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GA SR474
Resolution
Status
Passed
2/22/2024
Primary Sponsor
Ben Watson
Click for details
AI Summary
- Urges partnership among the Office of the Child Advocate for the Protection of Children, the Division of Family and Children Services, and county boards of commissioners across Georgia to promote quality legal representation for parents, children and youth, and child welfare agencies at all stages of child welfare proceedings.
- Encourages maximizing federal Title IV-E funding under the Social Security Act, which can partially offset costs of independent legal representation, including attorneys, paralegals, investigators, peer partners, and social workers in foster care proceedings.
- Highlights a successful pilot program in Chatham County that hired three full-time attorneys, a social worker, and a legal secretary for child welfare cases, funded through Children's Justice Act grants and Title IV-E reimbursement.
- Notes the Chatham County pilot reduced the median length of stay for children in foster care from 29.7 months to 19.9 months while enhancing quality and oversight of legal representation.
- The Office of the Child Advocate is evaluating feasibility of expanding similar pilot programs to other counties facing shortages of specialized child welfare legal practitioners.
Legislative Description
Office of the Child Advocate for the Protection of Children; quality legal representation for parents, children and youth, and child welfare agencies at all stages of child welfare proceedings; urge partnership
Last Action
Senate Passed/Adopted
2/22/2024
Committee Referrals
Rules1/25/2024
Full Bill Text
No bill text available