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  Tennessee Voices for Children (TVC) is a not-for-profit statewide advocacy agency for families whose children have emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health issues. Our mission is to bridge the gap between professionals and family members so that they can work as a team to do what is best for the child and family. TVC takes an active role in the development of family friendly policies. We encourage and support family involvement on several advisory boards such as the statewide Mental Health Planning Council, Behavioral Health Organizations, advisory councils, and community planning groups.

The Tennessee Respite Network (TRN) is a program of Tennessee Voices for Children.  We maintain a statewide Information and Referral Service for families who have children ages 0-18 with any type of serious disability. We are funded by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. Families can access TRN by calling (615) 269-7855 or 1-888-269-7855 (toll free). Parents who call are given referrals to local agencies and  individuals for respite services. TRN conducts a 40-hour training for the individuals to become providers.  In some cases, families can also receive financial assistance for respite through either TRN’s subsidy program or the Planned Respite for Families Program funded by Magellan Behavioral Health, Inc. return to top

The Child Care Consulting Program  provides onsite consultation and training to parents and staff associated with preschool centers in Middle Tennessee, Knoxville, and Jackson areas. Topics include: a) child development, b) the change process, c) developmentally appropriate practices, d) classroom management, e) behavioral intervention and positive discipline, f) support for administrators, g) parent support and involvement, h) behavioral screening, I) resource utilization, and j) self-evaluation. return to top

The TeenScreen Program focuses on early indentification of many of the most serious problems that affect youth, such as depression and anxiety. The long-term goal of screening is not just identification, but also getting treatment for those in need and preventing suicide, the third leading cause of teenage deaths in America. return to top

TVC has initiated and participated in various Research projects .  Funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) with Vanderbilt, the Impact Study is designed to examine how TennCare is really working for families with children with mental health and alcohol and drug issues. The information gathered is currently being shared with different agencies and organizations, which have the ability to help make the system more efficient and effective. In addition, the Early Childhood Intervention Study is funded by the United States Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs. return to top

Started in 1993, the Statewide Family Support Network program was established to educate and empower parents and/or caregivers to successfully "navigate" the many different agencies and systems for their families. Outreach provides information, resources, and referrals for parents and professionals, advocacy for children’s and parents’ rights, parent support groups, training, education, and community awareness.  SFSN publishes and distributes the Networker newsletter and organizes TVC's Children's Mental Health Week efforts across the state. return to top

The Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior - The Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior is a national collaboration of researchers and organizations committed to the development, dissemination, and utilization of practical knowledge related to the effective intervention and prevention of the challenging behaviors of young children. return to top

The National Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning--  The National Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning is a consortium of organizations mandated to validate best practices for the social and emotional development of young children, develop training and technical assistance materials based on the identified practices, strengthen the capacity of Child Care and Head Start systems to use the practices at the local level, and disseminate the Center’s information and materials throughout the early childhood community. return to top

The Family Connection Program addresses services necessary to achieve and/or maintain individual children in a family home and the community. All referrals must come from DCS. return to top

The Mule Town Family Network is a group of public and private agencies, schools, youth and families in Maury County who work together to help children with serious emotional disturbance (SED). The MTFM's goal is to establish a system of care for children so they might function more effectively at home, in school and in their community. This program is a collaboration between the Tennessee Department of Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities (Principle Investigator, Dr. Freida Outlaw), Tennessee Voices for Children, Centerstone and other area agencies.

The Tennessee Parent Information and Resource Center Program(TPIRC) is a program that provides training, collaboration, and technical assistance to parents and schools. The purpose of the program is to enable parents of preschool and school aged children, particularly those who are economically and/or educationally disadvantaged, to effectively help their children achieve developmental goals and meet educational standards and to enable schools to effectively involve parents in their programs, activities and school plans that lead to improvement in student academic achievement. return to top

Former Programs:

The Nashville Connection is the actual implementation of a system of care throughout Davidson County for five years.  It serves children with SED, ages 0-17, and their families who require services from more than one agency. The project targets children at imminent risk of being removed from their homes into state custody, hospitalization, or residential placement due to behavioral, emotional, or mental health issues. TVC also targets those children who are already in out-of-home placements but could return to their homes if appropriate support and services were in place. Flexible funds available to support the Individual Service Plans, which provide the nontraditional wraparound services needed to keep the children at home. The goal of the project is for children in the target population to be cared for in their homes, schools, and communities and to help the children and their families gain skills that enable them to manage their daily living in healthy ways. return to top

Health Resources Services Administration  The HRSA grant has been developing a coordinated effort among many state and local agencies to implement a comprehensive system of care for children with SED within the managed care system. The interagency collaborative process has been vital to our Nashville Connection grant. TVC has been presenting this information throughout the state of Tennessee and providing training to increase awareness of the need for the collaborative system. This training regarding system of care issues has focused on managed care staff and broadened to include a variety of professionals involved with children with SED. A variety of evaluation methodologies is used to determine changes in interagency planning, family involvement, access to services, and understanding of the project. This evaluation includes interviews of Advisory committee members, provider and parent surveys, pre- and post-tests of training information, and satisfaction surveys. return to top

The Nashville Family Alliance Center is a partnership between the Arc of Davidson County and Tennessee Voices for Children. The Center provides training, information, assistance and resources to families and providers of children with all disabilities (physical, mental or developmental). Our main area of focus is the unserved/underserved communities of Nashville. This includes minorities, immigrant and refugee populations. return to top

The Nashville Supports Early Education Staff (SEES) is a child care initiative designed to provide a qualified and affordable substitute pool to Davidson county’s child care providers. return to top

TennCare for Children's mission is to find and enroll eligible, uninsured and underinsured children in TennCare. We work statewide with schools, family resource centers, childcare providers, clinics and others to educate families about TennCare eligibility and enrollment. Does your child need good, affordable health insurance? Take a look at our brochure “4 Ways to get TennCare for Children and Teens” OR give us a call at 1 (800) 280-8682. We can prescreen your children for TennCare, answer your questions, and send you a TennCare application in the mail. return to top