ATLANTA (AP) — Beginning next week Georgia child protective services investigators will have to work at least eight extra hours a week.
Georgia Division of Family and Children Services Director Bobby Cagle has reinstated a mandatory overtime initiative starting Dec. 1. The department says it is meant to prevent a major backlog of investigations.
Since the department implemented a 24-hour, centralized reporting system for abuse and neglect, officials say they've seen the number of new child safety investigations nearly double. The department opened more than 5,000 new investigations in September, compared to 2,555 in September 2013.
The agency's policy says investigations into child safety are to be completed in 45 days. But the rising caseload has meant that about 1,000 investigations statewide have been open longer than that.
