WWU

Sticking Together, Despite the Flood Waters

The recent flooding has taken an enormous toll on everyone.  It is the rare person in West and Middle Tennessee who has not in someway been impacted.  Nashville and the surrounding areas have been particularly hard hit.  It will be a very long time before things are back to normal.

Our DCS family has done an incredible job of sticking together and making certain that our families and children are cared for.  All of our foster families seem to be fine although a couple of them are currently in a motel until they can get back into their homes.

The Second Street DCS office in Nashville remains closed but will probably open as soon as we can get back into the parking lot.  Our staff there were incredible.  Anticipating that Monday would be a very bad day, they, with RA Carla Webb's leadership, implemented their emergency plan on Sunday.  We had a real scare about hard copy records, but as of this moment we have not had any damage to the interior of the building. 

The coming weeks and months ahead will continue to challenge all of us.  We will, as we always do, pull together, help each other and make it successfully to the other side of this tragedy.

My sincerest thanks and appreciation to each of you who have and are working diligently to make certain that our families and children are cared for.

Viola Miller

The Budget: Still Looking; Still Waiting

April 28 --  These are unsettling budget times in Tennessee state government.  I know that each of you would like to have a better understanding of what is going on and what our budget for the next fiscal year will be.  

Sadly, we just can't see, from where we sit, what is going on at this time.

There currently are multiple discussions occurring in the legislature, but no clear path to a balanced budget has been determined.  The difficulty of this situation is that none of us know how we will be individually impacted.  

I can tell you that the reigning sense here is that state employees are extremely valuable and that every effort should be made to avoid further staff reductions.  I can also tell you that it could be weeks or even months before we have a final budget for the next fiscal year.  I would encourage all of us to make every effort to keep our focus on the people we serve during this difficult time.  There is little that any of us can do at this point to impact the budget decisions being made.  We can however, make a positive difference for those we serve.  Thank you for all you do every day for our children and families. 

- Viola Miller

Congratulations, Wilder!

Please allow me to extent my CONGRATULATIONS to Wilder Youth Development Center.  We have just been informed that they have successfully completed their American Correctional Association Certification with 100% compliance.  

It doesn't get any better than this.

Thanks to all the wonderful Wilder staff who made this accomplishment possible.  You are making a difference for our youth and doing that work with recognized quality.

Viola Miller

More on the brain, this time involving meth and infants

From Science Daily: Prenatal brain exposure to meth.

Download WWU Brain abnormalities from prenatal meth exposure

New Dispute Resolution in the Foster Parents Bill of Rights

A conversation with Commissioner Miller about the Foster Parents Bill of Rights and the new dispute resolution process:

How did this legislation come into being?

The original “Foster Parent Bill of Rights” came into being in 1997.  It can be found at 37-2-415.  The legislature wanted to address the fact that if there is any dispute as to the protection of these rights, there was no grievance procedure in place.  This addition to 37-2-415 created a dispute resolution process for foster parents.  If a foster parent has a complaint in regards to a failure to follow any of these tenets, they can file a grievance that will be heard by the region, by central office and by TCCY if necessary.

Why did we create this process?

This process was created to ensure that the foster parents and the Department work collaboratively for the best interest of every child in foster care.  We wanted to create a process by which foster parents could be heard if they believed that they had an issue that needed to be resolved.  This creates a mechanism by which foster parents can bring their issues forward.

How does this help foster parents?

One of the main tenets of the Bill of Rights addresses dignity and trust.  This process further supports this concept and opens up communication if there is any issue that needs to be resolved.  The Department is committed to resource parents being full partners to ensure safety, permanency and well-being for our kids.

How do the resource parents find out about this?

They are told during the PATH training.  They are given the opportunity to review all of the tenets in the Foster Parent Bill of Rights and the grievance process is fully explained to them as well.

How do DCS workers find out about this?

We have a computer-based training that is available for viewing in Edison.  It is titled "Resource Parents Bill of Rights"  (CHCB7000). Your region’s DCS lawyers can be asked about this statute as well.

If a foster parent notices something that is an immediate risk to a child, should they file a grievance under this statute?

If there is an immediate risk to a child in foster care, they should contact the case manager and also call in a CPS referral.  Any complaints of child abuse or neglect should be called in to our Child Abuse Hotline.  This process is for a general concern or complaint that one of the tenets of the Foster Parents’ Bill of Rights has been violated.

Is this process only for foster parents or also for adoptive parents?

It is for all resource parents of children in foster care.  Once a child is adopted, that child becomes just like their natural born children, so if there are concerns about adoption assistance or services, they can also file a grievance, but that complaint is filed with our Administrative Procedures Division and they receive a full hearing and an opportunity to be heard.  That said, we would love to resolve this informally at the local level, so please try to work this out first as it is always best to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.

Can’t you just work with your foster parent advocate to resolve disputes?

Yes, certainly.  Our resource parent advocates are a wonderful resource and they should always be involved in the resolution of any issues.  Whenever possible, we would love to resolve issues at the county or regional level, but sometimes that just cannot happen, so we created this addition to the statute to allow for a more formal process to be followed to make sure that every concern is addressed.  

