Residential Child Care Licensing

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 [email protected] and staff will contact you regarding your complaint.

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 2018 (July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018) we:

• Processed 65 Applications
• Conducted 348 Annual Inspections
• Completed 76 Follow-up Inspections               
• Completed 39 Initial Inspections                      
• Investigated 143 complaint intakes
• Investigated 296 self-reported incidents
• Imposed 35 Adverse Actions

Click here for more information regarding the closure of Independent Adoption Center of Georgia.