Deal To Expand Office Of Child Advocate; Agency Head Resigns
Gov. Nathan Deal says he plans to expand the Georgia Office of the Child Advocate, an announcement made amid scrutiny over the state’s ability to protect children and after the resignation of the agency’s head.As heard on the radio
Deal didn’t specify Wednesday how he planned to quote “beef up” the office other than more funding. He says he’s still working out the finer points ahead of budget negotiations.
“It is one of those oversight areas, where I think any time we have an extra set of eyes that are looking at a situation, perhaps we can avoid bad things happening,” he said of the office.
The Office of the Child Advocate was created in 2000 after the death of 5-year-old Tarrell Peterson, who died of abuse despite repeated warnings to the state Division of Family and Children Services, or DFCS. The Office of the Child Advocate is supposed to bring more accountability to DFCS and monitor the agencies that deal with children in state care.
Early last month, DFCS again came under scrutiny after the deaths of two children whose case history was overlooked when abuse allegations were phoned in. One child, 10-year-old Emani Moss, was found in a trash can starved to death and badly burned. Her father and stepmother were charged with her murder.
Documents later released by DFCS revealed the agency had received a call from an anonymous source alleging Emani was being abused, but the call was screened out over the phone with little no investigation because the source hadn’t seen the girl in a few months.
Deal says the recent resignation of the child advocate head, Tonya Boga, was unrelated to those deaths.
“That was purely her personal decision, and we accepted the resignation when she tendered it, and we’ll move forward with the selection process as the law requires,” Deal said.
Boga’s three-year term as Child Advocate was set to expire Jan. 18.
Interim office Director Thomas Worthy, who works in the governor’s office, says Boga was told by Deal she could reapply for a second term and wasn’t forced out.
Though Boga’s resignation made headlines Wednesday, Worthy says she submitted it about a month ago.
“All of us are operating under the assumption that she had another opportunity to pursue and that opportunity required her to depart the office one month early.
Deal says his office has received a few applications to fill the position.
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