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providers and specialists in the field of child care often use terms that are
not in the vocabulary of the “average person.” The
If
you have any suggestions for improvement or any additions please contact us!
Abuse (Physical) – the inflicting of a non-accidental physical injury upon a child. This may include burning, hitting, punching, shaking, kicking, beating, or otherwise harming a child. It may also have been the result of over-discipline or physical punishment inappropriate to the child’s age.
Abuse (Psychological) – also known as emotional abuse or neglect, verbal abuse, or mental abuse; a pattern of caregiver behavior that conveys to children that they are worthless, flawed, unloved, unwanted, endangered, or only of value to meeting another’s needs. This can include using extreme or bizarre forms of punishment or threatening or terrorizing a child.
Abuse (Sexual) – inappropriate adolescent or adult sexual behavior with a child. It includes all forms of sexual exploitation, including exposure to pornography. To be considered child abuse, these acts have to be committed by a person responsible for the care of a child or related to the child. If a stranger commits these acts, it is considered sexual assault and handled solely by the police and criminal courts.
Accreditation – a process by which a credentialing authority, such as the Council on Accreditation, endorses or approves the childcare methods and programs of a child care agency. The child care agency voluntarily meets specific standards in order to receive endorsement.
Adjudication - judicial fact-finding determination (judgment) of a case (ex. guilty or not guilty) by the juvenile court.
Aftercare – support services provided to children and their families after a child has been released from commitment to an agency.
Annuity – a type of investment that guarantees payments of specific amounts to the investor at specific times. The investor can receive either periodic interest or a lump sum payment which comes in two forms, fixed or variable. Fixed annuities are like CD’s that pay a set rate of return. Variable annuities allow the investor to invest in stocks and bonds, and the rate of return depends of how the investments perform. They provide a steady income stream.
Assessment –The process of defining an individual person’s needs, deciding on the help that they require and determining their eligibility for services.
Child and Family Team Meetings (CFTM) – used by DCS staff to engage families in the decision-making process throughout their relationship with the department. They are used for the development of case plans and making permanency decisions as well as for addressing critical decisions around the placement of children. When the permanency plan is completed, it serves as documentation of the child and family team’s work. Also called CFT—child and family team.
Child Placing Agency – a child welfare agency licensed to place children in foster family homes, group homes or adoptive homes.
Child Protective Services (CPS) – the designated social services agency to receive reports, investigate, and provide intervention and treatment services to children and families in which maltreatment occurred.
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) – a philosophy that allows an organization to look at its activities and task performance and create plans for improvement. It is different from Quality Assurance because the focus is self-directed, self-determined change rather than change imposed by an external entity. It is a model of direct service staff empowerment, creativity and responsibility and is non-punitive and solution focused.
Continuum of Care – a service-based model of care which purchases the outcome of successful permanency for children. Children enter at a specified level of service, and the provider is responsible for providing or coordinating all services needed by the child and family, progressing the child through to less restrictive and more home- or community-based placements or services.
Council on Accreditation (COA) – an international, independent, not-for-profit, child- and family-service and behavioral healthcare accrediting organization which partners with human service organizations to improve service delivery outcomes.
Department of Children’s Services (DCS) – the State agency which has been assigned the role of providing case planning and management and permanency planning for children who have been adjudicated.
Emergency Shelter – a residential program that provides care and supervision for children in a non-secure environment for a +period usually not exceeding 30 days. The program provides services for children who are in need of temporary emergency care.
Executive Director – the person responsible for the on-site, ongoing daily supervision of the child care program and staff at each campus location.
Houseparent – the person(s) in a group home who is responsible for the care of the child.
Individual Program Plan (IPP) - Case Planning – a case plan developed by the DCS caseworker with the child’s family members. The IPP outlines the outcomes, goals, and tasks necessary to be achieved in order to meet the needs of the child.
Juvenile and Family Courts – established to resolve conflict and to otherwise intervene in the lives of families in a manner that promotes the best interest of children. These courts specialize in areas such as child maltreatment, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, divorce, child custody, and child support.
Level I – (Residential Group Level 1 no longer exists in the Department of Children’s Services level of child care system). Level 1 is structured group child care living in the community for children and adolescents with relatively few emotional or behavioral problems. The children usually attend regular or special education classes in public schools, but cannot live in foster home or return to their own homes and are not ready for independent living programs.
Level II – Level II Residential Treatment is designed for children with moderate clinical needs who are unable to live at home or in a foster home, and who require temporary care in a group or residential setting. The program provides structure, counseling, behavioral intervention, and other services identified in a child’s permanency plan. Children in this program typically attend public school in the community.
Level III – Level III Residential Treatment provides an interdisciplinary psychotherapeutic treatment program in a 24-hour facility for children and youth with serious emotional and/or psychological treatment needs and in need of an intensive residential treatment facility. Tennessee Children’s Home does not serve children at this level of care.
License -- a document issued by the State Department of Children’s Services to a person, a group of people, or corporation who has met the state minimum standards for child care, which allows them to legally operate a child care program.
Neglect – the failure to provide for the child’s basic needs. Neglect can be physical, educational, or emotional. Physical neglect can include not providing adequate food or clothing, appropriate medical care, supervision, or proper weather protection (heat or coats). Educational neglect includes failure to provide appropriate schooling, special educational needs, or allowing excessive truancies.Psychological neglect includes the lack of emotional support and love, chronic inattention to the child, exposure to spouse abuse, or drug and alcohol abuse.
Out-of-Home Care – child care, foster care, or residential care provided by persons, organizations, and institutions to children who are placed outside their families, usually under the jurisdiction of juvenile or family court.
Primary Care Provider – General practitioners, dentists, chemists, opticians, etc. who deliver services to children.
Private Placement – Placement in residential group care, foster care or independent living for children who have not been placed in the custody of the Department of Children’s Services.
These children have typically been placed by parents, grandparents or guardian, with temporary physical custody being given to Tennessee Children’s Home.
Psychotropic Medication - a drug that exercises direct effect upon the central nervous system and which is capable of influencing and modifying behavior and mental activity. They include, but are not limited to, anti-psychotics, anti-depressants, agents for control of mania and depression, anti-anxiety agents, psychomotor stimulants, and hypnotics..
Residential Child Care Agency -- a 24-hour residential group care facility with a large number of unrelated children living together with adults other than their parents.
Residential Group Home – a residential facility located on one of the four campuses in which no more than eight children receive care. The group home usually has a set of houseparents in a home-based setting. The group home must meet state licensing requirements
Respite Care – services designed to provide relief for the care giver as well as the service user by taking on the caring task for short or long periods of time. This may take place in the person’s home, residential care or other settings.
Special Needs – a broad range of needs that children with a physical disability, learning disability, or emotional or behavioral problems may have.
Termination of Parental Rights – the severing of the parent-child relationship by the state. Such a decision may be based upon such factors as abandonment by a parent, child abuse, unfitness as a parent, or other injuries to a child. The primary consideration in any proceeding must be whether the best interests of the child will be served by termination. A parent has certain due process rights such as proper notice and a hearing.
Treatment – the stage of the child care process when specific services are provided by the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) and other providers to reduce the risk of maltreatment, support families in meeting case goals, and address the effects of maltreatment.
Wake Night Staff – Staff hired to monitor the Level II group homes at night. Wake night staff check on residents and keep a log in 15 minute increments to ensure the safety and well-being of residents.
Contact Information:
P.O. Box 10 Spring Hill, TN 37174
Phone: 931.486.2274
Fax: 931.486.1231
