Joint Task Force On Children’S Justice/Child Sexual Abuse

JOINT TASK FORCE ON CHILDREN’S JUSTICE/CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

193 POLK AVENUE – NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2009 –10:00 AM, CDT

MINUTES

Present Affiliation Nancy Williams Memphis CAC Dana Cobb TCCY – NW Region Sandra Allen LeBonheur CCP D. Michael Dunavant DAG, 25th Judicial District Cindy Perry Select Committee Children Sara Kemp You Have the Power (YHTP) Pam Dickey Childhelp, TN Stacy Miller TDCS Carla Aaron TDCS Bonnie Beneke TN CAC Anne Post Montgomery Co. CAC Rae Anne Seay Legal Aid Society - Columbia Eileen Beehan Catholic Charities of TN Servella Terry TDCS Frankie Cowan TDCS Merlene Hyman TDCS Robert Matthews TDCS Carla Snodgrass Prevent Child Abuse, TN Nicole Cobb Dept. of Education Susan Barber Dept. of Health Linda O’Neal TCCY Jo Ann Gregory Springfield Police Dept. Marymer Perales East TN Children’s Hospital Sasha Fallon TCCY – MTSU Delora Ruffin TDCS Tom Miner 31st Judicial District Jim Thompson 26th Judicial District Jacque Page UT Memphis Sallie Wade Brown 18th Judicial District Linda Lloyd TDHS Kitty Oliver TDCS – NW Region Irma Buchanan TDCS John Haynes Cumberland Sheriff’s Dept

Cheryl Hultman TN CASA Assn

1 Rory Alley UT SWORPS Toni Lawal UT SWORPS

Next meeting is Thursday, March 18, 2010

WELCOME The meeting began at 10:10 am with welcome by President Nancy Williams.

DCS UPDATE Carla Aaron reported that DCS is doing a lot of training in the regions with case reviews in an effort to increase quality casework. Aaron added that DCS CPS Central Office Team members are conducting one-on-one and group sessions with caseworkers to discuss training topics such as engagements and how to work with families. Aaron stated that the focus of the training is primarily on the assessment track and reviewing cases that appear to be more appropriate to the assessment track that are being assign to the investigative track. Aaron stated she and her team plan to monitor the training work being done in the region. Aaron also noted that there has been some great progress in Shelby County and she attributed it to the weekly contacts with Shelby workers over the past 6 months.

Other initiatives reported by Carla Aaron included the following: . Meetings are occurring with Family & Children Service about systems of care and how to combine programs

. Jeanne Brooks along with Judy Smith of the Strengthening Families Initiative are working on a grant to assess early childhood intervention effect on abuse.

. Frankie Cowan of DCS along with TN CAC staff persons, Dawn Harper and Emily Cecil are providing technical assistance to the CPIT members and are looking at what’s working well and what is not working well.

. Training is available to CPIT and other interested persons on how to talk to kids. The training last for 2 days. Forensic Interviewers helped to write the curriculum and are involved in delivering the training. Feedback on the training has been positive.

Robert Matthews reported on the Community Advisory Boards (CABs) and Resource Linkage track. Matthews stated DCS is partnering with Tennessee Center for Children & Welfare (TCCW) to evaluate the attitudes of workers, CABs and other representatives. Matthews stated a survey for all 3 tracks has been developed and DCS staff is reviewing the questions and plans to start a round of sampling in January. Matthews also stated that the department is looking at ways to reduce their budget without having to affect services and plan to utilize

2 satellite presentations and webinars to reduce travel costs. Matthews stated that he and Servella Terry are working closely to coordinate another statewide conference for the CABs and Resource Linkage Coordinators in March 2010. Matthews stated the conference will be delivered via satellite broadcast. Linda O’Neal suggested that it not be set for Tuesday, March 9 since that is the date of Children’s Advocacy Day.

Matthews also stated a conference call is scheduled on Friday, December 4 at 11:00 am with the East Region CABs to address some of their questions and concerns about their work. Task Force members were invited to participate in the conference call.

Matthews also reported that DCS is proposing to cut the Relative Caregiver program by 50% due to the economic conditions. In an effort to ensure that children continue to receive services at the same level, Matthews reported a meeting was held with National Representative of Boys and Girls Club about partnering and outsourcing services for children to their agency. Matthews reported this would be done at a reduced rate since many of the children that come to the attention of DCS are eligible for the services based on their family income. Matthews also noted that the plans are preliminary. Dana Cobb expressed concern about services in the NW region - stating there are only 2 Boys & Girls Club in the region and are responsible for providing services to seven (7) counties. Cobb went on to comment about the transportation problems in the rural area stating they are dire and that many of the children would not have access to the services due to both transportation and minimal resources. Pam Dickey asked if they are going to look at numbers. Matthews replied they will looks at numbers. Cheryl Hultman suggested looking at the public schools after school programs to deliver some of the services.

Other initiatives reported by Robert Matthews included the following:

. TFACTS is going to replace TNKids and DCS is on track to do a pilot in the Mid Cumberland region in February 2010. TCCW will conduct a satellite broadcast on TFACTS as well.

