Why are more kids in Tennessee dying of suspected abuse and neglect? Plus the local news for July 3, 2024.
Pepper spray, beatings and neglect: DCS sued over treatment of kids in Tennessee’s juvenile justice facilities
A class action lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges that Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services failed to protect children in the juvenile justice system.
Tennessee lawmakers want more oversight of juvenile detention. The Department of Children’s Services is pushing back.
New legislation would shift enforcement power to an independent agency after a WPLN and ProPublica investigation found that a Knoxville detention center was illegally locking kids alone in cells.
Tennessee lawmakers demand an audit of juvenile detention facilities, citing ‘culture of lawlessness’ at the Richard L Bean Center
A group of Tennessee lawmakers is calling for an audit of the use of seclusion inside juvenile detention facilities, and the removal of a Knox County superintendent.
A Black family from Georgia is still not reunited with their five kids who were taken into DCS custody in Tennessee
It’s been about a month since Bianca Clayborne and Deonte Williams were separated from their five children following a traffic stop in rural Tennessee.
Tennessee Democrats demand DCS release children taken from Black family after a traffic stop
Tennessee Democrats are demanding the state’s Department of Children’s Services return five Black children taken from their parents following a traffic stop in Coffee County last month, the details of which quickly went viral after the Tennessee Lookout first reported the story on Thursday.
Child welfare advocates ask DCS to look to previous federal oversight for a path forward
Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services could stand to revisit federal oversight that lifted in 2017, say child welfare advocates and legal experts. The court settlement known as “Brian A” required that the state spend money on critical improvements, like having enough case managers so they didn’t handle more than 20 children at a time.
Problems at Tennessee DCS prompt advocates to call for reforms, with less emphasis on facilities
As Tennessee legislators eye reforms at the Department of Children’s Services, advocates are asking them to focus on family and community-based support, instead of expanding facilities.
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.
Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services is failing the state’s most vulnerable kids, a new audit warns
The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has found that the Department of Children’s Services is struggling to provide for the state’s most vulnerable kids. The new audit is just the latest evidence of increased scrutiny of the Department’s performance.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM