Foster Care

The Foster Student Outreach Social Worker collaborates with school-based social workers to support students in foster care throughout Atlanta Public Schools. The FCSW

• Identifies and tracks students in foster care
• Serves as a liaison between APS, DFCS, caregivers, and community partners
• Provides education advocacy and helps remove barriers to enrollment, attendance, and academic success
• Connects students and caregivers to education support services and internal/external resources
• Offers consultation and training for school and district staff
• Promotes awareness and sensitivity to the needs of students in foster care across the school system

The Foster Student Outreach Program is part of the Social Work Services Department within the Division of Schools.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Signed into law on December 10, 2015, ESSA provides students in foster care with core protections for school stability and access. School districts and child welfare agencies must work together to support educational stability. Key areas include:

• Enrollment: Students in foster care must be immediately enrolled in their zoned school, even if required documents (immunizations, records, proof of address) are missing. School staff assist DFCS/caregivers with obtaining records from the school of origin. Lack of a permanent address cannot delay enrollment.

• School of Origin (SOO): Students should remain in their school of origin when it is in their best interest. The SOO is the school the student attended when placed in foster care or at the time of a placement change.

• Best Interest Determination (BID): A BID meeting is held to decide if it is in the student’s best interest to remain in their school of origin or enroll in their zoned school.

• Transportation: When a student remains in their school of origin and transportation is needed, the school district and child welfare agency work together to ensure transportation is provided for the duration of the student’s time in foster care.

(For more information on ESSA, district staff can refer to the full legislation.)

Georgia House Bill 855 (HB 855)
HB 855, passed in 2021, requires school systems to immediately consider whether exposure to trauma has had or is likely to have an adverse impact on the educational performance of students in foster care. This trauma-informed review is part of deciding whether to begin the special education evaluation process for a student.

Georgia Senate Bill 107 (SB 107)
SB 107, effective in 2021, provides postsecondary education grants and tuition waivers for eligible foster and adopted children in Georgia, helping them access college and other postsecondary opportunities.

Internal APS Supports
Depending on individual needs and available resources, students in foster care may be connected to:

• Universal Screening (Behavior & Emotional Screening Scale)
• Whole Child Intervention Team
• Yellow bus transportation
• School supplies
• PPE (masks and hand sanitizer)
• Donated items: school uniforms, shoes, socks, undergarments, hygiene kits

External Resources
The Foster Care Program may also connect students and caregivers to community partners, such as:

• Amerigroup

• Bloom Closet (clothing and essentials for foster youth)

• CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)

• Educational Programming, Assessment and Consultation (EPAC)

• Embark Georgia

• GA RYSE (Georgia Resilient Youth-centered Stable Empowered)

• GEAR UP Georgia

• Georgia Appleseed

• MAAC LEADS

• REACH Georgia Scholarship Program

• State of Georgia Postsecondary Tuition Waiver

• The Orange Duffel Bag Initiative

(Each of these can be linked by name on the website for easy access.)