Image Credit: tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) is asking for even more taxpayer money to fund more positions and ease case loads.
DCS Commissioner Margie Quin requested the additional funding last week during a budget hearing. Quin wants to create 150 new state positions and an additional 305 contracted privatized case manager positions that she says will ease the case load for existing staff. Case managers are currently dealing with well more than the 20 cases per manager cap.
Addressing Governor Bill Lee, Quin said that case managers are routinely handling between 30 to 50 cases. She also reported that DCS attorneys are handling 200 cases each on average when the recommended number is just 60.
According to Quin, if caseloads can be lightened, DCS attorneys could turn their attention to filing Terminations of Parental Rights in a timely fashion, enabling adoption time frames for children in state custody of 15 months.
However, one Republican lawmaker has questions. Representative David Hawk (R-Greenville-District 5) asked Quin why her department needs to hire so many people when many mid-level managers have been fired.
Quin chalked up the reduction in staff to a reclassification of case manager assistants to case managers, but Hawk remained unconvinced.
The request for more money will be considered by Lee when he drafts his proposed budget.
Full video of the DCS presentation at the budget hearing below:
https://app.vidcast.io/share/5c4d2a51-4c35-4df3-ac8f-340846ed5f03?playerMode=vidcast
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
