Department of Children's Services audit raises safety concerns
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Dire problems at the Tennessee Department of Children's Services are putting vulnerable kids at risk, according to an alarming new state audit.
Why it matters: The audit outlines lapses at DCS that have hampered abuse investigations, timely medical treatments and critical oversight functions.
The big picture: Systemic breakdowns are affecting several aspects of the agency's work, according to the audit, which was released Tuesday.
The findings include:
Investigations into child abuse and neglect have been shoddy or delayed because of a lack of management oversight, "increasing the risk that children are not protected" from it.
- Investigators and their supervisors "failed to complete essential tasks," including quickly conducting face-to-face visits with alleged victims.
The department hasn't shared timely public disclosures of deaths and near-deaths among children in state custody due to staff vacancies and investigative delays.
Medical and dental screenings are delayed for children in state custody, meaning they "may not receive prompt care for their health needs."
- About 11% of kids in DCS custody had overdue medical screenings in 2024, while 16% had overdue dental screenings.
State oversight of juvenile detention facilities across the state should be ramped up "to ensure safety, compliance, and accountability."
- At the Knoxville Juvenile Detention Center, one diabetic young person "went without insulin for two weeks," according to the audit.
Zoom in: Children continue to spend nights in state office buildings when the state cannot find a place for them. In fact, the audit found, the problem has only gotten worse over time.
Case in point: One night in July, 12 youths slept in a single office building in northeast Tennessee.
By the numbers: From March-September of this year, 172 kids in state custody stayed in office buildings for at least one night.
- The average stay in an office building hit 18 days in some regions.
- One youth stayed in an office building for 104 nights while awaiting placement.
Behind the scenes: "We spend more nights in offices and transitional homes than we do in our own beds," one staffer said, according to an agency survey quoted in the audit.
- "It's hard to tell a child that this is temporary when weeks keep passing and nothing changes."
Yes, but: The audit also says that DCS has slowed down high turnover rates that bedeviled the agency a few years ago.
What they're saying: In a statement responding to the audit, the agency acknowledged it "faced numerous, long-standing challenges."
- "While challenges remain, substantial progress has occurred," the statement read. "Turning a ship with more than 3,800 employees does not happen overnight. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes commitment."
Flashback: The agency noted that five findings, or problems, identified in a December 2022 audit had been fully resolved. Four were partially resolved and four were repeated.