This summer, I worked for Deirdre Stephens in the DeKalb County Juvenile Court Child Advocate's Office. It has been an enlightening experience. As Ms. Stephen's intern, I spent most of my time interviewing children, caseworkers, counselors, and other involved parties and then preparing reports for the child advocate attorney to present in court. These activities exposed me to many different parts of the juvenile court system. It became immediately obvious that much of the system depends on the dedication and motivation of the individuals who are involved, more than any set standards or guidelines.

My first few interviews of the summer really opened my eyes. I was shocked at the abuse and neglect suffered by so many children in our midst. I had previously heard the statistics, but this summer provided faces for these numbers. These kids all had different stories, but all of them needed help. Some of them received outstanding assistance. Sometimes services were provided to enable the family to resolve their issues without requiring the removal of the children. In other cases, DFCS located and placed kids in wonderful foster homes, the parents were supported and encouraged to complete their case plans, and the family ended up reunited and healthier than ever before.

Other cases did not work out as well. There were parents who were more concerned with their image than with the best interests of their children. One father stated that he did not want to support his child or try to get custody of his child, but then stated that he was concerned at what people might say if they found out that his rights had been terminated. I observed many cases where the parent simply ignored their case plan and would not even try to stay in contact with their children. There were cases where DFCS did not locate an alternate foster placement and would leave a child in the Emergency shelter for months.

I worked with one child in particular who seems in danger of falling between the cracks. He has languished in the DeKalb Emergency Shelter for the whole summer. He is a sweet kid, but he will require a therapeutic facility to provide the structure and counseling he needs. He came into care in early May. In June, a psychological assessment was done, resulting in the recommendation that he receive counseling and be placed in a therapeutic environment. MATCH funding was approved for him the second week of July. I have made numerous calls to the DFCS workers involved with his case, but unfortunately, they state that they have not yet lined up a suitable placement for him. He has spent the whole summer in limbo, not receiving the intensive care that he needs. Even worse, he has not seen his mother at all this summer. During my visits, he has described feeling unloved, abandoned, and lonely. I am unable to tell him when things will be better.

Many of the kids I interviewed this summer were in need of therapeutic foster care. Most of these kids were in their teens. I went with a DFCS case manager to visit one center that provides care to these kids. I was impressed with how well the center works with these kids to help them address their issues and move towards recovery and independence. The staff really cared about the success and happiness of each child. One of the children we visited at the center is about to turn eighteen. She has come a long way in their care, but is not quite ready to be out on her own. The staff was diligently trying to ensure that her needs would continue to be met after her birthday. The case manager told me that there is pressure to minimize the number of kids sent to these facilities due to their cost. These facilities can be successful when nothing else has worked. This cost seems minimal when it enables these kids to get the help and care they need to achieve success in adulthood.

It is unfortunate that funding plays such a large role in the inadequacies of the system. Our child advocate attorneys are expected to watch out for more children than is humanly possible. I have heard our attorneys bemoan the lack of time they have for one-on-one contact with their clients, the children. I have heard a DFCS worker describe trying to keep track of forty different cases. I have made scores of phone calls trying to reach a case manager for an update, because they were too busy to return my calls. This has driven home the need for more child advocate attorneys and DFCS workers. Increasing their headcounts would enable them to decrease their caseload and work more closely with each client or family. Increasing their salary would likely attract more workers and help retain the workers with experience.

Aside from increasing funding to all areas of the system, I would recommend making better use of processes that are currently in place. We had a mental health worker assigned to our courtroom all summer. She was available to assess needs and set up mental health and counseling assistance for the children and families at the time of each hearing. Yet, the children were seldom brought to court and assessed by this worker. Instead, DFCS would often have to arrange a separate appointment to do this, tying up their own time and delaying care to the child or family. In addition to assessment services, I observed these mental health workers occasionally act as mediator. They would help get the lines of communication going among family members, resulting in agreements that seemed impossible only a few minutes earlier.

There are other ways we could improve the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of the system, ultimately resulting in better care for the children. A central database available to the courts, DFCS and DJJ would be a wonderful addition, cutting down time spent trying to contact one party or another to find out basic information. Another suggestion is closing the emergency shelter and placing the kids in foster homes. If there are not homes available, perhaps the shelter could be redesigned to copy the setup at the Georgia Center for Youth. This facility has small cottages with several boys or girls to a cottage. Each cottage has multiple staff workers who are specifically responsible for the well being of each child in their care.

Overall, the people I worked with this summer are dedicated, motivated individuals who are trying to do their best for Georgia's children. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to work with and learn from them this summer.