Family And Childrens Service

THE MISSION OF FCS IS TO CONNECT INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES TO HOPE, TO HEALING, AND TO ONE ANOTHER.

IN FISCAL YEAR 2023, FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICE (FCS) SERVED MORE THAN 90,000 PEOPLE IN NEED ACROSS ALL ITS PROGRAMS, AN INCREASE OF NEARLY 50% OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR. CHILD WELFARE AND COMMUNITY SERVICES ------------------------------------ FCS OPERATES MULTIPLE PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON CHILD WELFARE AND COMMUNITY SERVICES INCLUDING: THE RELATIVE CAREGIVER PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES EMOTIONAL AND PRACTICAL SUPPORTS FOR CHILDREN AND THE NON-PARENTAL RELATIVES WHO CARE FOR THEM; COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, WHICH CONNECTS STUDENTS AND FAMILIES TO A BROAD RANGE OF SERVICES THAT REMOVE BARRIERS TO SUCCESS IN SCHOOL; FOSTERING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES, WHICH RAISES AWARENESS OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACES) AND THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF TRAUMA; AND WENDY'S WONDERFUL KIDS, WHICH RECRUITS ADOPTIVE PARENTS FOR OLDER CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS FOSTER HOME PLACEMENTS, AND THOSE THAT HAVE ENDURED SEVERE TRAUMA. IN LATE 2022, FCS LAUNCHED THE LARGEST PROGRAM IN ITS HISTORY, CONNECTING FORWARD, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. CONNECTING FORWARD IS A NETWORK OF 10 PRIMARY AND 140+ SECONDARY PARTNERS WITH THE SHARED VISION TO CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE, CONNECTED SOCIAL SERVICES NETWORK THROUGH WHICH FAMILIES CAN BREAK THE CYCLE OF GENERATIONAL POVERTY. CONNECTING FORWARD SERVES CLIENTS IN 28 MIDDLE TENNESSEE COUNTIES. IN FY 2022-2023, CHILD WELFARE AND COMMUNITY SERVICES SERVED 11,994 CHILDREN AND ADULTS. COUNSELING AND CRISIS SERVICES ------------------------------- FCS HAS A LONG HISTORY OF PROVIDING COUNSELING, CASE MANAGEMENT, AND CRISIS INTERVENTION SERVICES, AND ALL OUR PROGRAMS ARE BASED IN CLINICAL PRACTICE. F&CS CLINICAL THERAPISTS SERVE HUNDREDS OF CLIENTS EACH YEAR THROUGH INDIVIDUAL, FAMILY, AND GROUP THERAPY. THERAPISTS ASSIST CLIENTS WITH A FULL RANGE OF CHILD, INDIVIDUAL, AND FAMILY NEEDS. FCS OPERATES A CRISIS LINE THAT PROVIDES FREE, TELEPHONE AND TEXT-BASED CRISIS INTERVENTION TO ANYONE THAT NEEDS IT, 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. CRISIS SPECIALISTS ASSIST CALLERS STRUGGLING WITH THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE, GRIEF, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ADDICTION, OR TRAUMA. THE CRISIS LINE IS ALSO MIDDLE TENNESSEE'S 9-8-8 CALL CENTER. THE SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE LOSS (SOSL) PROGRAM HAS PROVIDED FREE SUPPORT AND INFORMATION TO ANYONE WHO HAS LOST A FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIEND TO SUICIDE. SOSL OFFERS AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH MEMBERS FEEL SAFE IN EXPRESSING AND SHARING INTENSE EMOTIONS WITH OTHERS WHO UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THEIR FEELINGS OF LOSS. SOSL MEMBERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN WEEKLY GROUP MEETINGS WITH OTHER MEMBERS WHO ARE GRIEVING THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE TO SUICIDE. THE SOSL PROGRAM INCORPORATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR COUNSELING, PEER-SUPPORT, EDUCATION AND SKILL-BUILDING TO HELP CLIENTS MAKE CHOICES THAT WILL HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF THEMSELVES AND OTHERS. THE FAMILY FOCUSED SOLUTIONS PROGRAM (FFS) ASSISTS FAMILIES RECEIVING TANF (TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES) BENEFITS WHO EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY. PARTICIPANTS ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION, LEARNING DISABILITIES, PARENTING NEEDS, AND HEALTH ISSUES. F&CS OPERATES FFS PROGRAMS IN 26 MIDDLE TENNESSEE COUNTIES FOR THE TN DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES. IN FY 2022-2023, COUNSELING AND CRISIS SERVICES SERVED 45,334 CHILDREN AND ADULTS. HEALTHCARE ACCESS SERVICES -------------------------- ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE NOT ONLY IMPROVES HEALTH OUTCOMES, IT ALSO IMPACTS FINANCIAL STABILITY, EMPLOYMENT, CHILD WELLBEING, AND MUCH MORE FOR VULNERABLE FAMILIES. F&CS HEALTHCARE NAVIGATORS PROVIDE FREE AND UNBIASED ASSISTANCE TO CLIENTS ACROSS THE STATE WHO NEED AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE. NAVIGATORS ASSIST CLIENTS WITH SELECTING AND APPLYING FOR AN INSURANCE PLAN THROUGH THE INSURANCE MARKETPLACE, TENNCARE, AND/OR COVERKIDS. FOR THOSE CLIENTS THAT CANNOT FIND AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE, THE HEALTH ASSIST PROGRAM PROVIDES UNDER AND UNINSURED TENNESSEANS WITH REFERRAL TO LOW AND NO-COST, COMMUNITY-BASED HEALTH CARE RESOURCES (INCLUDING MEDICAL, DENTAL, VISION, PRESCRIPTION, MENTAL HEALTH, AND OTHER RESOURCES). SPECIALISTS ALSO SCREEN ALL CALLERS FOR ELIGIBILITY FOR PUBLICLY FUNDED HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAMS. FCS ALSO PROVIDES FEE-BASED, PROFESSIONAL INTERPRETER SERVICES IN NEARLY 30 LANGUAGES AND DIALECTS FOR HEALTHCARE AND SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE AND THEIR CLIENTS. SERVICES ARE OFFERED IN PERSON, AND VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE AND TELEPHONE. FEES ARE PAID TO FCS BY THE CONTRACTING AGENCY AND ARE FREE TO THE CLIENT. IN FY 2022-2023, HEALTHCARE ACCESS SERVICES SERVED 32,901 CHILDREN AND ADULTS THROUGH INDIVIDUAL SUPPORTS AND EDUCATION.