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Georgia Child Welfare Cuts Services Amid $85.7 Million Budget Shortfall
Cuts to behavior aides and transportation led to fewer referrals and postponed juvenile court dates amid an $85.7 million shortfall, agency says.
- This year, the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services faced a $85.7 million projected shortfall, and Georgia lawmakers voted to backfill the gap after families already lost months of services.
- A web of causes has left the system strained, including an unpredictable influx of children with acute behavioral challenges, the loss of more than 800 placement beds since 2019, and reduced federal child welfare funds.
- Commissioner Candice Broce terminated provider contracts and in November required prior state approval, causing referrals to fall from 80–100 to fewer than 10 weekly.
- Reduced services have hindered reunification through fewer in-person visits and postponed juvenile courts, while ending behavior aides forced foster parent Pamela Bruce to cover transportation and caregiving costs.
- Several Georgia lawmakers call for an audit amid a $85.7 million shortfall, with some criticizing the system's management decisions and questioning resource allocations at DFCS, which employs about 7,500 staff.
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14 Articles
14 Articles
Associated Press News+12 Reposted by 12 other sources
Georgia's child welfare system remains shaken after projected $85.7 million budget shortfall
Georgia’s child welfare agency spiraled into crisis amid an $85.7 million shortfall and although lawmakers voted to fill it, the impacts will last.
·United States
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Total News Sources14
Leaning Left7Leaning Right1Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution54% Left
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources lean Left
54% Left
L 54%
C 38%
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