KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The families of nearly two-thirds of children who receive adoption assistance payments have filed forms with the state as required under a law spurred by a horrific East Tennessee child abuse case, Department of Children's Services data shows.
The law requires families to submit proof of full-time, in-person education or verification a medical or mental health provider has seen a child within the past year. Families must submit one of two required forms by Feb. 15.
Just over 7,000 children out of 11,585 required had sufficient documentation submitted to DCS as of last week, a spokesperson said. If families do not submit the information, DCS caseworkers can initiate a home visit.
"I'm pleased with the number of families who have participated, but we're not through yet," said State Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston), who sponsored the law last legislative session. "It's a significant percentage who have participated, but DCS needs to continue to follow up with them."
A DCS spokesperson said the department would submit a final report about the number of people who participated in the program and submitted the required documents in June.
The law was spurred by a horrific child abuse case that spanned Roane and Knox Counties. Prosecutors said Michael and Shirley Gray abused their adoptive kids — all while collecting thousands of taxpayer dollars in adoption assistance payments.
The Grays, investigators said, locked their starving children in the basement and buried two who died in the yard. The pair face criminal charges in both Knox and could be sentenced to death for the crimes alleged in Roane County.
Meanwhile, child abuse advocates said the need for child abuse services continues to grow to record highs in 2021.
"We went from 500 therapy sessions to 1,500 therapy sessions in one year," said Eddie Smith, the director of organizational advancement at Childhelp Tennessee. "As we’ve come out of the pandemic, we’ve seen an increase that’s continuing through now."
He said lockdowns led to fewer people seeing kids in schools or churches — and so fewer people reporting suspected abuse. Now that activities have returned to normal, Childhelp has seen a double-digit rise in the percentage of kids who need assistance.
"It’s a problem we’re seeing rise in the community, which is why we encourage every single person if you see something, you can call the DCS hotline, you can call our hotline," Smith said.
DCS can be reached at 877-237-0004 and Childhelp can be reached at 1-800-422-4453.