Safe Futures A Plan for Program Improvement - Department of ...

Work Plan Detail Q -- Items 35-37, State has in place an array of services that assess the strengths and
needs of children and families and determine other service needs, address the needs of families in addition
to individual children in order to create a safe environment, enable children to remain safely with their
parents when reasonable, and help children in foster and adoptive placements achieve permanency.
Q1 ACTION STEPS: Conduct a statewide needs assessment of existing support services to determine gaps in service array and
accessibility to include mental health, family violence, substance abuse treatment, and post treatment services,
treatment continuum for sexual abuse, intensive in-home services, out of home services to include the
immediate availability of foster homes, medically fragile foster homes, and therapeutic foster homes.
START
DATE
COMPLETION
DATE
RESPONSIBLE
PERSON(S)
MEASURABLE
BENCHMARKS
August 2002 March 2004 David Hellwig, Amy Hale, Betty Wrights,
County Directors, County Supervisors,
Social Services Quality Task Force,
Consultation & Support Unit
Compile and disseminate a report of findings.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
1 st Quarter Report: A preliminary assessment of existing state and federally funded support services has been completed. Resources
surveyed to date include services provided through or outsourced by (1) DHR Division of Mental Health, Developmental
Disabilities and Addictive Diseases (MHDDAD), (2) DHR-DFCS Office of Community Services Domestic Violence Program,
(3) DHR-DFCS-FC First Placement Best Placement and (4) DHR-DFCS-FC Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program.
State funded mental health services are currently delivered through eight regional hospitals, 26 community service agencies and a
network of private providers.
Domestic Violence shelters funded by the state Office of Community Services includes 41 certified family violence programs,
operated by private, non-profit organizations. They provide 24-hour crisis lines, legal and social service advocacy, children's
programs, parenting support and education. 38 of these programs also offer emergency safe shelters.
Community based child and family services funded by DHR-DFCS Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program includes 134
private, non-profit agencies across the state. Authorized by the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, these agencies deliver a full
continuum of child abuse prevention, early intervention, and family preservation, reunification and adoption promotion services.
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Safe Futures – A Plan for Program Improvement
Georgia Department of Human Resources
March, 2004 Quarter 5 – Work Plan Q Page 1