Foster Care

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37, relative to foster care.

Children Privacy

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Hakeem, Campbell
Last action: 2026-02-02
Official status: Withdrawn.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill has been withdrawn, so its future implementation is uncertain.

Stable Homes for Foster Youth Act

This bill sets rules to improve foster care by limiting where children can live and how often they move homes, while also creating a system to track their safety.

What This Bill Does

It stops children in foster care from being placed in cars, offices, hotels, or motels except during emergencies lasting less than one day.
It requires that children be placed with family members (kinship), licensed families, or small group homes with no more than ten kids.
It limits a child's moves to two times per year unless there are safety reasons or efforts to reunite them with their family.
It asks the Department of Children’s Services to create a system that tracks children in real time while keeping their privacy safe.
It requires an annual report on foster care, including how many kids live with relatives or in group homes and if any rules were broken.

Who It Names or Affects

Children in the Tennessee foster care system
Caseworkers who place children in foster care
The Department of Children’s Services

Terms To Know

Kinship Care: When a child is placed with family members instead of strangers.
Real-time Tracking: A system that shows where someone is at any moment.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill was withdrawn and its current status is unclear.
It does not specify what happens if the tracking system fails to protect privacy.

Bill History

2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Withdrawn.
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee- Government Operations for Review
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee
2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill
prohibits, except in emergency situations not exceeding 24 hours, a child in foster care from being housed in vehicles, state or agency offices, hotels, or motels. A child in foster care must be placed in (i) a kinship foster care placement with necessar
y support services to maintain stability, (ii) a licensed foster family with consistent oversight and support, or (iii) a group home or small, family-style residential group home with no more than 10 children per unit, ensuring access to individualized ca
re
and stability.

This bill further prohibits a foster child from moving more than two times per year unless extenuating circumstances, such as safety concerns or reunification efforts, necessitate the change. Caseworkers must provide a written explanation for any placem
ent change beyond the initial placement, and the placement change must be approved by a supervisor.

TRACKING SYSTEM

This bill requires the department of children's services ("department") to develop and implement a system to track the location of each foster child in real time while the child is in the department's custody. The tracking system must be designed to ens
ure privacy protections while maintaining the ability to monitor the safety and whereabouts of foster children at all times.

REPORT

Present law requires the department to annually prepare and issue a report on foster care in this state. In addition to such report, this bill requires the department to prepare and issue an annual report detailing all of the following on a statewide ba
sis:



The number of foster children placed in kinship care, foster families, and cottage group homes.


Instances of prohibited placements and corrective actions taken.


Recommendations for further policy improvements.


The effectiveness of real-time tracking in improving child safety and stability.

RULEMAKING

This bill requires the department to promulgate rules to minimize placement disruptions and prioritize stability in accordance with this bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 1644
By Campbell

HOUSE BILL 1726
By Hakeem
HB1726
010488
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37,
relative to foster care.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. This act is known and may be cited as the "Stable Homes for Foster Youth
Act."
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37, Chapter 2, Part 4, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) The general assembly finds and declares that:
(1) The state has a responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of
children in the foster care system;
(2) Repeated placement changes and inappropriate temporary housing,
including the use of cars, offices, and hotel rooms, lead to severe emotional,
psychological, and developmental harm;
(3) Stable, long-term placements increase the likelihood of successful
outcomes for foster children, including higher educational attainment, improved
mental health, and reduced homelessness;
(4) A lack of sufficient placement options may lead to harmful and
unstable temporary placements;
(5) Prioritizing kinship care, foster families, and cottage group homes will
create a safer, more supportive environment for foster children; and
(6) The ability to track a foster child's locations in real time ensures the
foster child's safety and prevents instances of a child going missing while in
custody.

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(b) A child in foster care must not be housed in the following conditions, except
in emergency situations not exceeding twenty-four (24) hours:
(1) Vehicles, including cars, vans, and buses;
(2) State or agency offices; or
(3) Hotels or motels.
(c) A child in foster care must be placed in one (1) of the following settings:
(1) A kinship foster care placement, as described in § 37-2-414, with
necessary support services to maintain stability;
(2) A licensed foster family with consistent oversight and support; or
(3) A group home or small, family-style residential group home with no
more than ten (10) children per unit, ensuring access to individualized care and
stability.
(d)
(1) A foster child must not be moved more than two (2) times per year
unless extenuating circumstances, such as safety concerns or reunification
efforts, necessitate the change.
(2) Caseworkers must provide a written explanation for any placement
change beyond the initial placement, and the placement change must be
approved by a supervisor.
(3) The department of children's services shall promulgate rules in
accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4,
chapter 5, to minimize placement disruptions and prioritize stability in accordance
with this section.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37, Chapter 2, Part 4, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:

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(a) The department of children's services shall develop and implement a system
to track the location of each foster child in real time while the child is in the department's
custody.
(b) The tracking system must be designed to ensure privacy protections while
maintaining the ability to monitor the safety and whereabouts of foster children at all
times.
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37, Chapter 2, Part 4, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
In addition to the report required by § 37-2-411, the department of children's
services shall prepare and issue an annual report detailing the following on a statewide
basis:
(1) The number of foster children placed in kinship care, foster families,
and cottage group homes;
(2) Instances of prohibited placements under Section 2(b) and corrective
actions taken;
(3) Recommendations for further policy improvements; and
(4) The effectiveness of real-time tracking in improving child safety and
stability.
SECTION 5. If any provision of this act or the application of any provision of this act to
any person or circumstance is held invalid, then the invalidity does not affect other provisions or
applications of the act that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to
that end, the provisions of this act are severable.
SECTION 6. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.