The first 72 hours, in order.

Get these while a human is standing in your kitchen

• The case manager's full name, direct number, and supervisor's number

  Write them on paper, not just a phone. Georgia case managers carry heavy caseloads and turnover is real — the supervisor's number is the one families wish they'd gotten on night one. If calls go unanswered later, here's the escalation ladder.

• Placement paperwork & the child's Medicaid number

  Photograph everything you're handed. The Medicaid number matters before the card arrives — it's how a pharmacy or urgent care finds the child's coverage on day two.

• Medications, allergies, and known medical needs — in writing

  Ask directly: "Is the child on any medication, and do you have it with you?" If psychotropic medications are involved, read this guide before the first refill.

• Ask: "Has the Health Check happened yet — and is dental scheduled?" DFCS clock

  Georgia policy directs a medical Health Check within 10 calendar days of the child entering foster care (PAMMS 10.11) — if the child just came into care, that clock is already running; if they moved to you mid-case, it may already be done. Ask which, and get the date. Verified Jul 3, 2026

• Ask about the initial clothing allowance

  A one-time, age-based clothing allowance exists, separate from the per diem — it must be used in the child's first six months in care and is not re-issued when a child changes homes. DFCS doesn't publish the amounts, so ask your case manager for the figure and how to spend it. How it works. Verified Jul 2, 2026

The first 72 hours

• Clothes, diapers, gear — for free, today Your clock

  "Arrived with nothing" is what Georgia's free closets exist for: the Foster Care Support Foundation (statewide, mail order), the Bloom Closet, and more. Free gear, by county — most serve kinship homes too.

• If this is a new removal: the 72-hour hearing Court clock

  A preliminary protective hearing happens within 72 hours of a child being placed in foster care (O.C.G.A. §15-11-145; next business day if it lands on a weekend or holiday). You likely won't attend this one, but knowing it's happening explains the week's chaos — and later hearings, you have a right to be heard at. The whole court timeline. Verified Jul 2, 2026

• Call Georgia Families 360° if anything medical comes up early Your clock

  Every child in DFCS custody is enrolled in the Georgia Families 360° Medicaid plan (currently administered by Amerigroup). The member intake line — 1-855-661-2021, 24/7 — can answer coverage questions before the card arrives. The 360° survival guide. Verified Jul 2, 2026

• School: enroll immediately, or ask about school of origin Shared clock

  A child in foster care has the right to immediate enrollment — even without records in hand — or to stay in their school of origin with transportation, whichever serves the child. Ask the case manager which is the plan before Monday. School rights, explained.

• Start a daily log — tonight, not someday

  One notebook or note-app thread: dates, calls, appointments, visit reactions, anything unusual. Veteran foster parents call documentation the habit that protects the child and you — and it makes every later form faster.

The first two weeks

• Under 5? Confirm the Children 1st referral DFCS clock

  As part of the Health Check, children under five entering foster care are referred to Children 1st for developmental screening within the same 10-calendar-day window (PAMMS 10.11). Ask whether the referral went in. Verified Jul 3, 2026

• Ask where the CCFA stands DFCS clock

  The Comprehensive Child and Family Assessment is the report that unlocks therapy and wrap-around services — referral goes out within a business day of the first hearing, and the completed CCFA is due back within 25 calendar days (PAMMS 10.10). Its recommendations are how counseling usually starts, so ask for them when it's done. Verified Jul 2, 2026

• WIC, SNAP & CAPS childcare Your clock

  Foster children qualify for more than anyone tells you — including WIC, and priority-group status for the CAPS childcare subsidy if you work. What you can actually get, and how to apply.

• Know the visit schedule before the first visit

  Bio-family visits usually start quickly, and post-visit behaviors are normal, not a sign you're failing. Ask for the schedule in writing, and read up on how reunification works — it's the plan until a judge says otherwise.

Set up the month

• Learn the per diem invoice rhythm

  Georgia reimburses on a monthly invoice cycle — invoices submitted one month are paid the next, with direct deposit typically arriving around the 15th. Don't budget around week one. The per diem guide. Verified Jul 2, 2026

• Learn the babysitting & overnight rules before you need them

  Occasional sitters are fine under the prudent-parent standard; overnights past two nights need agency permission. Five quiet minutes with the babysitting rules now prevents a policy-violation headache later.

• Line up respite before you're exhausted

  Up to 10 days per fiscal year at the child's per diem, with prior approval — but only families who ask get it. How respite works in Georgia. Verified Jul 2, 2026

• Save two numbers in your phone: GACRS & AFPAG

  1-866-272-7368 (GACRS — free training, support groups, resource advisors) and 1-877-804-6610 (AFPAG — the advocate you call before answering questions in any investigation). More support. Verified Jul 2, 2026

Print it for the fridge

Sources & verification

• PAMMS 10.11 — Medical, Dental, and Developmental Needs: Health Check within 10 calendar days of entering care; Children 1st referral for children under fivepamms.dhs.ga.gov Jul 3, 2026
• O.C.G.A. §15-11-145 — preliminary protective hearing within 72 hours of placement in foster carelaw.justia.com Jul 2, 2026
• PAMMS 10.10 — CCFA referral and 25-calendar-day completion windowpamms.dhs.ga.gov Jul 2, 2026
• Georgia Families 360° — program page and member intake line (Amerigroup-era number; the CMO contract is in transition, so re-verify)medicaid.georgia.gov Jul 2, 2026
• PAMMS 9.1 / COSTAR — initial clothing allowance: age-based, first six months, not re-issued on placement moves; amounts unpublishedpamms.dhs.ga.gov Jul 2, 2026

Deadlines shown are DFCS's published policy, summarized in plain language — individual cases vary, and policy changes between our verification dates. When a date matters, confirm it with your case manager and write down who told you.