Children's Services, Dept. of

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary text does not provide specific details about the roles and responsibilities of new advisory entities.

Children's Services Quality Assurance Program

This bill requires the Tennessee Department of Children's Services to develop and implement a statewide quality assurance program focused on improving services for children and families.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the commissioner of children's services to develop a statewide, outcomes-based quality assurance program by July 1, 2027.
• Incorporates county-level quality assurance systems, including designated coordinators and committees, into the program.
• Prioritizes long-term trends, service quality, systemic issues, improvement plans, and feedback loops when designing reporting and review systems.
• Requires the commissioner to post on the public website a grading system reflecting each county's performance in quality assurance.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Tennessee Department of Children's Services
• County departments responsible for children’s services

Terms To Know

Quality Assurance Program

A system designed to monitor and improve the quality of services provided by a department.

Outcomes-Based Approach

An approach that focuses on measuring results or outcomes rather than just processes.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify an exact implementation date after the amendment.
• It is unclear how much funding will be needed for the program beyond initial estimates.
• The specific roles and responsibilities of new advisory entities are not detailed in the bill.

Official Summary Text

This bill requires the commissioner of children's services ("commissioner") to develop a statewide, county-level quality assurance program ("program") and implement it no later than July 1, 2027. The purpose of the program is to ensure quality control t
hrough monitoring, evaluation, and feedback on the performance of the best practices in the service delivery system, and utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data in outcomes-based approaches at the county level.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM

When developing the program, this bill requires the commissioner to do all of the following:



Ensure that county quality assurance systems in each county in this state, which must include a designated quality assurance coordinator and a county quality assurance committee, are incorporated into the program.


Ensure that an office of quality assurance within the state department is incorporated into the program.


Ensure that a state quality assurance committee is incorporated into the program.


Prioritize long-term trends, quality of services and outcomes, systemic issues, county improvement plans, and county feedback loops when designing reporting and review systems of county service delivery systems.

This bill requires the commissioner to also consider, as quality assurance goals, (i) providing a permanent structure for independent, objective evaluations of the quality of services and outcomes for children and families, (ii) increasing the capacity o
f the department to deliver improved services, (iii) improving the outcomes for children and families served by the department, and (iv) providing a point-in-time assessment of each county system.

This bill requires the commissioner to also consider implementing as approaches in order to facilitate the realization of such program goals (i) reviewing outcomes experienced by children and families, particularly the outcome areas of safety, permanency
, and child well-being; (ii) reviewing the adequacy of major systemic factors that affect the capacity to deliver services that will lead to improved outcomes for children and families; (iii) reviewing programs for consistency with applicable federal, sta
te
, and departmental policies; (iv) reviewing the strengths of the service delivery system and the barriers to more effective performance; (v) providing information on system and outcome areas needing improvement and identifying barriers to improve service
delivery; and (vi) involving communities as partners with the department in evaluating best case practices.

GRADING SYSTEM

As part of the program, this bill requires the commissioner to post on the department's public website a grading system that reflects a grade for each county department's quality assurance performance and improvements, as reported to the state office of
quality assurance within the department and reviewed by the state quality assurance committee. The commissioner must update the grade for each county no less often than every six months.

REPORTS

Beginning with the fiscal year quarter ending September 30, 2026, and within 30 days of the end of each fiscal year quarter until the program is fully implemented, this bill requires the commissioner to send a report detailing the department's progress in
implementing the program during the previous fiscal year quarter to the chief clerk of the senate, the chief clerk of the house of representatives, and the legislative librarian. The report may be published and transmitted by electronic means.

ON APRIL 14, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1622, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following revisions:



Removes that the program is at the county level and provides, instead, that the program is at the regional level.



Removes that the program must be implemented by July 1, 2027.



Removes that the
office of quality assurance
is created
within the state department
.



Removes the
commissioner
to
consider, as quality assurance goals, (i) increasing the capacity of the department to deliver improved services
;
(ii) improving the outcomes for children and families served by the department
;
and (i
ii
) providing a point-in-time assessment of each county system.



Requires the program to r
eview programs for consistency with applicable federal, state, and departmental policy
.



Removes that
the commissioner
must
consider implementing
,
as approaches in order to facilitate the realization of such program goals
,
(i) reviewing the adequacy of major systemic factors that affect the capacity to deliver services that will lead to improved outcomes for children and families; (ii) reviewing programs for consistency with applicable federal, state, and departmental policies; (i
ii
) reviewing the strengths of the service delivery system and the barriers to more effective performance; and (
i
v) involving communities as partners with the department in evaluating best case practices.



Removes that the commissioner must
post on the department's public website a grading system that reflects a grade for each county department's quality assurance performance and improvements
.



Removes the reporting requirement.



Requires the program to e
ngage existing regional or county level advisory entities

to provide feedback, when appropriate, on departmental practices.



