The 2001 legislative session's 40 days have come to a close.  This is an update on the DHR Budget items that were Barton Clinic priorities in this year's session.  Our primary focus this year has been the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) budget request items concerning the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).

Listed below are the items we advocated for followed by our preliminary estimates of the DHR allocations that the legislature passed this session.  For those keeping score, we requested increases totaling $35 million and received approximately $30 million.
 

INCREASE THE NUMBER OF CASEWORKERS
What we advocated for:

• Increase and fund the number of positions for social services case management staff to move Georgia toward compliance with the caseload standards adopted by the Child Welfare League of America.  The Barton Clinic supported the DHR budget request to add 196 social services case management staff for 2001, with the goal of adding 588 social services case management staff over the next 3 years. Estimated cost: $7.9 million.

$3.5 million dollars was appropriated to fund an additional 100 caseworker positions to reduce CPS caseloads.

INCREASE CASEWORKER SALARIES
What we advocated for:

• Increase salaries of DHR-DFCS social services case management staff. Estimated cost: $11.5 million.
  Details of request:
• 5% increase for all providing direct social services to clients regardless of their specific function or education.  This includes APS Case Managers, SS Generalists, and SS Case Manager Associates as well as employees responsible for managing Social Services (supervisors, administrators, program directors, county directors, field directors).
• 5% additional increase for all (case managers, supervisors, administrators, program directors, and county directors) with a Master's in Social Work.
• 5% additional increase for SSCM who perform CPS investigations or carry a caseload of foster children.  These raises would be conditional upon these job assignments and would remain in place while doing these assignments.
• As a result of these increases the minimum entry level salary for Social Services Supervisors would be $36,000.  Current supervisors below this salary would be moved to $36,000.
• The salary increases listed above are separate from any other budget requests for salary increases for state employees based on performance or structured adjustments of state employee pay ranges.

• To provide for salary increases, effective October 1, 2001, for DHR social services case managers and supervisors employed by the Division of Family and Children's Services, the legislature appropriated  $7,063,134.
  Details of appropriation:
• Increase entry level salaries
• Provide a 5% supplemental in-range salary adjustment
• Provide a 5% salary adjustment for all case managers who perform child protection investigations and placement activities
• Provide an additional 10% salary adjustment for social service case managers with a Master's Degree in Social Work
• As a result of these increases, the minimum entry-level salary for a Social Services Case Manager (SSCM) with a BA/BS will be $27,700. For a SSCM with a BSW, the salary will be $29,100.  The entry salary for a SSCM with a MSW will be $30,057.  Currently, the entry-level salary is $26,600 for all of the above.  The starting salary for Social Services Supervisor will be $36,000.
• In addition, money was appropriated for statewide salary increases to include:
• performance based raise of 3.5% for all state employees meeting expectations
• 2% one-time lump sum payment for employees who "exceed expectations"
• 4% structural adjustment of minimum and maximum rates on the Statewide Salary plan

INCREASE SAAG SALARIES
What we advocated for:

• Increase the hourly rates for Special Assistant Attorneys General to $60 per hour. Estimated cost: $1.14 million.

• Increased the hourly rates for Special Assistant Attorneys General to $52.50 per hour.  Estimated cost $500,000.

INCREASE PLACEMENT RESOURCES
What we advocated for:

• Increase resources to allow the development of appropriate levels of care within foster placement (MATCH rate and slots, institutionally supervised family foster care, emergency foster care and in home services, foster care per diem, institutional rate, adoption assistance, additional support to foster children based on child's age, respite care). Estimated cost: $11.3 million. 
  Details of request
• Add 134 new MATCH placements
• Add 50 emergency resources for areas without an Emergency Shelter
• Add 135 private agency family foster home placements
• Provide in-home intervention for 350 family foster homes to prevent disruption
• Increase foster care per diem from $12.00 per day to $12.50 per day
• Provide additional support to foster children based on the age of the child ($10-$25/month) plus a one time $200 reimbursement for graduation expenses
• Increase institutional per diem by 4%
• Increase adoption assistance by 4%
• Provide respite care for 1600 foster families to prevent disruptions

• To increase foster placement resources, the legislature appropriated $18.3 million.
  Details of Appropriation
• $7.5 million for:
• An additional 134 MATCH slots
• A 4% increase in MATCH provider rates
• 135 additional institutionally supervised family foster care placements
• The purchase of 50 emergency beds for children entering foster care
• The purchase of in-home respite services for 350 foster parents
• $5.3 million for:
• Increase in family foster care and adoption assistance rates to an age based graduated rate ($12.75 to $14.25)
• $200.00 one-time reimbursement allowed for graduation expenses
• $4 million for:
• 5% caseload increase in family foster care
• 10% caseload increase in adoption assistance
• $566,000 to increase institutional foster care rates by 4%
• $638,000 to add 12 specially trained staff to investigate child fatalities and cases of alleged abuse in foster homes.
• $250,000 to provide respite care for 1,600 foster families in order to prevent disruption in the foster placement.

INCREASE TRAINING RESOURCES
What we advocated for:

• Invest at least $2.9 million as requested for training and education of our social services case management staff.

• $845,000 to expand and improve training for Child Protective Services staff by funding 4 training positions, curriculum development and staff training/certification sessions.