Terms Used In Tennessee Code 33-6-208

  • Chief officer: means the person with overall authority for a public or private hospital or treatment resource, or the person's designee. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
  • Child: means a person who is under eighteen (18) years of age. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
  • Department: means the department of mental health and substance abuse services. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Service recipient: means a person who is receiving service, has applied for service, or for whom someone has applied for or proposed service because the person has mental illness or serious emotional disturbance. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101

The chief officer shall notify the parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian of a service recipient who is a child, before releasing the child. If the chief officer has reason to believe that the child is likely to be dependent and neglected upon release, then the chief officer shall notify the department of children’s services before the release.