Ongoing

Since 2005, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government has partnered with the Georgia Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Addictive Diseases (DMHDDAD) to establish, refine, and manage a statewide system of training and technical assistance. This system serves the full range of DMHDDAD service providers and encompasses all three disability areas, both child and adult. Strong emphasis has been placed on services to contracted community providers in order to support improved decisions that affect services and operations. The topics delivered, ranging from multiyear intensive initiatives to one-time seminars, include planning and developing training programs and methods of technical assistance in concert with DMHDDAD subject matter experts to address the identified needs of the DMHDDAD; arranging for faculty who are subject matter experts, assisting in developing curriculum, agenda, and materials; providing full support for the conduct of training: negotiation of contracts with consultants, vendors, and facilities; providing for audio-visual equipment, training materials, and onsite management; maintaining an online registration system that is interactive with the DMHDDAD; and managing an evaluation process that collects and analyzes participant qualitative and quantitative assessments.

May 2008–June 2009

A collaborative, interdisciplinary service-learning project between the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences' Drama Department, and the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, to take place in Ukerewe, Tanzania and the Rocksprings Community of Athens. The Tanzania portion is a part of the Gertrude Mongella–University of Georgia Initiative. The program will use drama to teach girls aged 9–15 life skills such as hygiene, nutrition, decision making, and money management; identity development; and basic English. Upon return to Athens, we will conduct the same program for girls in the Rocksprings Community. Qualitative data will be continually collected through direct observations and conversations with the girls and their adult leaders to develop a program that directly addresses their expressed needs. We expect that if the curriculum is well received by the communities, it could serve as a framework that could be used on a yearly basis, perhaps with only minor changes to suit the girls' most pressing concerns. Adult women leaders from both communities will be involved to ensure sustainability.

March–December 2008

The Carl Vinson Institute of Government is providing an analysis for the Georgia Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (GADEC) consisting of three component projects. The first assesses the effectiveness of GADEC's public awareness campaign and determines the relative effectiveness of the major communications tools used. The second component is a survey of the GADEC team members and their knowledge of program resources. This survey would also determine the effectiveness of the training program delivered in late February 2008. The third component would evaluate the GADEC Web site to determine if people find the it useful and whether they are comfortable using those resources.

July 2008–June 2009

The Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the Fanning Institute, and the School of Social Work are in discussions with the government of Liberia to provide capacity building in the public sector in order to assist the country after years of civil war. Discussions in the spring of 2007 identified the need for targeted training in the area of social work, particularly through training and curriculum development in collaboration with faculty at the University of Liberia. Following an upcoming needs assessment trip to meet with University of Liberia faculty to identify limitations in training and education currently available to social workers, faculty and students from the UGA School of Social Work will design a social work curriculum in collaboration with University of Liberia faculty through fall and early spring of 2008–2009. This curriculum will incorporate issues at the forefront of Liberia's social welfare system to include gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, and abuse, along with the unique concerns of a post-conflict society faced with such mental health concerns as posttraumatic stress disorder or depression. In late spring 2009, UGA faculty, staff, and students will return to Liberia to provide “train the trainer” workshops with the faculty of the University of Liberia. The goal is to build a sustainable training and curriculum development program that will allow UGA and the University of Liberia to have an ongoing exchange of ideas, supported by yearly visits to the region.

Mental Health Service Delivery Commission Final Report
Appendix B to the Final Report

Georgia Department of Labor First Phase Report

A Child's Capacity for Participating in Deprivation Proceedings Report
Communicating with Children and Adolescents in Court Presentation

Foster Family Foundation Presentation
Foster Family Foundation Report

Georgia Alliance For Drug-Endangered Children Summary Report
Georgia Alliance for Drug-Endangered Children Full Report

Parent Attorney Trial Notebook April 2007
Child Attorney Trial Notebook

Dekalb Compliance Report
Fulton Compliance Report
Fulton Child Advocate Attorney Representation and Workload Study

August 2007 Case Summaries
September 2007 Case Summaries
October 2007 Case Summaries
November 2007 Case Summaries
December 2007 Case Summaries
January 2008 Case Summaries
February 2008 Case Summaries
March 2008 Case Summaries