Tennessee Children Services Agency Seeks $26m To Curb Issues

The Tennessee Children Services Agency, which has been under scrutiny for its failure to manage the welfare of the most vulnerable children in the state, has recently requested a sum of $26.6 million. The sum will be used to solve some of the pressing problems faced by the agency. The request was put forward by Margie Quin, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services Commissioner, to a state house panel last month.

From the total amount requested, $20.4 million is allocated toward increasing the charges for care providers, which may increase the number of children beds by 118. $4.1 million has been requested to include a further 48 clinical assessment beds that assist in identifying the upcoming placement for the kids along with providing treatment to ensure their physical and mental health. A request for another $2.1 million has been made to incentivize foster care placements, especially for sibling groups and teenagers.

The request comes after an audit that pointed out a number of issues in the way the agency operates. Some of these included the high turnover rates among the employees of the agency, as well as its failure in securing suitable temporary lodging. In addition, it also emphasized that the failure of the state in conducting proper investigations on allegations of neglect and abuse has threatened the health, well-being, and safety of the children.

Such issues have been deemed as a crisis by several Democratic lawmakers, who have demanded immediate changes to ensure the welfare of the vulnerable children. Such demands have also found support from legal experts like Nashville child custody and visitation attorneys.

As per Quinn, this amount can help bring some progress. In a statement to lawmakers, she added that “I’m not going to sit here and tell you that this is going to fix it. I’ll know more in six to nine months about where this is going to get us.”

Apart from the request for funds, Republican officials in Tennessee have put forward several proposals to improve the condition of the vulnerable youth. While a section was in favor of changes like funding expansions, service improvements, and specific programs for juveniles to help them transition to a homelike setting, others favored the improvement of facilities for young offenders. Yet others were of the opinion that “extremely uncooperative and violent” teens who were 17 or older could be transferred to adult facilities under the Department of Correction’s prison system.

The policy coordinator of Disability Rights Tennessee, Zoë Jamail, however, claimed that the state’s lawmakers were “confusing a symptom of the problem for the cause.” ln a report released last year, the organization concluded that the Wilder facility within the state was operating similar to a dangerous jail. The above facility accommodates youth offenders of up to 19 years of age who were charged with serious offenses as juveniles.

According to Jamail, “The lack of space in group homes, residential treatment, and youth prison facilities is not due to increases in the number of youth in state custody, nor is it reflective of a shift in what our youth need to grow and thrive. “Rather, the state is warehousing youth in highly restrictive settings because our system is fundamentally failing to do what the law requires: building and supporting families.”

Republican Gov. Bill Lee is in favor of channeling more resources into the DCS in the upcoming budget. However, if Quin’s request is approved, the department is likely to receive funding before the next fiscal year. At present, the DCS has over 8000 children under their custody, several of whom have suffered neglect and abuse. The proposed funding can help the department provide proper housing to these young offenders, assist in improving current infrastructure, and make it easier to secure foster care.