DCS making progress--Let's not slow them down with foster care and adoption bans

Gail Kerr devotes today's column to the progress that the Tennessee Department of Children's Services. She summarizes the findings of a recent report:

Among the things Tennesseans should be most proud of:

• Kids are no longer shuffled between dozens of foster families.

• The caseload of social workers has gone from 40 kids on average to 20. When the mess started in the late 1990s, caseworkers sometimes had 60 kids under their care.

• There are now 7,500 kids in state custody, from a high of 11,000 in 2004.

• The state has placed 90 percent of children in foster care with families instead of group homes or institutions. It's kept 85 percent of siblings together.

We're already hearing rumblings, though nothing definite, of renewed legislative efforts to prevent gays and lesbians or unmarried couples from becoming foster and adoptive parents. Obviously, we would oppose those efforts regardless of whether the Department were making progress. But at a time when the Department is doing such a good job and when the State budget can't bear added expense, I think a good neutral argument can made for scuttling restrictive legislation. Let's continue to focus on getting more children into loving homes.

CP legislative wrap up: Judges, more judges, and DCS

The City Paper has a wrap up on some state level issues that is helpful in keeping up to speed. The first part deals with an argument between Rep. Rob Briley (D-Nashville) and Governor Bredesen about the openness of a screening panel for judges. Briley moved to keep them closed, while Bredesen wanted to shine some light on them.

Briley says if Bredesen wants the Judicial Selection Commission to have open meetings, then the governor should allow his personal deliberations and interviews when picking a judge to be open as well.

“My point was — the governor can’t have his cake and eat it too,” Briley said. “If it’s open, it’s open.”

The piece also covers the role of the Lt. Governor and the Speaker of the House in developing judicial nominees.

Finally, there is a summary of the Legislature's move to change civil service rules to protect DCS caseworker jobs in light of federal funding changes. The Governor thinks some layoffs may be needed, but primarily in the administrative ranks.