Parents sue DCS for mistreatment of youth at Wilder, other facilities
Among inadequate education and overprescribed medicine, the lawsuit alleges confined youth are exposed to dangerous conditions like mold, bugs, violence from peers and more.
Topic: Tennessee Department of Children’s Services
RSSThere are 16 article(s) tagged Tennessee Department of Children’s Services:
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June 2024
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March 2024
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Housing for children awaiting foster families breaks ground in Memphis
Isaiah 117 House, a nonprofit that provides a comfortable environment for youth waiting on a foster family placement, opens its first location in Shelby County, where more than 1,000 children are in state custody.
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September 2023
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State approves funding for ‘first step’ in Wilder Youth Center replacement
The renovation is part of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services’ plan to manage the crisis of placements for youths in foster care or the juvenile justice system.
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July 2023
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Wilder Youth Center getting upgrades, but won’t be replaced yet
Tennessee Department of Children’s Services says the Fayette County facility is needed despite reports by Disability Rights Tennessee and the Youth Law Center of abuse and unsafe conditions at the facility.
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June 2023
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DCS tried to take 4-year-old away, mom’s bail set at $500K
Brittney Jackson has been charged with aggravated child neglect, abuse of a corpse and making a false offense report in the death of Sequoia Samuels.
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Child abuse costs Tennessee billions each year, report estimates
Shelby County has among the lowest rates of confirmed first-time victims of abuse, while Stewart and Cocke counties log the highest.
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May 2023
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Guest Column: Find ways to support foster parenting and DCS
“Shelby County has plenty of stable, capable, caring adults with safe homes whose service to our community could make a big impact for a child, a family, or even the system as a whole.”
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‘Important first steps’: Department of Children’s Services begins to rebuild with higher pay, new housing
DCS Commissioner Margie Quin reported that no more children were sleeping in offices and the department has had success hiring since a state government-wide salary overhaul.
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January 2023
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Tennessee foster children face the most ‘instability’ in the nation, report finds
About a third of Tennessee foster children are placed in three or more homes in their first year in state custody, according to a Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth report, putting children at greater risk of compounding trauma.
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Public forum pushes for solutions to juvenile crime
“I’m committed for our police department to do what we can, not just to be reactive and responsible, but also to be proactive to keep children out of the hands of the justice system,” MPD Chief C.J. Davis said.
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December 2022
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DCS commissioner outlines solutions after another damning audit
A Tennessee comptroller audit on the Department of Children’s Services concluded that allegations of sexual abuse went uninvestigated, as did accusations of misconduct by contractors.
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November 2022
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TBI, DCS tell governor: Hiring is easier when we can pay more
“It is no secret that DCS has failed to hire and retain staff and, as a result, has seen unusually high caseload averages throughout the state,” DCS Commissioner Margie Quin told Gov. Bill Lee and his budget advisers on Nov. 17.
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DCS workers, foster parents speak out with ‘calls of desperation’
One baby in Memphis was separated from her mother for much more time than necessary because of dysfunction at the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. After quitting, a former DCS worker says her hair is growing back.
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Could another consent decree help rebuild DCS?
Not long after it was established as its own department in the 1990s, DCS faced a lawsuit filed on behalf of a boy from Memphis. The class-action lawsuit dramatically changed the way the foster care system works.
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September 2022
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Children’s Services ‘near collapse’ with shortage of low-paid caseworkers
“Throw money at it,” a Knoxville judge told state lawmakers. “I’m telling you right now, throw money at it. Tons of money at it.”
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May 2020
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Teens test positive at Bartlett facility
Forty-five of 48 teenage boys at Memphis Center for Success and Independence (CSI) have tested positive for coronavirus.
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