Parent Leadership Opportunity

DFCS seeking nominations for Parent Advisory Council

Parent Leadership Month in February is a time to promote the meaningful and authentic roles of parent leaders in our work and recognize parents' important role in raising healthy families in their homes and communities.

This month also provides a time to highlight the opportunities available for parents, through intentional partnerships within child welfare, to educate others on programs and services that support safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. Parents' experiences can also provide invaluable knowledge that can be used to improve policies designed to strengthen and support families. Who better understands how to build resiliency and meet the needs of families through programs and services than parents contributing their expertise from their lived experiences?

Partnering with parents involves building meaningful relationships with staff to achieve an agreed-upon goal. In our work with parents, we develop and maintain a safe environment for growth and learning with parents. Through these partnerships, parents are acknowledged as the experts, and in turn, both staff and parents learn from the relationship. Case managers ask, “What can we do together that creates positive outcomes for you and your family?” instead of asking, “What can I provide to create positive outcomes for your family?” This partnership with parents increases active participation and develops the seeds of parent leadership. Parent leadership is successfully achieved when parents and practitioners build effective partnerships based on mutual respect and shared responsibility in decisions that affect their families, other families, and their communities.

To build successful partnerships with parent leaders within the Division, the Prevention and Community Support Section (PCS) of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) formed the Georgia Parent Advisory Council (GA PAC).  The role of the GA PAC is to advise DFCS about making changes to child welfare services and systems, particularly child abuse prevention programming. The GA PAC is a sounding board for decisions, ideas, and questions that help shape the future of PCS and DFCS. PCS selected a group of parents from across the state with expertise and personal experiences using community-based prevention services or experience within the child welfare system.

GA PAC Vision: Resilient communities where families are strengthened through authentic parent voices.

GA PAC Mission: Parents and caregivers working with GA DFCS and our partners to build relationships with families, develop parent leadership, and advocate for parent-informed policy and practice.

We are still recruiting for the GA PAC and invite nominations and applications from interested parents living in DFCS Regions 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, and 12.

We encourage applications from:

• Fathers

• Kin caregivers

• Parents with experience using community-based prevention services such as parent support groups, home visiting programs, family or community resource centers, etc.

• Parents with previous involvement in the child protective services system with a case that has been closed a minimum of 8 – 12 months

• Parents in recovery for 18 months or more 

• Foster and adoptive parents

All candidates must complete an application. Applications may be submitted online here or in writing to Octavia Trammell, PCS Program Specialist and Georgia Parent Advisory Council Liaison at Octavia.Trammell@dhs.ga.gov.