A Note About Open Records Requests
Tennessee
law enables state residents to have access to government records. And
while in most cases, child- and case-specific DCS information must
remain confidential under state law, the department is committed to
being as open and responsive as it possibly can. In some instances,
there are even ways for certain interested parties to gain access to
child and family information. State law -- T.C.A.
37-5-107 -- state law that defines what must remain confidential at
DCS. Confidential information includes application, certificates,
records, reports and all legal documents, petitions, and records
identifying a child or family receiving services from the Department of
Children’s Services. Here is a link to the state's office of Open Records Counsel,
where you can find more detailed descriptions of how to obtain
government information, including proper forms, explanations of
reasonable charges and rules for submitting requests. Those
wishing to request access to DCS records must make their initial
requests to either the department's Communications Office or its
General Counsel's office. The mailing address for both is The Department of Children's Services; Seventh Floor, Cordell Hull Building; 436 Sixth Avenue North; Nashville, TN 37243-1290. The Communications Director is Rob Johnson. His e-mail address is rob.johnson@state.tn.us. Stacy Miller -- stacy.miller@state.tn.us -- is the DCS General Counsel.
