Daily Update June 12, 2014 - Deal plans to
restructure child protection agency
Deal plans to realign child
protection
Agency’s chief would report
directly to governor’s office.
By Greg Bluestein gbluestein@ajc.com and
Craig Schneider cschneider@ajc.com
Gov.
Nathan Deal plans to restructure Georgia’s troubled child-protection
agency in hopes of holding its leaders more accountable, two people
with direct knowledge of the move told The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution on Wednesday.
The
move would require the head of the Division of Family and Children
Services to report directly to the governor’s office. The agency’s
leader, Dr. Sharon Hill, now reports to the commissioner of the
Department of Human Services.
The
shift drew sharply different reactions from child welfare advocates,
with some believing it would make children’s safety a greater
priority while others questioned whether it would make any
difference.
It
could be the precursor to creating
a stand-alone department focused on child safety, but that move
would require legislative action and likely increased funding.
Deal’s office declined to comment on the plans, which are scheduled
to be announced today.
The
change is the latest in a series of shakeups for the agency after
the highly publicized deaths of two metro Atlanta children and
reports in the AJC that mistakes by DFCS workers contributed to at
least 25 deaths in 2012.
The
governor, facing reelection in November, backed a plan to spend $27
million over the next three years to hire more than 500 caseworkers
and supervisors for the agency.
He also formed a council comprising lawmakers, health care workers
and experts to study changes, including the privatization of some
foster care services.
Arizona’s
child safety agency underwent a similar shakeup in January. Gov
. Jan Brewer abolished the previous agency and created a new
division whose director would report directly to the governor on all
matters involving child welfare. Brewer complained that the former
system, which came under fire for failing to investigate more than
6,500 cases, was plagued by a lack of transparency and flawed focus.
Douglas
County Juvenile Court Judge Peggy Walker praised the Georgia plan as
“a great idea.” She said it will help streamline communication between
DFCS and the governor. Under the existing system, the DFCS head
often communicates through the state Human Services commissioner,
which can bury child safety under the needs of the umbrella agency,
she said.
“This
way, (the DFCS director) will have the freedom to speak about the
agency’s needs. There will be no layer in between,” Walker said.
The
change could also heighten attention on child welfare, which could
make the General Assembly more attentive to the needs of the agency,
said Pat Willis, executive director of Voices for Georgia’s
Children.
But
Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, a longtime advocate for
children, worried that a restructuring could result in agency chaos.
Before she would endorse the plan, she said, she would want to know
the identities of those
who will lead DFCS and those responsible for oversight in the
governor’s office.
“I
want to know who these people are, what are their credentials and
what is their expertise in child welfare,” Oliver said.
In
the long run, “it’s not really the reporting mechanism that
matters,” said Ron Scroggy, executive director of the Georgia
Association of Homes and Services for Children and a former DFCS
director. “It’s what is going to be done to keep kids and families
safe. It could be a good thing. It could be nothing.”
Deal
plans to elaborate on the move today, including the role of Hill,
the current DFCS director, in the reorganization.
TOGETHER GEORGIA is the new name of
our state’s most venerable organization for child and family
services providers: the Georgia Association of Homes and Services
for Children (GAHSC). Since its inception 50 years ago, GAHSC has
been a tireless champion of children all across the Peach State.
While we’re proud of what GAHSC has accomplished over its long
history, we’ve redesigned the organization from the ground up to add
even more value to the hard-working providers serving Georgia’s
children and families. Find out more by being our guest at a
meeting, talking with our friendly members and leadership team, and
by visiting our website at
www.gahsc.org.
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Editor
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