"Preventing child abuse is everyone's responsibility and as we learned over the past year, it is so important to pay close attention to the children that touch our lives and report any suspicions of abuse or neglect,'' Commissioner Jennifer Nichols said via press release. "Prevention is key, so we must continue to support families before they reach a crisis. By building strong, healthy and empowered families, we can help ensure the safety and well-being of children."
All Tennesseans are mandated reporters as state law requires everyone to report knowledge or suspicions of child abuse or neglect. The Tennessee Child Abuse Hotline number is 877-237-0004. Citizens can also
make a report online here
.
Across the state, DCS staff and our providers offer prevention and in-home services to support families. These include Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention programs and Resource Linkage staff who focus on families whose children are at risk of coming into state care. The department has also developed a Family Resource Guide to connect families to the community services they may need.
In addition to Bridgestone Arena, The State Capitol, Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge, Ascend Amphitheater, Bicentennial Mall Amphitheater, AT&T Building and Adventure Science Center were all lit blue on Thursday night in Nashville.
Tennesseans can find more resources on child abuse prevention here:
DCS Awareness Campaigns
,
The Children's Bureau
.
