Tagged: Department of Children's Services

A Tennessee judge will decide whether the state Department of Children's Services must release the case files of children who have died or nearly died after being in contact with the agency. The Tennessean requested the records in September, citing the state's Open Records law. The department gave the paper only a spreadsheet with minimal information. The newspaper sued to force the release of the files. The Associated Press and other media sources are joining the suit that will be heard today.

The Tennessee Department of Children's Services is facing more scrutiny for not providing details on 31 children who died in the first six months of this year while under investigation. The agency released that information in September after repeated requests from a Democratic lawmaker and The Tennessean.

The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services is looking to expand its network of foster homes as need continues to increase. After a decade of steady decreases of children in state custody, Tennessee is beginning to see the number of abused and neglected children grow. The state’s largest provider is Youth Villages, which started a recruitment campaign after researching the demographics of what makes a good foster parent.

The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services hotline for suspected child abuse has been swamped with calls and is trying to answer them more quickly. The line rings more than 400 times each day, and callers are usually put on hold. DCS says as many as one in four hang up. Carla Aaron oversees the call center and says any call might have critical information about a child’s safety. The Nashville center added five case managers this summer bringing the total to 70.

A Democratic lawmaker who played a role in the formation of the embattled Tennessee Department of Children's Services says the agency's commissioner shouldn't be blamed for deeply rooted problems she inherited. The agency has released information showing that 31 children it had investigated died during the first half of 2012. Critics want to replace DCS Commissioner Kate O’Day, who Governor Bill Haslam appointed just last year. However, Representative John Deberry of Memphis, who has been a DCS critic over the years, says the problem isn’t O’Day. It’s many of the workers she oversees.

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam says no immediate evidence of wrongdoing by the Department of Children’s Services has been found in the deaths of 31 children. He calls the deaths, which included ten infants with open case files, distressing. Haslam reviewed the reports and says the D-C-S took appropriate action in the cases.