A
uthorizes the program to create and engage new regional or county level advisory entities in order to provide feedback, when appropriate, on departmental practices.



Changes the effective date of the bill from upon becoming a law to July 1, 2026.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 1966
By Farmer

SENATE BILL 1622
By Walley
SB1622
009915
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37,
Chapter 5, relative to the department of children's
services.

WHEREAS, quality assurance efforts in child and family services have traditionally
focused on determining state compliance with federal statutory and regulatory requirements to
avoid a loss of federal funds to the State; and
WHEREAS, quality assurance reviews have also most often been directed primarily
toward foster care services, rather than examining the full continuum of services needed and
used by children and families; and
WHEREAS, federal child and family service reviews now examine outcomes of services
for children and families rather than focusing entirely on procedural requirements following
significant revisions by Congress in 1993; and
WHEREAS, the state of Alabama operates a successful outcomes-based, county-level
quality assurance program, and the state of New Jersey utilizes a continuous quality
improvement system that could serve as instructive models for creating a similar program in this
State; and
WHEREAS, an effective quality assurance program should support social workers,
supervisors, and management and also support the development, implementation, and
refinement of the service delivery system; and
WHEREAS, an effective quality assurance program should not only examine and assess
the components of best-case practice, but also confirm strengths, identify successful strategies,
and recommend ways in which effective practice or system performance may be replicated or
improved; and

- 2 - 009915

WHEREAS, an effective quality assurance program should recommend corrective
actions that are necessary to improve services, capacity, outcomes, and conformity with federal,
state, and departmental program requirements, help identify and provide necessary training,
consultation, and technical assistance to department staff and technical providers, and also
provide a system of review for the implementation and effects of such corrective actions, when
needed, as a necessary part of the program's feedback loop; and
WHEREAS, implementing such a quality assurance program at the county level, with a
full-time staff member of the county department designated as the quality assurance
coordinator, would enable the creation of county-level quality assurance feedback loops and
allow the department to be more responsive to unique service delivery needs within each county
while also enabling statewide sharing of best practices; and
WHEREAS, a statewide, outcomes-based, county-level quality assurance program
should be implemented in this State in an effort to provide the best possible service delivery to
the children and families of this State; now, therefore
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37, Chapter 5, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) The commissioner shall develop a statewide, county-level quality assurance
program. The commissioner shall implement the program no later than July 1, 2027.
The purpose of the quality assurance program is to ensure quality control through
monitoring, evaluation, and feedback on the performance of the best practices in the
service delivery system, and utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data in outcomes-
based approaches at the county level.
(b) When developing the quality assurance program, the commissioner shall:

- 3 - 009915

(1) Ensure that the following components are incorporated into the
program:
(A) County quality assurance systems in each county in this state,
which must include a designated quality assurance coordinator and a
county quality assurance committee;
(B) An office of quality assurance within the state department;
and
(C) A state quality assurance committee;
(2) Consider the following as quality assurance goals, which the program
should strive to achieve:
(A) Providing a permanent structure for independent, objective
evaluations of the quality of services and outcomes for children and
families;
(B) Increasing the capacity of the department to deliver improved
services;
(C) Improving the outcomes for children and families served by
the department; and
(D) Providing a point-in-time assessment of each county system;
(3) Consider implementing the following approaches in order to facilitate
the realization of such quality assurance program goals:
(A) Reviewing outcomes experienced by children and families,
particularly the outcome areas of safety, permanency, and child well-
being;

- 4 - 009915

(B) Reviewing the adequacy of major systemic factors that affect
the capacity to deliver services that will lead to improved outcomes for
children and families;
(C) Reviewing programs for consistency with applicable federal,
state, and departmental policies;
(D) Reviewing the strengths of the service delivery system and
the barriers to more effective performance;
(E) Providing information on system and outcome areas needing
improvement and identifying barriers to improve service delivery; and
(F) Involving communities as partners with the department in
evaluating best case practices; and
(4) Prioritize the following areas of information when designing reporting
and review systems of county service delivery systems:
(A) Long-term trends;
(B) Quality of services and outcomes;
(C) Systemic issues;
(D) County improvement plans; and
(E) County feedback loops.
(c) As part of the quality assurance program, the commissioner shall post on the
department's public website a grading system that reflects a grade for each county
department's quality assurance performance and improvements, as reported to the state
office of quality assurance within the department and reviewed by the state quality
assurance committee. The commissioner shall update the grade for each county no less
often than every six (6) months.

- 5 - 009915

(d) Beginning with the fiscal year quarter ending September 30, 2026, and within
thirty (30) days of the end of each fiscal year quarter until the quality assurance program
required by this section is fully implemented, the commissioner shall send a report
detailing the department's progress in implementing the program during the previous
fiscal year quarter to the chief clerk of the senate, the chief clerk of the house of
representatives, and the legislative librarian. The report may be published and
transmitted by electronic means.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.