Tenn. DCS Works to Recruit Foster Parents

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 radio and TV spots resulted in a 25 percent increase in inquiries. Recent DCS reforms have helped increase the supply of foster homes by more than 1,000 in the past two years.