From WRCBTV A scathing report was released Tuesday concerning the Tennessee Department of Children's Services. The report shows a substandard
From WRCBTV
A scathing report was released Tuesday concerning the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. The report shows a substandard performance by the department.
The report by the Tennessee comptroller of the treasury said DCS is struggling to provide support services for Tennessee’s most vulnerable youth. This is the second time in two years that the department has been audited.
The report has 13 findings, one observation and two matters for legislative consideration.
Among the findings in the audit:
- Case manager turnover and employee vacancies at DCS have reached crisis levels while the number of children going into DCS custody continues to rise.
- Children may have remained in unsafe situations because management has not met established timelines for key points of child abuse and neglect investigations.
- DCS did not ensure that reported allegations of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, or lack of supervision of custodial children living in residential facilities were investigated.
- DCS has not developed an effective and efficient process to respond to sexual abuse and harassment allegations to keep children in residential facilities safe.
- Deficiencies in management’s Provider Quality Team (PQT) review process contributed to the PQT not identifying a questionable provider employee, to prevent his contact with children in state custody, and to avoid child endangerment.
During a Government Operations Subcommittee meeting Wednesday, DCS was questions on the finding. It was revealed that DCS has had issues filling vacant case worker positions leaving exhausted case managers with more than 20 cases at a time. Though, Commissioner Margie Quin explained they have solutions to the high turnover rate.
“We intend to immediately create new policy for new hires to cap case loads in their first year at 10,” she said at the meeting.
Quin said they also plan to increase their salary, improve training and add assistant positions to relieve the burden on case managers.
The audit shows there’s a crisis-level shortage of foster homes, leaving children to stay overnight in office buildings.
“If we are removing kids that have conditions like that and we’re putting them into that same condition, so they’re already traumatized and you’re putting them into another traumatic situation how is that making it better for the kids,” questioned Representative Vincent Dixie.
“We need to get kids out of offices and into transitional homes and cottages and we’re working very aggressively in that direction,” responded Quin.
Katie Harbison, CEO of Chambliss Center for Children said they are working with DCS to bring an Isaiah 117 House to Hamilton County to help get children out of office buildings and into beds.
“What we need is places for those children to go. Safe, loving places and Isaiah 117 House is an amazing solution to that and we seen that happen around the state and we want that for Hamilton County Children,” said Harbinson.
The Isaiah 117 House is the first place children would go after being removed from their home by DCS. Harbinson said the house will give children new clothes, school supplies along with a warm place to sleep, eat and bathe.
She said the lack of foster homes is the biggest need in the community.
“The reason we’re seeing a lot of the issues we’re seeing is because we don’t have those foster homes, so I think this is a call to action for all of us to say what can we do to help, what can we do? If we care about the safety and well being of children then let’s look at how we can become a foster family and help them.”
The Isaiah 117 House is currently under construction. If you’re interested in being a foster parent, the center is offering a free class next month. To find more information, click here.
