Public Agencies Alone Cannot Improve the Well-being of Families and Children

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Georgia’s future depends on the vitality and well-being of our children.

A growing economy, an educated workforce, self-sufficient families and accessible healthcare are all hallmarks of success. Policymakers should be open to revising laws to protect children from neglect and abuse, support families, and enhance local community strengths. The Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) supports the development of a comprehensive continuum of services for families and children, and continued and permanent state funding for prevention and intervention programs such as Family Connection and PeachCare for Kids.

Public agencies alone cannot bear the burden of improving the well-being of families and children. The private sector and the faith community have a vital role to play in fostering partnerships, providing opportunities, and encouraging and supporting families in self-sufficiency and educational achievement. ACCG:

  • Encourages the state to fund prevention programs at the local level.
  • Encourages efforts to develop Drug Endangered Children (DEC) multidisciplinary programs to rescue, defend, shelter and support children whose lives are devastated by methamphetamine and drug use, trafficking and manufacturing on the part of their parents or “caregivers.”
  • Urges the state to improve coordination at the county level among federal programs that are aimed at individual and family self sufficiency.
  • Supports the elimination of state government barriers to the collaborative delivery of services.
  • Supports the community level decision making process.
  • Urges the General Assembly to appropriate funds for surveillance efforts that measure indicators of family and community health and that are tailored to meet the specific needs of each community.
  • Provides sufficient resources to allow appropriate intake, probation and custody of each child that the law commits to the care of the state.
  • Offers community-based alternatives to incarceration where appropriate.

ACCG’s mission is to enhance the role, stature and responsiveness of county government in Georgia. ACCG serves as the consensus building, training, and legislative organization for all 159 county governments in the state.