action Group, the constraints of Federal and State mandates for each of the different
agencies relegate the effort to develop a statewide multi-agency assessment protocol to the status of a long-term goal yet to be
achieved.
However in lieu of that new protocol, the State has had a process in place to assess the needs of children with serious mental health
issues that included multi-agency participation. Initially in the late 1970’s, Troubled Children’s Committees were established in
Fulton and DeKalb counties to meet the requirements of the J.L. and J.R. versus Ledbetter Federal Court case in securing non-acute
Safe Futures – A Plan for Program Improvement
Georgia Department of Human Resources
November, 2004 Quarter 8 – Work Plan O Page 6