NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After years of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services saying it is understaffed and employees are overworked, a huge influx of applications have come in after the department raised its pay.
Since increasing salaries last month, DCS said it has received more than 550 applications for Case Manager 1 positions and another 100 for Case Manager 2 positions. Both of these positions are still taking applications.
Entry-level case managers now start at $50,600 a year which is about $7,000 more than what they were starting at before.
There are four levels of Case Managers, each one with a bigger pay jump. Then there is the highest-ranking position — Team Coordinator — which starts at $76,600 a year.
DCS Commissioner Margie Quin said she is following a three-pronged approach for talent retention: competitive salaries, priority in training, and leadership that listens and acts.
Since January DCS has hired more than 120 employees with a 98 percent retention rate.
