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

Georgia:
Georgia’s Program Improvement Plan, Safety # 1, Item 2, addressed reducing the incidence of child abuse, neglect, or both of children in foster care from Georgia’s 1999
incidence of maltreatment in foster care rate of 1.08% to less than or equal to 0.94%. While reporting data indicates that Georgia has fallen short of achieving the National
Standard of maltreatment (.057%) in foster care, Georgia has achieved Georgia’s goal of 0.94% or less during FFY 2002 and in the first two reporting quarters in FFY 2004.
Georgia attained 0.79% in FFY 2002, and in FFY 2004 Georgia achieved 0.80% in the first quarter and 0.94% in the second quarter. Conversely, the QCR rated this indicator as a
strength in 94 of the 102 applicable cases reviewed (92.16%). Eight of the 33 substantiated referrals identified involved the same alleged perpetrator and six involved the same
general complaint. To reduce the maltreatment of children in foster care Georgia has achieved the following outcomes:
• Georgia’s data collection system has been enhanced to allow for:
Tracking of maltreatment in private agency foster homes and of non-child welfare children abused in institutional settings,
Descriptive statistics of foster care victims which permit the comparison of foster care victims to non-victim foster children,
The proportion of reports by placement setting, and
A profile of foster families involved in maltreatment investigations.
These data enhancements have been used for social services policy development and as an indicator for social service staff training. We can now sort data by provider groups. We
can target training wherever it is needed to DFCS foster parents, private agency foster parents, or for employees at a childcare institution.
• Policy and training for Georgia’s social services staff, foster parents, and institutional staff have been critiqued, new policy and curriculum has been developed, and
training begun.
The Education and Research Section has developed new curriculum for social services staff training.
A new curriculum has been developed for social services staff and foster and institutional staff titled IMPACT. Training on IMPACT Leader Certification is
concluded. Training of Georgia’s Social Service staff on Leader Certification was completed in October 2004. Training of private agency staff began
immediately thereafter. Private agency staff can select training from any of the nationally recognized trainings or may choose Georgia's IMPACT.
The quarterly rates of incidence of child abuse in foster care warrant serious further study by the state; Georgia is committed to such a follow-up and to reducing the maltreatment
of children in foster care.
Safety 2, Children are Safely maintained in Their Homes Whenever Possible:
Safe Futures – A Plan for Program Improvement
Georgia Department of Human Resources
November, 2004 Quarter 8 – Table of Contents Page iii