. A community engagement project was recently released and is available on DVD. Servella Terry chimed in and stated it features a judge, Hispanic person, and a young guy who grew up on the streets in Nashville who gives a powerful statement the importance of community resources. The 11 minutes DVD will be used in pre-service to help caseworkers understand the value of communities. Any persons interested in obtaining a copy should contact Servella Terry or Sasha Fallon of TCCW.

3 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Two handouts were distributed – one on the Adam Walsh Act and the other on legislation passed by the General Assembly this year. Linda O’Neal led the discussion on the Adam Walsh Act. O’Neal first noted that parents of victims are sharing their concerns with legislators and urging them to make decisions in the best interest of their children. O’Neal also noted that child welfare advocates are advocating for other options for registry requirements and for legislators to look at appropriate legislation for Adam Walsh in Tennessee. O’Neal reported that only one state, Ohio is in compliance with the Adam Walsh Act.

Jacque Page stated that Ohio is the only state so far to be approved by the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Reporting, and Tracking (SMART) for Support of the Adam Walsh Act and that Ohio is still meeting with SMART representatives on this issue. Nancy Williams asked Jacque Page to share her involvement on this issue with the Task Force. Jacque Page stated she has met with legislators and been involved in many national calls on this issue. Page stated that the compliance process is subjective and that SMART is looking at what information is in state’s system to address the issue.

O”Neal also went over the “Considerations for Registration Requirement” which includes options such as juvenile court judges having the discretion to decide who goes on the register, youth age 16 and older be required to register, etc. For more information on this issue, please contact Linda O’Neal at [email protected]

O’Neal also stated she would like some feedback from the Task Force on this whole issue. Karen Alexander stated there is a 10-year waiting period before a sex offender name can be removed from the register. O’Neal stated the problem with having a non-public registry is the attacks from the public and parents because of their inability to access the register. Alexander stated she would contact Pam Beck and Jason Locke of TBI about having some discussion with O’Neal on this issue.

Frankie Cowan stated that what caught her attention was the section on “revise the definition of rape of a child so cases involving consenting sexual activity between adolescents when there is not more than 4 years difference in their ages would not be considered rape of a child.”

General D. Michael Dunavant said the age required for register should be lower than age 16. Dunavant also stated that his concern is with ensuring that victims are protected.

Nicole Cobb expressed concern about youth lack of knowledge about this issue and suggested training be provided to teachers/counselors and students as early

4 as middle school about the consequences. Bonnie Beneke stated that You Have the Power (YHTP) has a video on “No One Told Me it was Rape” that could be used by teachers/counselors for training on this issue. Jacque Page suggested any training being proposed promote healthy relationships. General Dunavant stated there is a video on “Don’t Rush to be a Teen Parent.” Linda O’Neal suggested the schools incorporate some of these training videos into their Family Life Curriculum.

Cindy Perry presented on the legislation for 2009 highlighting a few of the legislation that impact Task Force work.

. PC 0531 defines at what point the counties may become financially responsible for children in state custody. Perry stated this legislation could present an undo pressure on judges in their decision-making.

. PC 0283 requires the principal of a school to notify a parent in coordination with DCS if there is a suspicion of abuse while the child was at school under the supervision of the school. This piece of legislation ignited much concern from the Task Force. Nicole Cobb stated this is a problem that continues to be a challenge for her office as Director of School Counselors and that some school officials feel like it’s a waste of time to report citing reasons such as “Why bother – DCS is not going to respond” and/or are concerned that DCS may release their name to the victim family. Cobb stated when she speaks to educators about this matter, she quote the law. Sallie Wade Brown stated in her district, the DA’s conduct in-services on this issue and it seems to help. General Dunavant stated when his office is presented with this problem; he takes action to prosecute educators because they have committed a felony offense by not reporting. Perry suggested the Community Partners Committee collaborate with Training & Education for further discussion on how to better address this issue.

. PC 0358 – specifies that the confidentiality of DCS records apply to records in the possession of other agencies that they received from DCS. Jo Ann Gregory asked for clarification on this legislation and wanted to know when DCS caseworkers interview the alleged perpetrator before law enforcement, can law enforcement obtain those records? Stacy Miller stated yes; however, the records cannot be made public to media sources and that as long as law enforcement are using the records for prosecution purposes, they can have access to them.

. PC 0413 allows the video recording of a forensic interview of a child alleged to have been sexually abused to be entered into evidence in support of the child’s actual testimony. Perry praised the work of Senator Black and Representatives Maggart and Jones on this piece of legislation

5 and thanked TN CAC for honoring them at the Connecting for Children’s Justice Conference last week.

Perry also reported that a bill was filed and debated last year call the “Second Look,” a Commission from Knoxville. Perry stated it is part of the “Protect” group and one of its active members is actor, David Keith. Perry stated the Commission is looking at repeat victimization and that Representative Tindall is planning to pass on this matter this fiscal year. Perry stated the Second Look Commission wants to review DCS cases. Perry noted that concerns with this group reviewing cases are those persons who have no child welfare experience reviewing child abuse cases and the confidentiality issue. Perry stated most child advocates do not want to see us moving in that direction of having multiple groups reviewing child abuse cases. Pam Dickey stated the group approached her and she referred them to Cindy Perry and the Task Force.

