Judge Andrew B. Morgan

Over the past month, we have carefully reviewed options to address the concerns raised in recent litigation involving the Department of Children Services (DCS). Our priority remains ensuring that every child from Bradley County in foster care receives the attention and support they need.
To strengthen our local response, we are implementing the following measures:

Enhanced Monitoring of Foster Children
Youth Service Officers will be performing checks on every child in foster care. Any concerns identified will result in the case being placed on the next available court docket, and the child will have the opportunity to speak directly with the judge.

New Dedicated Position
Starting in mid-June, we will welcome a new Dependency and Neglect-focused Youth Service Officer. This role will concentrate on cases that do not yet involve DCS, with the goal of providing early intervention and family support services to help prevent children from entering state custody. They will also help monitor the 150+ DCS cases for oversight. They will work with the Court to address all dependency and neglect centered issues.

Expanded Mentorship Program
We are engaging volunteers through our mentorship program to serve as positive role models and supports for parents involved in DCS cases. These volunteers will assist with transportation to visits and court hearings, reducing the burden on caseworkers. More importantly, they will help build trusting, long-term relationships with families that can provide ongoing stability and guidance well beyond the court case.

Volunteer-Supported Supervised Visits
We have requested approval from DCS to train and utilize volunteers to supervise family visits. This will increase visitation opportunities for families while freeing up caseworkers to focus on other high-priority needs and family reunification efforts.

I will be meeting with several regional DCS leaders during the first week of June to finalize details and intend to roll out these initiatives before mid-June.

If you want to help, sign up today to be a mentor. If you’d like to possibly help with supervised visitation, let us know and stay in touch.

We remain committed to continuously identifying and implementing practical, local solutions to improve outcomes for the children and families we serve.