Georgia's Family First Prevention Services Act: Building Strong Communities for Child Welfare

1. Tom C. Rawlings Division Director

2. Georgia’s FFPSA Goals • Safely prevent removals to foster care through targeted, effective, community-based prevention services. • Support a model of extended family preservation that allows children to remain in their communities. • Ensure children are appropriately placed in settings that meet individualized needs and preserve family and community connections. • Leverage and invest in communities to provide adequate and effective service capacity statewide.

3. State Traditional IV-E: Promoted State Intervention Community FFPSA IV-E: Promotes State Support of Community, Extended Family, and Parents Extended Family Parents Circles of Support and Intervention

4. 2019 Legislative Session Amended FY ‘19 Budget • Support for assessment of readiness of congregate care providers to become accredited QRTPs • Support for retention initiatives for eligible relative and foster caregivers • Funding to support enhancements to TRAILS FY ‘20 Budget • SHINES Upgrades [first of 4 years]: $3 million • Family First Project Management Team: $438,600

5. 2019 Legislative Session SB 225: FFPSA compliance • Adds definition of Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP) to Juvenile Code • Sets forth documentation requirements for DFCS regarding children placed in QRTP settings • Sets forth requirements for evidence to be presented by DFCS at each periodic review hearing and permanency hearing concerning any child placed in QRTP settings • Requires assessment of appropriateness of placement by qualified individual within required timeframes, and corresponding court review and findings • Requires official proof of foster care be given to youth aging out

6. 2019 Legislative Session HB 472: temporary alternatives to foster care • Authorizes the juvenile court to order “temporary alternatives to foster care” in lieu of removal or placement of the child in foster care to prevent or reduce trauma, allow the child to be cared for by people with whom the child has an existing bond, or ensure the child’s safety pending further court action. • Such orders may include: • Authorizing the care of a child by a relative or fictive kin; • A protective order as provided by law; or • A pre-removal investigation and report by DFCS

7. Federal Guidance on Prevention Services PI 18-09 issued November 30, 2018 • Broad interpretation of “in-home” – does not necessarily refer to the location in which services are provided • No further definition of “qualified clinician” • No further definition of “trauma-informed” • Revised initial practice criteria and initial services selected for review as a part of the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse Family First Services Clearinghouse Handbook of Standards and Procedures

8. Programs for initial consideration Mental Health • Parent-Child Interaction Therapy • Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy • Multisystemic Therapy • Functional Family Therapy Substance Abuse • Motivational Interviewing • Multisystemic Therapy • Families Facing the Future • Methadone Maintenance Therapy In-Home Parent Skill-Based • Nurse Family Partnership • Healthy Families America • Parents as Teachers

9. FFPSA Prevention Services • Pilot design • Needs assessment • Together Georgia survey • Inventory and assessment of current services

10. Building a Placement Continuum • Foster home licensing standards • QRTP capacity needs • Therapeutic foster care

11. QRTPs

12. Current Federal Guidance • Definition of a congregate care institution has not changed, therefore 25 bed limit in FFPSA only applies to state institutions • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services may consider QRTPs Institutions for Mental Disease, precluding them from Medicaid reimbursement

13. Shelby ZimmerFederal Plans ManagerShelby.Zimmer@dhs.ga.gov(470) 426-5172