The Residential Child Care Licensing (RCCL) unit inspects, monitors, licenses, and registers a variety of child care facilities. The purpose of our work is to ensure that facilities and programs operate at acceptable levels, as mandated by state statutes and by rules and regulations as well as to keep the public and referral sources informed on the performance of those facilities and programs. Facilities requiring a license from RCCL include Child Caring Institutions, Child Placing Agencies, Outdoor Child Caring Programs, Children's Transition Care Centers and Maternity Homes. The two largest of these facility types are the Child Caring Institutions and the Child Placing Agencies.
Child Caring Institutions (CCI’s) are commonly referred to as group homes and include any institution, society, agency, or facility that provides full-time care for 6 or more children through 18 years of age outside of their own homes.
Child Placing Agencies are any institution, society, agency, or facility which places children in foster homes for temporary care or in prospective adoptive homes for adoption.
RCCL works to ensure that facilities and programs operate at acceptable levels, as mandated by State statutes and by rules and regulations adopted by the Department of Human Services (DHS) Board of Human Services.
Additionally, as of July 1, 2011, all 501(c)(3) organizations providing services to runaway or homeless children are required to register with the Residential Child Care Licensing (RCCL) unit pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 49-5-160 et. seq. Although RCCL does not license the RHYP’s, they are subject to registration and periodic inspections by the RCCL unit.
ADVERTISING CHILD PLACEMENT SERVICES AND/OR PROVIDING CHILD PLACEMENT SERVICES IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA
It is unlawful for any person or entity that is not licensed by the Department as a child-placing agency to advertise that it will adopt children or arrange for or cause children to be adopted or placed for adoption. The advertisement of such services by an unlicensed person or entity, whether in a periodical, by television, by radio, or by any other public or private medium, including, but not limited to, letters, circulars, handbills, internet postings, social media or oral statements is unlawful. Persons violating this law shall be guilty of a felony. See O.C.G.A. § 19-8-24.
How to apply for residential child care licenses.
Orientation to Residential Child Care
Child Welfare Provider Scorecards
To file a complaint, email RCCReports@dhs.ga.gov and staff will contact you regarding your complaint.
Contact Information:
Residential Child Care Licensing
Two Peachtree Street, NW
Suite 30
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3142
Phone: (404) 657-9651
Fax: (404) 651-5091
E-mail: rcs@dhs.ga.gov
The Office of the Inspector General, Residential Child Care Licensing section monitors, inspects and licenses residential child care facilities, programs and services. In State Fiscal Year 2017 (July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017) we:
- Processed 69 Applications
- Conducted 319 Annual Inspections
- Completed 59 Follow-up Inspections
- Completed 37 Initial Inspections
- Investigated 125 complaint intakes
- Investigated 283 self-reported incidents
- Imposed 29 Adverse Actions
Click here for more information regarding the closure of Independent Adoption Center of Georgia.