OFFICE OF THE CHILD ADVOCATE For the Protection of Children

During recent years the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services ("DFCS") has come under intense scrutiny concerning inadequate and untimely responses to cases of abuse and neglect of children in Georgia. Several of these cases resulted in fatalities and eventual prosecution of either foster or natural parents. Media coverage intensified the growing concern of Georgia's citizenry and in late 1999 Georgia received national exposure in a segment of 60 Minutes that highlighted failures within the protective services system in the state. The focus of the 60 Minutes segment was on the death of Terrell Peterson, a five-year-old Atlanta youth who died of severe abuse despite repeated warnings from medical personnel to DFCS that he was in extreme danger.

During the 2000 session of the Georgia General Assembly, legislation designed to improve the state's child protective services and to bring more accountability to DFCS was introduced. With the creation of the Office of the Child Advocate ("OCA") in 2000, Georgia became the twelfth state to open an independent ombudsman office designed to protect the rights of children in state care and to monitor the agencies charged with protecting those children. The Child Advocate serves for a term of three years and may be reappointed. The Child Advocate acts independently of any state official, department, or agency in performing the duties of office. The OCA is given independent oversight of DFCS and others responsible for providing services to or caring for children who are victims of child abuse or neglect, or whose domestic situation requires intervention by the state.