Mission & Values
"The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of home." --Confucius
Our Mission
Working in partnership with the community, it is the mission of Child & Family Tennessee to provide a continuum of services that enhances family life through prevention, treatment and advocacy.
Statement of Core Values
We hold these values as central, guiding and defining our organization. We use them as reference points in all situations and decisions.
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RESPECT
We extend unconditional positive regard for all clients. We treat our clients, coworkers and shareholders in ways that demonstrate that we hold them in high esteem and value them.
HUMILITY
We recognize our limitations and we do not presume to sit in judgment on others as if we were all knowing or all powerful. We seek to learn from our challenges, our clients and from each other at every opportunity.
INTEGRITY
We consistently demonstrate a high standard of ethical and professional values. We center our work on proven methods, thorough knowledge and extensive experience. We work so that our intent and our actions are integrated as a whole.
TRANSPARENCY
Our organizational structures and procedures are clear, straightforward, logical, sensible and results oriented. We share information with each other and with our shareholders to increase investment in our organization.
RESILIENCE
We believe fully in the human capacity for change and development. We demonstrate this as an organization, as we adapt to our changing environment and needs of our clients. We are proactive in this as we anticipate the future and meet it at its pace.
EXCELLENCE
We work to the highest quality standards in all that we do, implementing best practices in client services and administration. We work in ways which are proven scientifically to be effective and efficient.
COLLABORATION
We are a "publicly held" corporation. Our "shareholders" are our clients, our staff, our Board, our funders, our donors, our volunteers and our community. We work with our shareholders to be sure that our efforts are mission driven, relevant and effective. Our "dividends" are "paid" to our shareholders through measurable results in our clients lives and in our community.
DIVERSITY
We value differences in culture, perspective and experience, and actively incorporate these into our work and organization structures. We benefit from the strengths that different cultures contribute to our organization. We charge ourselves to hear and speak to all the different voices in our community.
Philosophy of Care
The client is our reason for being as an organization. We work to help people change in ways that they define as helpful. Here is what we believe about how people change and what we do to empower that change.
1) We are accountable for our outcomes.
- We work to give our clients the best and most accurate interventions and information possible.
- We challenge ourselves, our programs, and our organization to continually change to provide the highest quality of services.
- We value and invest resources in staff, in learning, and in development so we can provide good care to our clients in a supportive environment.
- We achieve maximum effect in the most efficient manner.
2) We are a client-centered organization.
- We demonstrate realistic unconditional acceptance of our clients as they present themselves to us.
- We meet clients where they are and empower them to change through evidence based practices.
- Treatment is available to each individual according to his or her unique characteristics and circumstances.
- We take a holistic approach to working with clients. We offer comprehensive services to assist clients in every area of their lives.
- We use the clients needs and motivation to guide our work with clients, not our own.
3) We believe that change is relationship based.
- We extend ourselves as the instrument of change.
- Our efforts are directed toward helping clients understand and make choices about their behavior.
- No one chooses this work by accident. We continually work to be self-aware and differentiate our needs from client needs. Recognizing the difficulty in this, we encourage, support and hold each other accountable to be the best agent of change we can be.
- We remember that "there but for grace go I".
4) We have a realistic understanding of behavior.
- We understand behavior is based on what function it serves for the client.
- We understand client's behavior represents their best attempt at a solution, even though the behavior itself may be maladaptive.
- We differentiate the behavior from the person. It is the behavior that is problematic.
5) We believe that change is best achieved through focusing and building on strengths
- We believe people have the potential and capacity to change
- We believe people change:
- i) in their own time
- ii) on their own terms
- iii) from their own motivation
- We work together in multidisciplinary teams, valuing the contribution of each change agent in supporting the process.
6) Safety is a prerequisite of change.
- We work to be sure safety needs are met so that change can take place.
- We are skilled at working with the effects of trauma which result from a lack of safety, whether current or past.
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History
"In each family a story is playing itself out, and each family's story embodies its hope and despair." --Auguste Napier
Introduction
Child & Family Tennessee is a private, not-for-profit voluntary organization. We are a community-based agency, created and governed by volunteers. Though we contract with the State of Tennessee and others to provide services, we are not part of the federal, state or local government. Child & Family Tennessee has worked since 1929 to strengthen families in a variety of ways. We work with children as young as newborn (as well as with their mothers before they are born), and serve families throughout the life cycle, including elders. Our programs provide a "safety net" of services for the most vulnerable members of our community - including safe shelter for teens and those seeking safety from family violence, supported residences for mentally ill women and their children, foster care, group homes, recovery services and nursery for moms and babies, family counseling, child abuse prevention and many other programs. Our services help those families who are "on the edge" stay together and change their lives to become self-sufficient.
The Evolution of Child & Family Tennessee
Family crises and problems have always been present in our community. Fortunately, there have also been community volunteers who are willing to help. In order to address these problems, Knoxvillians formed two agencies in 1929, the Children's Bureau and the Church Mission of Help. Over the years, these agencies joined, grew, changed names and continued to help our most vulnerable citizens, children at risk. At first, services focused on unwed mothers and children, but soon expanded to meet the changing needs of families over time.