Is this process already in place?

Yes, we are happy to say that we are already working on this.  For reference purposes, the protocol is listed on our website and can be found within Policy 16.7.

Congratulations to the entire DCS family

 We have been notified by COA that the Tennessee Department of Children's Services is now fully accredited.  We are only the seventh state in the nation to have demonstrated compliance with the incredibly challenging requirements of national accreditation.

Governor Bredesen made the formal announcement last evening in his State of the State address.  I sincerely hope that many of you watched as he acknowledged this amazing accomplisment.  Everyone of you should be justifiably proud of the dedication to best practice for our families and children that this represents.  It is my hope that every deparment and region in DCS will find ways to celebrate.  

Of course we all know the rule: Celebrate and back to work.  Accreditation is not an event, it's a process and will govern our work from now on.  Please accept my sincerest thanks and appreciation for the hard work that made COA possible.   

Please take the time to join me in thanking those individuals who led the charge and kept us all on our toes . . . Brenda and Shirley . . . You were there in the beginning and saw us through, often dragging us kicking and screaming!!! . . .  Sandra's work with the regional teams . . . Audrey and the SWATS!! . . . all those folks who not only supported their own region but traveled to their sister regions to help . . . Commisioner Gwen Davis without whom our Hamilton and Knox offices would never have been ready . . . Becky and Joel who worked tirelessly with our group homes . . . the Mighty Mildred and Queen Judy . . . the foster families, youth, staff, judges and community partners who participated in interviews . . . and all those leaders in each department and region who decided that the impossible was possible and set about to prove it.  

I am so very proud of every member of our family and offer each of you my sincerest thanks.  

Viola Miller

A Word About the DCS Budget

Watch the DCS Budget presentation here.

This is a terribly difficult time for us at DCS. With state revenues continuing to plummet, we are forced to make plans for a set of circumstances that are almost too hard to imagine. During Friday's budget hearing before Governor Bredesen, I set out a worst-case scenario for how the department could weather this ongoing storm. It was a heart-wrenching proposal to create; it was a heart-wrenching presentation to have to make.

But we have to remember that it is a starting point. The governor repeated his commitment to Tennessee's children and his admiration for the great work we have done together.

The governor will now sit down with our proposal, and soon the General Assembly will take up the Administration's eventual budget presentation.

It is early in the process, and if I've learned one thing in state government, it's that proposals invariably change as they work their way through the legislature.

If you have questions about the proposal, we're happy to hear them. If you have comments, we're happy to hear those too.

We promise that we will keep informed in the coming weeks and months.

Thank you so much for all the hard work you do on behalf of Tennessee's children.

Warm regards,

Viola P. Miller

Congratulations

It is with great pleasure and tremendous pride that I tell you that we have now received notification of  compliance on three more regions:  Mid Cumberland, Smoky Mountain and Shelby regions have been identified as being in compliance with  COA standards!!

The work you have done is nothing short of incredible and speaks volumes to your dedication and commitment to those children and families we serve. 

Viola P. Miller

Smoky Mountain Region Makes Us Proud

The folks in Smoky are all smiles and happy tears. Their COA peer review was outstanding. They had a long list of wonderful things to say. One of my favorites was the story of a post-custody youth. He reported with great pride that he is now in college. He gives all the credit to his caseworker. He said that she always listened to him worked with him and cared about him. He reported that now he believes that he can do anything he wants because his CM believed in him.

The reviewers were thrilled with the focus on outcomes, the use of data in decision making, our system of care reflected in the CFTM model, and the pervasive engagement in CQI.

They were all complimentary of the outstanding staff and leadership in Smoky.

It was a wonderful experience and I congratulate them.

I just hope that Carla has dried her tears by now!!!!

Viola P. Miller

Arm Yourself for H1N1 Flu

As flu season approaches, be sure to read this note from Tennessee's Health Commissioner Susan Cooper. Take the time to inform yourself -- for your benefit and for the families that we all serve.

Residents and visitors of Tennessee:

Undoubtedly, you have heard of confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu virus in our state. Most r ecently, the World Health Organization announced that it has raised the influenza pandemic alert level to Phase 6, indicating the beginning of a pandemic. This reflects the global outbreak of this new virus, to which people have little or no immunity and for which there is no vaccine.  

This announcement is not unexpected. It will neither influence nor is it necessary to change any of our response activities in Tennessee or the U.S.

The Department of Health continues to work with federal and local officials to respond to the outbreak in Tennessee and inform residents of ways to prevent the flu. The raising of the influenza pandemic alert level reflects the spread of the illness, not its severity.

As new information develops, it is important that we all remain aware and be informed of updates for the health of ourselves and our loved ones.

Please use this H1N1 Web site as a resource to promote, protect and improve  your health during this flu pandemic and check back regularly for the latest information.

Sincerely,

Susan R. Cooper, MSN, RN
Commissioner
Tennessee Department of Health