NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services (DCS) confirms 10 foster children slept in state offices last week, despite repeated efforts and public commitments to end the practice.
The agency tells FOX 17 News the children were placed in offices because they have complex behavioral and mental-health needs and cannot be safely housed with other children. DCS says the issue is not a shortage of beds statewide, but a shortage of families and facilities prepared to take children with intensive needs.
“This is not about overall capacity,” a DCS spokesperson explained. “It’s about finding appropriate placements for children who require higher-level support.”
Children not sleeping on floors, DCS says
In response to questions from FOX 17 News, DCS says bedding is now used inside offices — not floors, as seen in previous years when the issue first came to light. The agency also says these children are not confined inside the offices around the clock…