HB 256: Social services; foster parents bill of rights; revise provisions

Georgia law already required juvenile court hearings to be recorded and gave foster parents a set list of rights, called the Foster Parents Bill of Rights. House Bill 256 broadens who counts as a protected caregiver, renaming the law the Foster Placements Bill of Rights to include relative caregivers (like grandparents or aunts and uncles who informally raise a child) and fictive kin (close family friends acting as family) alongside traditional foster parents. The bill also strengthens juvenile court recordkeeping: parties and the Department of Human Services get the right to a full and complete record of proceedings without needing a court order. It adds new rights for foster placements, including using a reasonable and prudent parent standard for approving activities, requesting a certified volunteer advocate at meetings and investigations, and seeking independent legal advice. The Department of Human Services must finalize new grievance and mediation procedures by July 1, 2026. The law takes effect once the Governor signs it or it becomes law without his signature.

• Requires all juvenile court proceedings to be recorded, not just some, ensuring a complete stenographic or electronic record.
• Gives parties and the Department of Human Services the right to obtain full court records without having to get a court order first.
• Renames the 'Foster Parents Bill of Rights' to the 'Foster Placements Bill of Rights' and expands its protections to relative caregivers and fictive kin, not just licensed foster parents.
• Adds new rights, including the ability to use a reasonable and prudent parent standard for approving a child's activities and to request a certified volunteer advocate at department meetings and investigations.
• Sets a July 1, 2026 deadline for the Division of Family and Children Services to finalize new grievance, mediation, and administrative procedures for foster placements.
• Expands access to nonidentifying case records for foster placements and lets them share that information with a certified volunteer advocate, subject to existing confidentiality penalties.

Foster parents, relative caregivers such as grandparents and aunts or uncles, and fictive kin caring for children in state custody; the Department of Human Services and its Division of Family and Children Services; juvenile court judges and parties to juvenile court cases; and certified volunteer advocates who assist foster placements.

Relatives and family friends who informally raise a child in state custody would gain the same formal rights foster parents already have, such as being notified of hearings, receiving case plans, and requesting an advocate during investigations. Guaranteed access to full court records could also change how quickly parties and the department can review juvenile case proceedings.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 15-11-17 to require that all juvenile court proceedings, not just some, be recorded by stenographic or electronic means.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 15-11-19 to give parties and the Department of Human Services the right to a full record of proceedings without needing a court order.
• Section 3 renames the law under O.C.G.A. § 49-5-280 from the 'Foster Parents Bill of Rights' to the 'Foster Placements Bill of Rights.'
• Section 4 adds a new subsection to O.C.G.A. § 49-5-41 letting foster placements access nonidentifying case records within 14 days of a written request and share them with a certified volunteer advocate.
• Section 5 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 49-5-281 to define 'foster placement' to include relative caregivers and fictive kin, add a reasonable and prudent parent standard right, add rights to request advocates at meetings and investigations, and require new grievance procedures by July 1, 2026.
• Section 6 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 475
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-04-02House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
6. 2026-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
7. 2026-03-31Senate Third Read (Senate)
8. 2026-03-25Senate Read Second Time (Senate)

• Marcus Wiedower (R, HD-121)Primary sponsor
• Joseph Gullett (R, HD-019)
• Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
• Rob Clifton (R, HD-131)
• James Hatchett (R, HD-155)
• Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 17, 2026

   162 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 8 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #516

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   47 yea, 0 nay (0 not voting, 7 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #899

3. PassedHouse voteApril 2, 2026

   171 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Agree To Senate Substitute: House Vote #836

• foster care
• child welfare
• juvenile court records
• relative caregivers
• Department of Human Services