GA

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REPORTS

February 200 I
Governor Recommends $32 Million for Child Welfare

If the funding recommendations made by Governor Barnes are backed by the legislature we should see significant improve-
ments in many areas, particularly salaries for CPS workers.
In his January budget address the governor said:
I am recommending over $32
million for improvements in the child protective system in Georgia and to give our CPS workers the resources they need to do their jobs better. When matched with available federal funds, the improvements will total nearly $42 million.
This includes $7 million to increase the salaries for child protective services workers and $3.5 million to add 100 addi-
tional workers to the system. This will mean an 18 percent increase in the starting salary for CPS workers with master's degrees and 6 percent for those with a college education. We will also raise salaries by 5 percent across the board for existing Child Protective Services workers and an additional 10 percent for existing workers with
master's degrees.
These are the people who are in the trenches every day-sometimes risking their own safety to protect

one of Georgia's forgotten children. They deserve to be compensated for
their hard work. I am also recommending $1.4
million for 12 specially trained workers to investigate child fatalities and abuse and four additional staff members who will be devoted solely to training and support for our front line Child Protective
Services workers.
The children in our care also depend on us to protect them in court. It is often here that they have their only chance to receive the kind of protection they need. I am recommending over $750,000 to increase the per hour rate by one third that Special Attorneys General are paid to represent these children and make sure they get a fair hearing. I am also recommending $100,000 in addi-
tional funds for the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program.
And we need to be grateful to those families that are willing to take in children who no
longer have a safe home. These people open their doors and their hearts-they are willing to take on
not only an emotional burden, but a
financial one as well.

I am recommending $5.2 million to raise the per diem assistance we provide these adoptive families and for the first time, provide a graduated per diem that increases the daily assistance as the children get older.
And I am recommending a quarter of a million dollars to evaluate our strategies to prevent child abuse from occurring in the first place through in-home visits to at-risk families. I am also recommending nearly $150,000 for a pilot substance abuse treatment program for young males with a history of abuse who are part of active CPS cases.
As with education, we will not be able to fix all of the problems with our Child Protective Services overnight. But we have to start taking the necessary steps to get where we need to go. Hopefully, this is a big step in the right direction.
Editor's note: The payment increase recommended by Governor Barnes is for foster families, not adoptive families. The "12 specially trained workers to investigate child fatalities" would be an addition to the 12 investigators in the new Special Investigations unit (see the January issue of CPS Reports).

What is a "screen out?"

Inside

Policy Manual Updates

Federal Review of Child Welfare
An intensive review of Georgia's child welfare services by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) began last month and will continue through July. The review will look at seven systemic factors and seven outcomes in the areas of child safety, permanency and well being. Georgia is one of 17 states that will be reviewed this year.
The review consists of two parts, beginning with a statewide assessment and ending with an on-site review slated for July 16-23, 2001. Currently, a data team made up of state and community partners is analyzing the state data profiles prepared by ACF, based on our previously submitted numbers and meeting to discuss issues concerning the data. The profiles include

information on factors such as the length of time Georgia children spend in foster care and rates of
repeat abuse. These figures will need to meet national standards.
Another group, the core team will develop responses to questions raised by the data, outcomes, and systemic factors to complete the
statewide assessment. "This new type offederal review
goes beyond numbers," said social
services director Wilfred Hamm. "The focus is on whether we have improved the lives of the children
who came though our system." An on-site review team will
examine a random sample of 150
cases in three counties to see how they rate in positive results for children. Three counties, Fulton and
two yet to be selected, will be
visited by the team. The information gleaned from the
statewide assessment and the onsite review gives ACF and the state

a comprehensive picture of the strengths and weaknesses of our
programs. If Georgia does not meet national standards, ACF and the state develop a time limited program improvement plan to make the necessary corrections. The state is held accountable for meeting
the milestones detailed in the plan and has up to two years to complete its work before penalties are assessed for a particular
outcome or systemic problem. "We're very optimistic about this
because it gives us a chance to visit our entire child welfare system," comments Hamm. "Also,
it complements what Governor Barnes has recommended in his child welfare budget."
Annette VanDevere has been hired as the project coordinator for
the review. She can be reached at 404-463-7291; e-mail is
ARV9 l@aol.com.

CAPTA Panel
A1996 amendment to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) requires states to have at least three sources of feedback on state CPS policies and procedures. In Georgia one of those sources will be the CPS Statewide Advisory Panel which was organized last November.
The 15-member volunteer panel is composed of people from across the state, none of whom work in the child abuse field. They will meet quarterly to review selected child abuse cases and policies and suggest changes or improvements to DFCS. Athens resident David Meyers is coordinating the work of the panel. He worked formerly with the Children's Trust Fund.
The other two other groups that make policy recommendations to DFCS are the statewide Child Abuse Prevention Panel and the Children's Justice Act Advisory Board.

