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Statistics about Child Maltreatment in Tennessee

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Statistics about Child Maltreatment in Tennessee

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In 2023, Tennessee reported 67,457 cases of child abuse and neglect (Tennessee CASA, 2023).

The Department of Children’s Services (DCS) handled 70,718 investigation and assessment hotline cases in 2021–2022 (Tennessee DCS Data Reports).

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News Articles Related to Child Welfare in Tennessee

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News Articles Related to Child Welfare in Tennessee

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"Tennessee Foster Care System Collects Millions from Children’s Benefits" - Nashville Banner (2024): Read Article

"Social Safety Net Still Fails Tennessee Families" - Associated Press (2023): Read Article

"Tennessee Law Allows Anti-LGBTQ+ Adopters" - Them.us (2024): Read Article

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Federal and State Child Welfare Policies

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Federal and State Child Welfare Policies

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Federal Policies: Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act.

State Policies: Tennessee DCS Policy Manual outlines procedures for child protection, foster care, adoption, and family support services.

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https://haslam.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/TCCY-REPORT-JUNE-2023.pdf

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Child Welfare Programs and Services in Tennessee

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Child Welfare Programs and Services in Tennessee

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Public Programs:

Department of Children's Services (DCS): Oversees foster care, protective services, adoption, and juvenile justice.

Families First (TANF): Provides financial and employment support.

Private Programs:

Youth Villages: Offers residential treatment, foster care, and in-home services (youthvillages.org).

Tennessee Alliance for Children & Families: Coordinates private providers (tnchildren.org).

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Edwards, F., & Wildeman, C. (2020). Characteristics of children placed in foster care: A cross-state comparison. Child Abuse & Neglect, 107, 104564. Trauma-informed art and play therapy

Font, S. A., & Gershoff, E. T. (2020). Foster care: How we fail children. Children and Youth Services Review, 106, 104504. Child Youth

Nashville Banner. (2024, March 12). Tennessee foster care system collects millions from children’s benefits. Nashville Banner

Associated Press. (2023, October 30). Social safety net still fails Tennessee families. Ap News

Tennessee CASA. (2023). Child abuse statistics. TN Casa

Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. (2022). Annual report 2021–2022. TN Gov

Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. (n.d.). Policy Manual. TN programs

Them.us. (2024, February 5). Tennessee passes a law that allows adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ+ families. Them Us

Child Trends. (2023, March 28). Racial and ethnic disparities in child welfare. Child Trends

Youth Villages. (n.d.). Who we are. Add a subheading

Tennessee Alliance for Children & Families. (n.d.). Our mission. Add a TN Children

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African American children represent a disproportionate number of children in Tennessee’s foster system.

Cultural misunderstandings, economic inequality, and systemic racism contribute to disparities in case outcomes.

A Child Trends report (2023) shows African American children are more likely to enter care and less likely to be reunified.

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Social workers must challenge biases and ensure culturally responsive practices.

Continued education on systemic racism and trauma-informed care is essential.

Advocacy is needed to reform discriminatory laws and funding structures.

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Increase funding for preventative services and family preservation.

Mandate cultural competency training for all DCS workers.

Strengthen oversight of adoption and foster care placement laws.