The Runaway Shelter and Family Crisis Center are two of Child & Family's most longstanding services, both of which have operated continuously since 1978. Child & Family pioneered the specialized treatment needed to heal child sexual abuse in the late 70s and early 80s, and has been a leader in developing gender-specific and trauma informed services for recovering women and their children. Child & Family remains a leader in innovative programming, successfully competing for funding for new and leading-edge services, such as our program for recovery from methamphetamine addiction. Our most recent award will enable us to implement a new evidence-based service for preventing child abuse through nurse home visiting.
Child & Family Tennessee relies on a diverse funding base to support its mission and programs - for example, we have more than 70 different funding sources! Child & Family Tennessee is responsible for bringing over $2.7 million in Federal grants to the East Tennessee area, which support programs unique to our region. Without Child & Family's ability to successfully compete for this funding, these resources would be awarded to other communities in other states.
An important source of support is the United Way. Child & Family Tennessee is a major recipient of United Way funding in Knox and Blount Counties. Additional support is received from the United Ways of Sevier, Roane, Grainer, Jefferson and Cocke Counties. State of Tennessee revenue, in the form of contracted services, is another major revenue source. Local governments, such as cities and counties, add to the funding mix. Private grants and foundations, contributions and client fees including insurance billing also add to our diverse funding base.
Today, Child & Family provides a comprehensive safety net of services for the most vulnerable children and families in East Tennessee. Child & Family's programs extend throughout East Tennessee and are supported by six different United Ways in Knox, Blount, Sevier, Roane, Grainer, Jefferson and Cocke counties. We truly are "East Tennesseans helping East Tennesseans".
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What Sets Us Apart
"The family is one of nature's masterpieces." --George Santayana
"The family is the nucleus of civilization." --Ariel and Will Durant
More Than 80 Years of Service -- founded in 1929 by community volunteers and leaders as a resource for the challenges faced by at-risk families.
"First and Only" Programs: Runaway Shelter, Transitional Living Services for Youth, Domestic Violence Shelter, Supported Living for Women and Children, Substance Abuse Treatment for Women and Children with supported living and on-site nursery, Specialized Treatment for Sexual Abuse, new evidence-based home visiting for child abuse prevention.
Leading Edge Services: successful in accessing Federal grants for new projects to fill needs, bringing the most strongly supported evidence-based approaches to the families we serve.
Evidence-Based Programs: measuring our success since 1991; independent quality assurance since 2001; national cross-site evaluations since 2003; all programs employ evidence-based practice and are monitored for client outcomes.
Quality Assurance and Improvement: our behavioral health programs have been JCAHO accredited since 1989, State licensed for mental health, substance abuse and day care services, dedicated Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement Department.
Dynamic Regional Organization: growing and evolving with the needs of our clients and communities, regionally constituted Board of Directors, serving Knox, Blount and surrounding counties of East Tennessee.
Leveraged Investments: successful in blending funding and matching resources from various sources to create "one resource -- no wrong door."
Innovation, Research and Development: we are continually researching to explore new opportunities and improve our effectiveness and efficiency. For more information on our Innovation, Research and Development, please go to "Services"--»"Innovation" of this website.
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Our Partners
Child & Family Tennessee cannot succeed in our mission without our valuable community partners that work with us to serve East Tennessee. We partner with volunteers, communities, federal, state and local governments and policy-makers to make sure that Tennessee is always a great place for families and kids.
UNITED WAY PARTNERS:
United Way of Greater Knoxville
United Way of Jefferson County
FOUNDATION PARTNERS:
COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
K-TOWN Youth Empowerment Network
Knoxville/Knox County Head Start
TN Coaliltion Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
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Leadership
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chair: Charles "Chip" M. Finn, Kramer Rayson
Secretary: Russ Jensen, City of Knoxville
Development Committee Chair: Dr. Jerry Askew, Tennova Healthcare
Nominating Committee Chair: Phyllis Nichols, Knoxville Area Urban League
Sharon Hannum, retired ALCOA, Inc.
Angela Starke, City of Knoxville
Joe Petre, Conversion Properties
Mark Kroeger, Scripps Networks Interactive
Janell Cecil, UT Medical Center
James "Jim" Lloyd, Pershing Yoakley & Associates
Joe Haas, Interim President/ Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Karen Sowers, Dean UT College of Social Work
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Joe Haas, Interim President/Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
Rebecca Kelly, Vice President of Program Development and Excellence
Donna Morris, Director of Resource Development and Grants Management
Martha Shirk, Director of Human Resources
April Carthorn, Director of Adolescent Programs
Dan Martin, Director of Facilities
Jan Riepe, Interim Clinical Director
Joe Sise, Director of Information Technology
Katie Trueblood, Interim Grants Manager
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©2013 Child & Family Tennessee
901 E. Summit Hill Drive
Knoxville, Tennessee 37915
Phone: 865-524-7483
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