MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Throughout the recent Tennessee gubernatorial campaign, such as it was, incumbent Gov. Bill Lee frequently painted a rosy picture of life in the Volunteer State.
But at least one nagging problem that has plagued state government for more than a year got little attention during the campaign from the governor, or his Democratic opponent, for that matter. That problem is the awful treatment of children under the custody of the Department of Children’s Services.
Recent media reports have shed new light on the issue. Children removed from their homes by DCS because of abuse and neglect – are routinely sleeping on the floors of state office buildings or in hospitals for long stretches. DCS officials have acknowledged that some kids have been kept in hospitals for up to nine months because there was no place else to put them. The causes of this crisis are numerous. They include a tremendous turnover rate among DCS social workers, the stress associated with the job – and low pay.
The current DCS budget is over $1 billion, but department officials are asking Governor Lee for additional funding to help ease the crisis. So despite what you heard during the campaign, things are not all sweetness and light in Tennessee and it’s imperative that government leaders do a better job of caring for some of our most vulnerable citizens – children who have suffered from abuse and neglect.