STRONG AND STABLE FAMILIES

1 in 5 kids in Georgia lives in poverty.

The top 3 reasons a child enters into the custody of the Division of Family and Children Services: neglect, substance abuse, and inadequate housing.

More than 12,000 of Georgia's children are in the state's child welfare system.

Nearly 3 in 5 surveyed Georgians reported having experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience.

Why It Matters

More than 12,000 of Georgia’s children are in the state’s child welfare system.

Children thrive when they grow up in safe, stable, and nurturing environments. To support the children in the state welfare system and to prevent more from entering, it is essential Georgia has reliable, effective, and proactive systems in place to protect children. Policies and programs that strengthen families, prevent abuse and neglect, and provide effective treatments for victims of abuse and neglect are critical to ensure positive outcomes for kids.

Where Georgia Stands

20

of kids in Georgia live in poverty

38,891

students in Georgia were considered homeless in FY2019

56

of Georgia"s homeless students in 2017-2018 were Black

Our Priorities

Highlights of Our Work

Advocating for adequate funding and sound implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA)

The federal Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) has the potential to change child welfare systems across the country by preventing the unnecessary placement of children into foster care and ensuring children are placed in the most appropriate, family-like setting when foster care is necessary.

The top three reasons a child enters the custody of the Division of Family and Children Services: neglect, substance abuse, and inadequate housing.

Our work in this area:

Collaborating with state agencies to fully implement FFPSA

Voices is educating policymakers about the FFPSA, Title IV-E funds, and the impact making a shift to prevention versus reaction will have in a child’s life. During the 2019 Legislative session, the General Assembly appropriated funds in the Division of Family and Children Services’ budget to support initiatives focused on family-based care, as well as funds to support enhancements to the statewide child welfare information system and support for a FFPSA project management team. Voices is partnering with DFCS to ensure Title IV-E funds are fully utilized to provide families the services they need to prevent children from entering foster care.

Disrupting generational cycles of poverty

By focusing on the needs of the entire family, rather than just on children or just on parents, we can disrupt generational cycles of poverty.

Nearly 50% of children in the United States belong to families with low income.

Our work in this area includes:

Promoting policies and programs that take the whole family into account

Voices intentionally sets out to examine the impact any policy will have on unintended recipients. We weigh the impact it will have on both child and parent. This two-generation (2Gen) approach to policy and programs disrupts the cycles of poverty and poor outcomes by focusing on the needs of the entire family. Any policy, program or service for parents or children, including those for early care and education, health, child welfare, and juvenile justice, can use a 2Gen approach.

Wins for Kids

Eligible state workers can receive paid parental leave following the birth of a baby, adoption, or fostering of a child under 18.

House Bill 146 allows eligible state workers to take a maximum of 120 hours of paid leave during a rolling 12-month period, which can be used as needed and taken in increments of less than 8 hours. Eligible workers include state employees, as well as local board of education employees, including teachers.

Georgia invested in expanding broadband connectivity across the state.

The COVID-19 pandemic marked a major shift to online services for healthcare and education, but it also highlighted the broadband connectivity challenges in our state. During the 2021 legislative session, more than $30 million in new state funding and $10 million existing state funds were allocated to expand broadband connectivity in our state.