The Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) and its Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) are celebrating National Foster Care Month this May with the official launch of Georgia Communicare, a new technology project to support and enhance child welfare programs.
Georgia Communicare is a set of interconnected web portals that link together child welfare caseworkers, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers, foster parents, and biological parents. These portals are integrated with Georgia SHINES, the statewide system of record for all child welfare information, to ensure efficient and secure data management and communication.
“Georgia Communicare is a one-of-a-kind space for our families, foster parents, CASA volunteers, and staff to communicate with one another and access important case data and documentation,” said DHS Commissioner and DFCS Director Candice Broce. “We are excited to see how this technology will further support our reunification and permanency efforts, aid in foster parent recruitment and retention, and decrease wait times for information sharing.”
The project was piloted in northeast Georgia in the fall of 2023, with the statewide launch following in January 2024. As of February, Georgia Communicare is available in all 159 counties.
This month, DHS has further expanded the accessibility of Georgia Communicare with the launch of a mobile application available for download on the App Store and Google Play to the approved user groups.
“It’s incredibly special for us to be able to announce this mobile application during National Foster Care Month,” said DHS Deputy Commissioner for Child Welfare Mary Havick. “People from all parts of child welfare are essential to the work we do, and we’re committed to improving their experiences and providing them with tools that will help them in their very important roles.”
To learn more about Georgia Communicare, visit dfcs.georgia.gov/services/georgia-communicare.
