Tennessee Parental Placements
Tennessee conducts the following types of home studies:
- Relative Care
- Foster Care
- Relative-Foster Care
- Parent Care
- Foster- Adopt
- Adoption
- Other
TN DCS policy under the ICPC provides for / conducts parent studies, relative/kinship studies, relative-foster studies , foster studies, foster-adopt studies and Adoption studies as well as Parent and Relative Regulation #7 studies in addition to those “expedited” studies” defined under specific Border agreements.
Custodial Parent - Reunification
If child has been removed from the parent, Tennessee requires a home study evaluation before reunification:
Non-Custodial Parents
Placements with non-custodial parents are not subject to the ICPC if:
Proof of Paternity Required for Placement with Paternal Relative:
Regulation 7 Priority Placement
Tennessee performs priority placements:
Wait Time (ICPC Interstate Home Study)
Average length of time to process and complete a home study with criminal background checks for an interstate placement (Not including completion of education training):
Wait time to complete Home Study, only (without criminal records check):
Tennessee determines the "Date of Receipt" for an interstate home study as:
- Date verified between Receiving/Sending States
- Date stamped in the ICPC Office.
"Date of receipt" is the date that the completed study has been received in the TN ICPC office.
Mailing Process - Interstate Home Study
Method of requesting, sending, and/or reporting an interstate home study:
|
Regular Mail |
Express Mail |
Overnight Mail |
Electronic Mail |
Send request for a home study to Receiving State |
y |
y |
y |
y |
Send home study request to Local office |
y |
y |
y |
y |
Send home study report to Sending State |
y |
y |
y |
y |
Criminal Records Checks
Tennessee requires criminal background checks for the following home studies:
- Foster Care
- Relative Care
- Relative-Foster Care
- Foster-Adopt
- Adoption
- Parent
- Other, specified below
Guardianship pursuant to Fostering Connections and Court-jurisdiction only. Parent and Relative Regulation #7 studies in addition to those “expedited” studies” defined under specific Border agreements.
Types of Checks (Criminal & Abuse Neglect Registry)
Tennessee requires the following types of criminal background and perpetrator checks:
Federal (F), State (S), Local (L), Abuse and Neglect Registry (ANR), Not Required (NR)
|
Federal |
State |
Local |
ANR |
NR |
Foster Care |
y |
y |
y |
y |
|
Relative |
y |
y |
y |
y |
|
Relative Foster Care |
y |
y |
y |
y |
|
Adoption |
y |
y |
y |
y |
|
Foster-Adopt |
y |
y |
y |
y |
|
Parent |
|
y |
y |
y |
|
Wait Time for Criminal Records Checks
Wait time for fingerprint results are:
Live Scan or other technology
- State: 48-72 hours
- Local/County: 48-72 hours
Manually - Fingerprint Card
- State: 4-7 days
- Local/County: 4-7 days
Average length of time to process and complete a home study with criminal background checks for an interstate placement (Not including completion of education training):
Verification of Criminal Records Results
- Actual results/information contained in the Criminal Background
Wait Time - (License/Certification/Approval - Education and Training)
Average Length of time it takes for a home to be licensed/approved/certified:
Length of time a license is valid before renewal required:
Tennessee offers classes (education and training) for placement resources' homes to become licensed/certified/approved: