Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic 2001 Policy Paper

2001 Georgia Children's Agenda Item:

Strengthen Georgia's Child Protective Services' Capacity to Protect Children From Abuse and Neglect

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. Recommendations
   1. Stop the exodus of workers and fill all vacancies by raising the starting salary of caseworkers to a reasonable level using a pay structure that rewards workers with advanced degrees
   • Current Salaries
   • Comparative Salaries
   2. Save children's lives and reduce turnover by adding enough caseworkers to comply with national caseload standards
   • Current Number of Caseworkers
   • CWLA Standards
   • Caseload Standards
   • Workload Standards
   • National Acceptance of CWLA Standards
   • Georgia's Current Casework Guidelines
   • Benefits of Caseload and Workload Allocations
   • Caseworker Allocation And Turnover Rates (table)
   3. Establish an integrated statewide information system for the confidential tracking of children who have been the subject of abuse or neglect allegations
   • The Federal Government - SACWIS
   • The Request for Proposals - The RFP
   • Our State Government
   • Hope for the Future
   4. Provide workers with needed tools and resources, including appropriate representation in court and appropriate placement resources
   • Appropriate Representation is Needed for Compliance With State and Federal Laws
   • Child Protective Services Task Force: Critical Areas of Concern
   • Workplace Environment
   • Resources
   • Training
   • Unchanging, Committed Leadership
3. Tools for Systemic Change
   • Brief History of Related Studies
   • Examples from Other States
   • Legislatively Established Caseload Limits
   • Use of Law Enforcement for CPS Investigations
   • Consent Decrees
4. Conclusion

PDF version suitable for printing (339KB) MS Word version (166KB)

CONTRIBUTORS: Andy Barclay, Michelle Barclay, Valerie Condit, Stephen Fusco, Jessica Crawford Gibson, Lynn Grindall, DeBrae' Kennedy, Mary Margaret Oliver, Elizabeth Reimels, Lynne Tucker, and Karen Worthington.

Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic, 2001 Policy Paper, Revised February 6, 2001

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