Privatizing is not a proven reform plan
Is privatization of child welfare services good public policy for Georgia’s children and families?
That’s the question provoked by Senate Bill 350, and there is no simple answer. The rapid early progress of the proposal, which would require that the Division of Family and Children Services bid out child welfare services statewide through contracts with community agencies, should not be taken as an indication of support among the providers, advocates, administrators and practitioners who know Georgia’s child welfare system best.
Most important, its political popularity is no assurance that this approach will result in better outcomes for our abused children.
Privatization is not a new concept in child welfare. To a greater or lesser extent, all states outsource care, placement and service delivery to private providers. Almost half of the children in Georgia’s foster care system are placed with private agencies today and, as in most states, millions are spent each year to purchase a range of services and supports for biological and adoptive families.
Only two states have gone as far as SB 350 would require, which includes the transfer of case management responsibilities from a public agency to private agencies. Modeled after Florida’s laws, SB 350 would authorize up to 15 lead agencies to provide services and placement directly and subcontract with other providers for additional capacity. DFCS would remain responsible for accepting and responding to child abuse reports and contract monitoring.
Many interests are fueling the zeal for further privatization of our child welfare system. Our interests are in better outcomes for children, and there is no empirical support to suggest that a privatized system is better than a public service delivery model.
Georgia’s abused and neglected children are twice as safe as maltreated children in Florida, despite that state’s decade-long experience with a fully privatized system. In other critical outcome areas like reunification and adoption, Georgia also meets or exceeds national performance standards. An objective, data-driven assessment shows that Georgia’s publicly administered child welfare system has achieved results similar to or better than those Florida has achieved.
We all share the value of improving outcomes for children and families. We feel an emotional urgency to reform the system that is responsible for those outcomes. The truth is, however, that child welfare systems are dynamic and uniquely complex. State differences matter. Applying a politically popular model from another state will not fix systemic problems in Georgia related to funding, staffing shortages, inadequate service capacity and lack of coordination across systems.
What is more likely to produce the desired improvements is a systematic, inclusive and purposeful examination of our child welfare system. The right process and pace will produce targeted strategies that reflect a shared vision and commitment to change. That is the kind of bold leadership that Georgia’s most vulnerable children need.
Melissa Dorris Carter is the executive director of the Barton Child Law and Policy Center at Emory University. Andrew Barclay is chairman of the Barton Center’s advisory committee.
