Present law places the following duties on the Tennessee commission on children:
(1) Making recommendations concerning establishment of priorities and needed improvements with respect to programs and services for children and youth;
(2) On or before September 1 of each year, making recommendations for the state budget for the following fiscal year regarding services for children and youth and submitting the recommendations to the governor, the finance committees of the legislature, the legislative office of budget analysis, and the affected state departments;
(3) Implementing the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 and distributing such funds in compliance with such law as the general assembly directs;
(4) Advocating and coordinating the efficient and effective development and enhancement of state, local, and regional programs and services for children and youth;
(5) Publishing an annual comprehensive report on the status of children and youth in this state and distributing the report to the governor, to each member of the general assembly, and to each of the state's depository libraries; and
(6) Promulgating rules to perform the duties in (1)-(5).
CHILDREN'S PROGRAM OUTCOME RECOVERY TEAM
This bill requires the Tennessee commission on children to also organize a children's program outcome recovery team (CPORT) to review cases of children and families being served by the department of children's services for the following purposes:
(1) Collecting, analyzing, and reporting essential information about the population of children served by the department;
(2) Assessing the status of children in state care;
(3) Measuring the effectiveness of the service delivery system to promote positive system change;
(4) Advising policy makers toward decisions that enhance the safety and well-being of children and families; and
(5) Conducting a comprehensive case-based quality services review process.
This bill authorizes the CPORT, in performing its work under this bill, to use face to face interviews with children, parents, case workers, foster parents, court representatives, teachers, department employees, and other relevant service providers; reviews of case records; and data analysis.
REPORT
This bill requires the CPORT to provide an annual report by January 15, to the governor and the members of the general assembly on the previous year's findings and recommendations for improvements to the department of children's services.