NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Department of Children's Services sends many kids in its custody to out-of-state facilities because it does not have the resources in Tennessee to care for them.
As of last month, the department had 229 children in other states.
The department uses 38 different out-of-state facilities — some are as far away as Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming. The kids sent out of state include those with mental health issues, autism or are involved in the juvenile justice system. Child advocates said they were surprised Tennessee sends so many kids out of state.
"That's a really large number for the state of Tennessee," said Zoe Jamail with Disability Rights Tennessee. "Sending a young person to the other side of the country makes it especially difficult for families to stay involved in their young person's treatment."
Terri Herald is worried about her 15-year-old granddaughter.
"I can't even imagine what she's going through right now," Herald said.
Her granddaughter recently went into DCS custody because of mental health issues. The family agreed she needed a residential treatment facility.
"I assumed that she would be in the state of Tennessee. That's when they dropped the bomb, and said, 'No, we have found her a place in Mansfield, Ohio.'"
Herald was shocked her granddaughter was sent to another state more than 11 hours away.
"I said, 'You can't tell me you can't find a place for this child in Tennessee,'" Herald remembered.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked Herald, "How surprised were you that she was taken out-of-state?"
"Very, I didn't even know that DCS did this," Herald responded.
DCS declined an interview but said in a statement that it is "recruiting to bring more providers in-state while also expanding current bed capacity in Tennessee."
"There is limited capacity in out-of-state systems as well, so our youth need to be spread out based on their needs and the available capacity in other systems," DCS officials said.
Tennessee uses a facility in South Carolina to care for children with autism and a facility in Utah to provide therapy with horses for children with severe trauma or mental health issues.
"Where's the funding for more facilities in the state of Tennessee for kids that need mental health treatment?" Herald asked.
Some children sent out of state are involved in the juvenile justice system and have been charged or convicted of a crime. DCS sends kids to at least seven different facilities in Texas.
A recent Disability Rights Tennessee lawsuit against DCS stated one Texas facility uses "restraints that are banned in Tennessee, such as restraint beds and restraint chairs."
Jamail did not comment on the lawsuit, but acknowledged different states are bound by different rules.
"Tennessee's ability to control what happens in a facility that's out of state is very limited," Jamail said.
DCS says it plans to start building nine "intake and diagnostic centers" across the state next year, which will "reduce the number of youth being sent out of state."
Jamail said that would not get to the heart of the problem.
"Assessment and intake centers are temporary settings. They are a layover on a young person's flight out of state," Jamail said.
Jamail said we need more fully staffed treatment facilities throughout the state.
Meanwhile, Terri Herald worries about her granddaughter and questions how she'll visit.
"I think she's devastated. I think it's making her mental health worse, because here she is abandoned again," Herald said.
She believes Tennessee kids should be kept in the same state as their families.
"This could set her back, all the progress that has been made. It could just be destroyed," Herald said.
DCS said the children are usually flown out of state along with a DCS staff member.
It said the department provides financial assistance for parents to visit children who have been placed out of state.
Here are the names and locations (city) for all out-of-state facilities DCS uses:
| Placement Location | Placement City |
| Alabama Clinical Schools | BIRMINGHAM |
| Benchmark Behavioral Health Systems Inc | Woods Cross |
| Canyon State Academy | Queen Creek |
| Coastal Harbor | SAVANNAH |
| Cove Prep | Torrance |
| Desert Lily Academy | QUEEN CREEK |
| Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health Georgia | KENNESAW |
| Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health Texas | LEAGUE CITY |
| Falcon Ridge Ranch | Virgin |
| Foundations for Living | MANSFIELD |
| Fox Run Center | SAINT CLAIRSVILLE |
| Gulf Coast Treatment Center | FT WALTON BCH |
| Harbor Point Behavioral Health Center | PORTSMOUTH |
| Inner Harbor | DOUGLASVILLE |
| Lakeland Behavioral Health | SPRINGFIELD |
| Laurel Heights Hospital | ATLANTA |
| Laurel Oaks Behavioral Health Center | DOTHAN |
| Lava Heights Academy | Torquerville |
| Lighthouse Care Center of Augusta | AUGUSTA |
| Longleaf Hospital | ALEXANDRIA |
| Meadowlark Academy | Cheyenne |
| Millcreek Magee | MAGEE |
| Millcreek of Arkansas | Fordyce |
| Newport News Behavioral Health Center | NEWPORT NEWS |
| Nexus Children's Hospital - Dallas | Dallas |
| Nexus Children's Hospital Houston | Houston |
| Nexus Neurorecovery Center - San Antonio LLC | San Antonio |
| Parkwood Behavioral Health (paid) | OLIVE BRANCH |
| Red River Hospital, LLC | WICHITA FALLS |
| Rivendell Behavioral Health Services | Benton |
| Rockdale Academy - CSI | ROCKDALE |
| Rolling Hills-Oklahoma (Paid) | ADA |
| Sandy Pines | TEQUESTA |
| SpringBrook Behavioral Health System | TRAVELERS RST |
| Suncoast Behavioral Health Center | Brandenton |
| Texas NeuroRehab Center | Austin |
| The Hughes Center | DANVILLE |
| Venice Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility | SIMPSONVILLE |
Full statement from DCS
"We continue to secure resources to support children in our care by expanding the placement network which includes out of state providers. DCS is actively recruiting to bring more providers in-state while also expanding current bed capacity in Tennessee.
In the past 2 years, we’ve worked with Youth Villages to increase the number of DCS youth they house from 50%-80%. -DCS is in the process of renovating a 4th assessment cottage which will increase the number of in-state assessment beds from 72 to 96.
The DCS Real Estate Plan is on track: Locations have been selected for 6 future intake and diagnostics centers (one in each DCS region), along with 3 permanent assessment centers (one in each grand division of the state). Design sessions are underway for these 9 locations. We hope to break ground for many of these facilities by late Spring/early Summer of 2025.
The re-design for the new Wilder and Woodland Hills facilities is also underway. All of these efforts will further reduce the number of youth being sent out of state for placement."
