Lawmakers look for answers to fix issues within DCS after a harsh audit and disturbing allegations

There’s been an outcry for years about the poor living conditions for children in the care of Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services. This week, lawmakers received a 164-page audit that detailed those findings.

The audit follows reports by WPLN and other media that elementary aged kids were sleeping on the floors of DCS offices in downtown Nashville. Now, the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has pictures of similar conditions in other DCS offices in the state.

The report also details allegations that minors were abused while in the care of a residential provider contracted by DCS. In a hearing before lawmakers on Wednesday, Sonya Perry, the legislative audit manager with the Comptroller’s office, described the allegations.

“From September 2016 to March 2020, the employer received 16 allegations of misconduct against children in DCS care which included excessive use of force, physical injury to the children that required medical treatment and administering or conducting restraints outside of camera range,” said Perry.

That employee resigned in January 2020, but later returned to work for another DCS provider. In May of this year, the same employee was indicted and charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment after chasing and shooting at children who escaped from a Nashville-based residential facility.

In addressing the report, DCS officials told lawmakers the agency needs more funding to provide better options for long-term and transitional housing, as well as hiring more case workers. Earlier this month, Governor Bill Lee told reporters that he will work with DCS to address its needs, and those will be included in his budget proposal in January.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Senator Kerry Roberts, suggested the community should also help DCS.

“I want to issue a challenge to the churches and faith-based organizations in these areas to reach out to DCS and ask what your needs are and how can we help,” said Roberts.

Representative Vincent Dixie, of Nashville, said it’s the state’s job to do more for DCS.

“Tennessee has billions of dollars in reserves… shouldn’t we be playing more of a role instead of relying on the community to fill in those gaps,” said Dixie.

Lawmakers asked DCS to update the committee on its efforts before the end of June.