Department of Children's Services
James M. Henry, Commissioner

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In-Home Tennessee | Relative Caregiver Program | The Multiple Response Approach

In Home TN Brochure Click here. NEW!

In Home Tennessee supports and enhances the DCS Mission of fostering partnerships to protect children, develop youth, strengthen families, and build safe communities. This will be achieved by building organizational and community capacity, improving access and quality of services, and enhancing how we work with families.

The Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS) firmly believes in the abilities of families and communities to promote the healthy development and care of children. Building on that belief and drawing from the expertise of national child welfare experts and data, the Department is currently in the process of implementing "In Home Tennessee," an initiative aimed at engaging and including communities in strengthening the practice of child welfare, as well as the quality and delivery of in-home services offered to Tennessee's children and their families.

In our efforts to enhance both our practice and services, the Department is partnering with community members, service providers, school officials, resource parents, other governmental departments, law enforcement, and other stakeholders. In Home Tennessee calls on these partners, region by region, to first complete a community assessment of the current practices and services, and then to partner with DCS on addressing the (region-specific) identified needs, in addition to maintaining the strengths.

Additionally, DCS and partners developed a "practice framework," or guide, to assist in enhancing child welfare practice strategies through collaborative learning/strategizing with the Department and other community child welfare workers. Trainings in line with best practice and the Department's mission and values are being conducted currently to hone the skills, strategies, activities, and responsibilities essential to the in-home services population.

This initiative further encourages and supports families' involvement in making decisions for their children. When families are vulnerable and DCS assistance is needed, services are most effective when the inherent talents, skills, and abilities of both the family and the community are mobilized.

For more specific information on the In Home Tennessee initiative, review the overarching framework here.

• Improve the quality of casework services by engaging families;
• Connect with stakeholders in designing and delivering individualized services to meet families’ needs;
• Build organizational capacity to implement system change to meet the needs of families; and
• To assist families
       • in providing safe care for their children within their homes and          communities.
       • in developing effective coping and care giving skills.
       • in gaining access, developing, and using resources to effectively meet their families’ needs.
       • through service provisions in order to reduce referrals and repeat maltreatment.

Click on a region name to get updated information regarding that region’s implementation progress. Only those regions that have begun implementation are accessible.