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE FOR EDUCATORS SATELLITE PRESENTATION The Task Force viewed about 10 minutes of the one-hour presentation on “What Educators Want to Know about Child Sexual Abuse.” After the presentation, Sasha Fallon provided a brief overview of the video purpose as well as the panel make-up. The Panel make-up consisted of Task Force members, Bonnie Beneke, Nicole Cobb, Anne Post, Irma Buchanan, and was facilitated by Valerie Craig of You Have the Power. Fallon stated the feedback to the presentation has been very positive and the Task Force plans to continue to provide these types of training ongoing to educators and other audiences on issues surrounding child sexual abuse and children’s justice.

COMMITTEES CHAIRS REPORT OUT Training & Education – Sasha Fallon reported out on behalf of the Co-Chairs who were unable to attend the meeting. Fallon stated the Committee took inventory of the child sexual abuse curriculum computer based training for professionals and the general public. Sandra Allen asked if the training would cover topics relevant to pre-school age children. Fallon and Anne Post stated that the curriculum is applicable to all audiences; however, the plan is to provide helpful links for specific groups such as day care/pre-school teachers.

The Committee also discussed asking the Task Force to develop a position statement on “sexting” and doing a public service announcement on this issue. It was suggested for the latter to use a young local celebrity to help get the message out e.g. Taylor Swift.

CPIT – Bonnie Beneke reported that the CPIT teams are focusing on training and technical assistance to address regional training needs. Beneke stated there will be CPIT training in the East Region next month (January) to focus will be on management issues. The Committee requested a conference for February 4 at 1:00 pm CST to follow up on the training activity in the East region

6 Bonnie Beneke also stated the Committee discussed coordinating a statewide “Andrea Walk” and would like to get the DAs involved. This proposed event would occur in April.

Community Partners – Cindy Perry stated the Committee spent time discussing the statewide CAB conference and how to support that event. Perry stated there was also discussion on budget cuts and how it may impact the Resource Linkage program. Perry stated the Committee discussed issues such as how the Resource Linkage program should look as it pertains to the special needs of urban versus rural areas.

Cindy Perry also stated the Committee discussed concerns with Central Intake as it pertains to reporting. Perry stated that teachers, day care providers, and medical groups continue to report problems. Sallie Wade Brown asked about the “tell alert” device and how it works. Carla Aaron stated that there are issues on the human and technological side of this tool.

Court Improvement - Stacy Miller thanked everyone for supporting the Anderson County child friendly court waiting area with their donations of stuffed animals, toys, and books. Miller also stated the she spoke with Task Force member, Jim Thompson who reported that Kohl’s Department Store would be willing to donate items for child friendly courts waiting areas.

After Miller’s presentation, Co-Chair Rae Anne Seay reported out on the Committee other discussions. Seay stated the Committee would like to have a joint conference call with CPIT Committee to discuss developing a forensic interview protocol for civil and criminal cases. The Committee would like to look at chain of custody issues and who can have a copy.

Seay also reported that Anne Post will be training bar members on how to take testimony from children on December 9. The Committee also are coordinating quarterly phone forums to help juvenile lawyers better understand DCS programs, policies, and procedures. In January, there will be a phone forum to discuss discovery of information from DCS.

Seay also reported on other upcoming training: . Training is being planned for next year to discuss Supreme Court opinions in TN that affect children. Date TBA later.

. Training will be made available for persons in Shelby County. It will focus on helping persons who have to go to court and the Committee would like to coordinate this effort with Memphis CAC and CASA. Sasha Fallon volunteered some court preparation materials should the Committee need it for the training.

7 Treatment – Jacque Page reported out on behalf of the Chair who was unable to attend the meeting. Page reported since completing the Sexually Abusive Youth (SAY) guidelines, the Committee is beginning to see DCS contractors bringing it to meetings and discussing it. Page also stated she has been doing special review meetings with the Commissioner about returning children to the home.

Jacque Page also reported that the Committee is now focusing on their next project, which is to develop some guidelines for decision-making on treatment of abuse victims. Page stated the Chair, Larry Seeman wants to review information about best practice and work that’s being done in South Carolina on treatment. Bonnie Beneke added that during the Committee last conference call they discussed looking at how to train the brokers the ones who are making the referrals and ensuring that brokers are trauma informed.

OTHER BUSINESS Cindy Perry announced that she attended American Humane Conference that focused on Differential Response and about 25 states were represented. Perry stated that Tennessee is making progress as good as other states with its implementation of a differential response system and doing a good job at making sure resources are there to support the work

Eileen Beehan announced that Catholic Charities will be hosting a “Reduction of Poverty” summit on March 25 and the members will receive invitation.

Meeting adjourned at 2:00 pm CST.