In 1996, the U.S. Congress amended the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), requiring states to establish citizen review panels to examine the policies, procedures, and practices of the state’s child welfare system and the extent to which it is effectively carrying out its child protection responsibilities its state CAPTA plan. These boards help promote transparency in the child welfare system and provide opportunities for community participation to ensure states achieve their goals of protecting children from abuse and neglect. CAPTA has influenced legislative, policy, and practice changes in state child protective services through its state licensing requirements.
As a recipient of a federal CAPTA grant, Georgia was required to establish and maintain at least three citizen review boards. To fulfill this mandate, three existing statewide committees were designated as Georgia’s CAPTA panels: Child Protective Services Advisory Committee (CPSAC), Children’s Justice Act Task Force (CJATF), and Child Fatality Review Panel (CFRP). Every year they publish a report on their activities and recommendations to improve Georgia’s child protection system.