State:                    Tennessee
Contact Person:   Toni Lawal, MS
Contact Address: University of Tennessee, College of Social Work, Office of Research and Public Services, 193 Polk Avenue, Suite F, Nashville, TN  37210
Contact Phone:    615-782-6122
Email:                    tlawal@utk.edu
URL:                     http://www.sworps.utk.edu/children
Founded In:         01-Aug-99
Funding:              CAPTA Funds

Fiscal year reporting:  July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009

Brief Description:  Tennessee has three (3) regional Citizen Review Panels and plans to establish a new Panel in the east region. The three (3) panels are located in Memphis (West TN), Montgomery County (Clarksville- Mid-Cumberland Region), and the Northwest Region of Tennessee which includes nine rural counties.

Each Panel has a Chairperson who is responsible for facilitating meetings and ensuring that panel members follow through with their goals. Each spring, a statewide retreat is held to review previous year information, to discuss “lessons learned” and to develop recommendations for the state child welfare Commissioner. During the April 2009 retreat, a representative from the Department of Health shared information with Panel members on Child Fatalities in Tennessee and provided information specific to the Panel regions noting that Memphis/Shelby County has the highest infant fatality rate in the nation.

Annual Report submitted:  June 30

Sample of Current Work Projects/Focus

• Review repeat child maltreatment cases and assessing practices and procedures of these type cases
  
• Reviewed and assessed current CPS assessment tools and forms - provided feedback to DCS on how to improve existing CPS assessment tools and forms
  
• Followed up on concerns that came out of the survey administered to DCS workers (May 2008) in the NW region – met with DCS staff, Northwest Transit Human Resource Agency, other state agencies, and community based/non-profit organizations to coordinate strategies toward improving transportation in the 9 counties (NW region)
  
• Developing a work product to train Montgomery County School teachers, counselors, and principals on how to report child abuse and neglect and how DCS investigates/responds to maltreatment allegations. This will be done during the school in-service (August 2009) in conjunction with DCS staff

   

2009 Annual Report (pdf)

2008 Annual Report (pdf)

2007 Annual Report

2006 Annual Report

Outcome of Statewide Conference April 6, 2006

2003 Annual report

2002 Annual report