A council tapped by Gov. Nathan Deal to rethink the state’s child welfare system convened for the first time Thursday to start drafting recommendations.
Deal announced he would form the commission a week before the legislative session ended in an attempt to delay an overhaul until at least 2015. It was a surprising move by the governor, who endorsed privatization in January after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution uncovered widespread failings by the state child welfare system.
The Child Welfare Reform Council includes lawmakers, nonprofit executives, attorneys and law enforcement officials. Two well-known advocates, though, were left off the list: State Sen. Renee Unterman and Rick Jackson, a well-connected executive, who were both outspoken in their push to privatize the foster care system.
The Department of Human Services last month announced two pilot projects involving stretches of north Georgia to test a public-private partnership model for the foster care system. Deal said he wants the reform council to think in more “comprehensive” terms that yield recommendations by the year’s end.
“I commend those of you here for choosing not to remain silent but instead working to find solutions,” said Deal. “Although they can’t hear the words we speak today, trust me when I say, our children are listening.”
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