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Tennessee DCS reports hiring new caseworkers, end to children sleeping on office floors

Margie Quin, center, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Childrens Services. / Tennessee Lookout Photo by John Partipilo Margie Quin, center, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Childrens Services. / Tennessee Lookout Photo by John Partipilo

By Anita Wadhwani / Tennessee Lookout April 18, 2023 2 min read

Four months after an audit found the Department of Children’s Services repeatedly put children in harm’s way, its leadership reported back to lawmakers steps taken to address crises within the agency.

The department has reduced caseworker vacancies nearly in half, enlisted more than 1,100 families to begin the process of becoming foster parents and ceased housing children in state office buildings, DCS Commissioner Margie Quin told lawmakers Monday.

Quin, who has been on the job since September, called them “important first steps.”

With a one-time budget infusion, DCS raised starting caseworker salaries to $50,600 on Feb. 16 and has received more than 1,000 applications for the positions since, Quin said. In September, there were 620 vacant caseworker positions; today there are 365.

Quin said the state has added transitional housing for children taken from their homes as a result of abuse or neglect allegations and in need of an immediate bed. For more than a year, there have been repeated reports of children sleeping on office floors. That ended March 30, Quin said.

And new caseworkers on the job are restricted to no more than 10 cases at one time, Quin said.

DCS, as a result of protracted litigation in a case known as “Brian A,” agreed to adhere to a standard that said caseworkers could average no more than 20 cases at one time.

In response to questioning from Rep. John Ray Clemmons, a Nashville Democrat, Quin said that there are caseworkers in the state carrying as many as 80 cases.

“So you’re telling us today there are caseworkers in your department who have up to 400% of the average required under Brian A,” Clemmons asked. “That’s still allowed and doesn’t concern you enough to take action?”

Quin said that “it absolutely concerns me.” One of the steps she has taken is to “flood” an area with special personnel to take on some of the work of caseworkers with high caseloads.

Quin’s appearance before lawmakers Monday was part of a quarterly report lawmakers have demanded of the agency since the December audit by the Tennessee comptroller found multiple failings in the agency’s ability to care for children taken into state custody.

Read more at TennesseeLookout.com.