Abused and neglected kids need the hope of a better life. The reform being debated in Georgia will accomplish just that. I know. I saw the transformation firsthand in Florida.
Shortly after I began serving as head of Florida’s Department of Children and Families, I met with 15 young people who had been part of the child welfare system. Nearly three hours later, I learned more from those kids about child welfare than I had from any law enforcement agency, lawyer or policymaker.
I also left with a newfound appreciation for the public-private partnership Florida created with local child welfare providers, a partnership that helped create the most normal life possible for children at risk. The results have been incredible for the state and, more importantly, for the kids.
Florida’s child welfare system was labeled a national embarrassment, but the state in 2006 passed a community-based care model. By 2011, overall adoptions increased by 46 percent, and the number of children placed in institutions dropped by 65 percent. The number of kids safely reunited with their families increased by 13 percent, and the adoption rate among children with disabilities skyrocketed by 92 percent.
The number of kids in foster care declined by 36 percent as funding for family prevention services tripled — while overall spending remained flat.
Florida’s public-private child welfare partnership changed thousands of lives. In Georgia, the state is embracing its own child welfare transformation. Based on Florida’s successful model, this reform will create a compassionate and dynamic child welfare system truly worthy of Georgia kids.
The reform recognizes a key truth: A government-run child welfare bureaucracy is not responsive enough, flexible enough or kid-focused enough. But partnering with local private agencies and nonprofits, as Georgia’s reform accomplishes, means at-risk children and families are served quicker, and with a wider-range of services tailored to their complex needs.
The reform empowers local agencies with important responsibilities like case management, preventive services and emergency services. It keeps the state in charge of investigating abuse and neglect allegations and referring at-risk kids for services. Only government should have the authority to remove children from their homes. But the state can’t do it all and can’t do it alone, which is where the public-private partnership excels.
These local, private agencies are also held to greater accountability. The reform requires agencies to meet various outcomes emphasizing education, health and stability.
Georgia’s foster care system has improved over the past several years, but for permanent success, the local community must be empowered to help kids and families.
I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t in states across the country. Florida’s reform works. Georgia, with its public-private partnership, can have a kid-focused child welfare system that works, too.
George Sheldon was acting assistant secretary for children and families for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2011 to 2013, and secretary of Florida’s Department of Children and Families from 2008 to 2011.
