Debbie Ausburn is a social-worker-turned-lawyer who has worked with youth-serving organizations for more than 40 years. She has served a a criminal prosecutor, member of the governing board of the Georgia Department of Human Resources, and a volunteer and Board member with non-profit youth organizations. She currently is a member of Chalmers Adams Backer & Wallen, LLC, and works with youth organizations, defending lawsuits, assisting with internal investigations, and advising clients about best practices for child safety.
Debbie’s most challenging and rewarding service has been as a foster parent and stepparent. She has never had biological children, but she and her husband have collected 7 children and 10 grandchildren. She put the lessons that her foster and stepchildren taught her into her book Raising Other People’s Children: What Foster Parenting Taught Me about Bringing Together a Blended Family. She and her co-author, Tom Rawlings, recently wrote Protecting Other People’s Children: 120 Days to a Strong Child Safety Policy, a book that reflects the best practices that they have learned in child welfare.