The CPS Statewide Advisory Panel includes (l-r) Jennifer Home, executive director, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Columbus; Kimberly German, homemaker, Cumming; Vivian Moore, community outreach worker, Decatur; George Scruggs, sales manager, Talbotton; Christine Roan (back row), dean ofstudents, Valdosta; Jamie Head, Carrollton; Barbara Blue, child care provider, Ellavi11e; Roxann Grey Daniel, solicitor, Columbus; Yolie Bodie, college student, Bogart; Elisa Dunn (front row), telecommunications consultant, Atlanta; The Rev. fames Shumard, priest, Hartwell; Amy Hughes, financial advisor, Athens; and Beverly Schwartzmann, medical office administrator, Ellijay. Not pictured: Andrew Williams, respiratory therapist, Savannah and fay Brinson, school administrator, Cordele.

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What is a "screen out?"
Clayton DFCS director Cathy Ratti writes a regular column on DFCS issues for her locql paper, the CJ_ayton News-Daily. In this article she gives such a good description of the . screen-out process that we thought it would be helpful for our readers. The full column ran in the November 16, 2000 issue of the newspaper. It has been edited to fit our space.
The decision on whether to investigate is an impo:tant on~. CPS decisions require makmg crucial judgements that assertively protect children from abuse and neglect, yet do not undul~ hin~er pare.nts' rights to rear the1r children without government interference.
Reports that are not assigned to an investigator are commonly referred to as "screen-outs." A screened-out referral to DFCS is a report that does not contain a necessary component, i.e., an allegation of child maltreatment.
The most common reports that may be considered for screen-outs
Poli9 Manual
Updates
Manual Ttansmittal 0() 11J
add to 2 I OJ. I 3 (Checking for
Previous CPS Histozy) the require~ ment for additional background checks through IDS Online Master Index and the Department of Corrections.
Manual Transmittal 00.:.19
(I) Revises Section VUI (Administrative Case Review) and Section IX (Information Management).
(2) Provides.revised table of
contents
(3) Allows a call to a matidat.~d
reporter in some situations on a report made by a non-mandated reporter.
(4) Revises references to Juvenile court code

include custody issues that do not
contain a specific allegation of
maltreatment; poverty issues that
do not contain allegations that a child's basic needs are not met; educational neglect, e.g., truancy, unless it includes allegations that the parent is not allowing the child to go to school; and historical incidents of maltreatment that allegedly occurred over six months prior to the report being made.
By law, how.ever, a copy of a)l reports, includmg screen-outs, is
automatically provided to law enforcement, who may or may not opt to proceed with an investigation.
A recent example of screen-out involved a call from a biological father alleging the biological mother
would not allow him to speak on the phone with .his daught~r. This couple is currently mvolved with the court
system regarding visitation i.ssues. Additional information provided by the reporter indicated the home is infested with fleas and one of the children needs dental work.
Due to this additional information, although the case was not
investigated by CPS, a referral for
early intervention/prevention. services was deemed appropnate.
Early intervention/preventi?n services are voluntary, provided through community-based resources and private vendors, and offered at no cost to the family.
Another recent screen-out was information indicating that the step-
parent of a child had spanked the child a year ag? and left ~ handprint, and requ1red the child to go to bed early or sit in tim~out as a punishment. Custody issues were pending in this cas~ as \\'.ell..
Even though an mvest1gat1on may not occur, a file must ~e established on all screen outs, with
detailed documentation; data must
be entered into the computer
system and a review by both a supervisor and an upper level
manager must be completed. Information about screen-outs or
inappropriate referrals is not intended to discourage anyone from making a CPS referral, but rather to
lend clarity.

Cathy Ratti
Why Form 431 Matters
There are a number of reasons DFCS policy requires you to collect data on form 431 and enter it into the data system, including:
It is the main source for statewide CPS history.
Knowing a family's history is key n any investigation. If you do not enter investigation results and another county gets a report on a family you worked with previ?usly, crucial information is not available to the current investigator. Information not in the system is unknown history. It benefits no one and may keep a child in danger.
It affects the amount of federal and state funding CPS receives.
Much of Georgia's share offederal dollars pays for B.I.T.E. training and other training events as well as making it possible to send 30q staff members to the annual Georgia Council on Child Abuse conference.
It gives us data for the CPS annual report now required by Georgia law.
It shows the number of investigations each county handles each year.

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Upcoming CPS training dates

CPS policy training
Feb.-12/13 Macon Feb.-19/20 Rome

Feb. 22/23-Augusta Feb.27/28-Savannah

BITE: Broadening the Scope of Child Safety: Identification, Assessment, Intervention and Case Management in Family Violence, Mary Cavanaugh

March 5-Tifton March 6-Savannah March 7-Macon

March 8-Gainesville March 9-Atlanta

Advanced Investigation of Child Maltreatment April 2 through 6-Forsyth

Bibb County DFCS Services' staffheld a policy game show recently. Units from all program areas competed as teams, testing their knowledge ofpolicy. Dorothy Fuller's Titans-a Foster Care ongoing unit received the trophy for overall winner ofthe game show. Ribbons were given for "Team Spirit" and "Best Team Sign." The policy game show was created to help staffmorale and to enhance staff's policy knowledge. Staffprepared for the game show by reviewing their manuals and by reading daily e-mail containing "Tips ofthe Day".
Angela Mock

REPORTS
Published by the Georgia Department of Human Resources Office of Communications Tell us your story. What, or whom do you want to read about? Fax your ideas and the name and number of a contact person to Renee Huie, editor, CPS Reports Cci 404-651-6815.

REMEMBER

When in doubt,

DON'T screen out

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DHR