TN Commission on Children and Youth - State Office

Description

Advocates to improve the quality of life for children and families and provides leadership and support for child advocates. The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth is the state advisory group responsible for implementing the provisions of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act in Tennessee; provides Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and Federal Formula grants; is one of two agencies that oversees the Council on Children's Mental Health, advocates for early childhood well-being and preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACES); manages the Home Visiting Leadership Alliance (HVLA); maintains the kidcentraltn.com website; manages the KIDS COUNT project; provides an ombudsman program for children in the custody of the Department of Children's Services (DCS), Child Protective Services (CPS), kinship care/relative caregiver program, and DCS foster parent issues; staffs and coordinates nine regional councils that provide organizational structure for statewide networking on behalf of children and families; produces an annual Resource Mapping of Expenditures on Tennessee Children report, oversees the Tennessee Second Look Commission (SLC) to review an appropriate sampling of cases involving a second or subsequent incident of severe child abuse in order to provide recommendations and findings to the General Assembly; houses the Youth Transitions Advisory Council (YTAC) to assist the Department of Children's Services with developing extension of foster care services for youth in state custody who age out of the child welfare and juvenile justice systems; and houses the Tennessee Young Child Wellness Council (TNYCWC), which seeks to improve the well-being of children in Tennessee by improving collaboration among child-serving agencies and programs.

Hours

Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Eligibility

Anyone interested in advocating for children in Tennessee; some programs may have more restricted eligibility. Call or visit the website for details.

Fees

Most programs and publications are provided at no cost to the public. There is a fee for agencies to become members of TCCY Regional Councils. The membership fee varies by region. Contact the regional coordinator for more information.

Intake Procedure

Call or visit the website for information

Geography Served

Telephone Numbers

Description

Advocates to improve the quality of life for children and families and provides leadership and support for child advocates. The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth is the state advisory group responsible for implementing the provisions of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act in Tennessee; provides Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and Federal Formula grants; is one of two agencies that oversees the Council on Children's Mental Health, advocates for early childhood well-being and preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACES); manages the Home Visiting Leadership Alliance (HVLA); maintains the kidcentraltn.com website; manages the KIDS COUNT project; provides an ombudsman program for children in the custody of the Department of Children's Services (DCS), Child Protective Services (CPS), kinship care/relative caregiver program, and DCS foster parent issues; staffs and coordinates nine regional councils that provide organizational structure for statewide networking on behalf of children and families; produces an annual Resource Mapping of Expenditures on Tennessee Children report, oversees the Tennessee Second Look Commission (SLC) to review an appropriate sampling of cases involving a second or subsequent incident of severe child abuse in order to provide recommendations and findings to the General Assembly; houses the Youth Transitions Advisory Council (YTAC) to assist the Department of Children's Services with developing extension of foster care services for youth in state custody who age out of the child welfare and juvenile justice systems; and houses the Tennessee Young Child Wellness Council (TNYCWC), which seeks to improve the well-being of children in Tennessee by improving collaboration among child-serving agencies and programs.

Hours

Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Eligibility

Anyone interested in advocating for children in Tennessee; some programs may have more restricted eligibility. Call or visit the website for details.

Fees

Most programs and publications are provided at no cost to the public. There is a fee for agencies to become members of TCCY Regional Councils. The membership fee varies by region. Contact the regional coordinator for more information.

Intake Procedure

Call or visit the website for information

Geography Served

Telephone Numbers

Description

The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth is the state advisory group responsible for implementing the provisions of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act in Tennessee; provides Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and Federal Formula grants; and houses the Youth Transitions Advisory Council (YTAC) to assist the Department of Children's Services with developing extension of foster care services for youth in state custody who age out of the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

Hours

Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Eligibility

Anyone interested in advocating for children in Tennessee; some programs may have more restricted eligibility. Call or visit the website for details.

Fees

Most programs and publications are provided at no cost to the public.

Intake Procedure

Call or visit the website for information

Geography Served

Contact

Telephone Numbers

Description

Public Chapter 1060 of the Acts of 2010 creates the Tennessee Second Look Commission (SLC) to review an appropriate sampling of cases involving a second or subsequent incident of severe child abuse in order to provide recommendations and findings to the General Assembly regarding whether or not severe child abuse cases are handled in a manner that provides adequate protection to the children of this state. In addition, TCCY produces the annual KIDS COUNT searchable database and annual data report about the well being of Tennessee's children.

Hours

Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Eligibility

Anyone may search the KIDS COUNT database or view annual reports for KIDS COUNT and the Second Look Commission.

Fees

No fee.

Intake Procedure

Visit the website to search the database or view the reports.

Geography Served

Contact

Telephone Numbers

Description

The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth provides an ombudsman program for children in the custody of the Department of Children's Services (DCS), Child Protective Services (CPS), kinship care/relative caregiver program, and DCS foster parent issues. An ombudsman is a person whose job is to work out problems between people and government. The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth's (TCCY) Ombudsman Program is an external, third-party problem resolution mechanism for children in the custody of the Department of Children's Services (DCS), Child Protective Services (CPS), kinship care/relative caregiver program, and DCS foster parent issues. TCCY has statutory authority to review children in the foster care system, kinship care or CPS and make recommendations for improvement. TCCY is an independent state agency that works closely with DCS but is not a part of department. The Ombudsman Program has a mandate to investigate or conduct case file reviews but does not have an enforcement power. Most public sector or government ombudsman offices function in this manner and have the same program limitation. If necessary, written and/or verbal recommendations are provided. Transparency, fairness, accountability, timeliness and best practice are features safeguarded by the Ombudsman Program. The TCCY ombudsman takes referrals from children, families, legislators, national organizations, child advocates, attorneys, school personnel, juvenile courts, DCS workers, service providers and other stakeholders or concerned individuals. The ombudsman can access records and interview children, families and state and private agency staff, in order to help resolve problems. Established in 1996, the TCCY Ombudsman Program adheres to United States Ombudsman Association standards, including a credible review process, confidentiality, impartiality and independence. The ombudsman helps to address problems through a mediation approach focusing on issues, concerns or complaints of individuals. The Ombudsman may serve as an advocate for the family, the state, or the provider when appropriate, but is always working for the child's best interests. The TCCY Ombudsman Office accepts referrals from all over the state.

Hours

Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Eligibility

You should call the ombudsman when you believe the action, inaction, or decision of DCS, service providers and/or caregivers of out-of-home care (including TennCare providers, schools, residential and non-residential care facilities, foster care, detention facilities, public agencies, and social services agencies operated by either the state or one of its contractors) has adversely affected the health, safety, welfare, or rights of children and youth in state custody, or their families.

Fees

No fee.

Intake Procedure

Call or visit the website for information

Geography Served

Contact

Telephone Numbers