Greetings RBWO Providers,

As Hurricane Irma gains more strength, school systems and businesses throughout South Florida are closing so residents/families have time to evacuate and prepare for the ever-strengthening Category 5 storm. Beyond South Florida, the rest of the forecast remains uncertain. "In Georgia, states of emergency have been declared for six coastal counties, as Gov. Nathan Deal in a statement urged "Georgians in the affected counties to remain vigilant and be prepared." The Office of Provider Management wants to ensure that our RBWO Providers and youth in those six (6) coastal counties are safe and secure during this time. Please ensure that your staff, caregivers and youth are knowledgeable of your agency’s emergency preparedness and evacuation plan.

For our CPAs: 

Effective September 1, 2017, the following procedure has been implemented for all foster caregivers involved with DFCS:

·If a caregiver has to evacuate their home, they need to contact CICC (1-855-GA-CHILD, then select Option #1), and advise them of their new location. They will be asked questions regarding their location, contact information, household composition / members, and any unmet needs for the children in their care.

For our CCIs:

Please communicate your plan of evacuation with your OPM Monitoring Manager and DFCS Case Manager as soon as possible. For further information regarding the storm, please refer to completecoverage of Hurricane Irma at news-press.com/hurricane. Also, for additional support with preparing your families, please refer to https://www.fema.gov/.

Stay Safe,

The Office of Provider Management