(a) The primary purpose of this part is to protect children from unnecessary separation from parents who will give them good homes and loving care, to protect them from needless prolonged placement in foster care and the uncertainty it provides, and to provide them a reasonable assurance that, if an early return to the care of their parents is not possible, they will be placed in a permanent home at an early date.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 37-2-401

  • Court: means the juvenile court having jurisdiction over the person of the child, or, if no juvenile court has jurisdiction over the child, then the juvenile court in the county in which the child resides. See Tennessee Code 37-2-402
  • Parent: means the natural parent or legal guardian, except in cases when guardianship is held by an agency pursuant to a determination of abandonment or surrender of parental rights. See Tennessee Code 37-2-402
(b) The secondary purpose of this part is to provide a mechanism to monitor the care of children in foster care to ensure that everything reasonably possible is being done to achieve a permanent plan for the child.
(c) When a parent by such parent’s actions or failure to act fails to fulfill such parent’s responsibilities as a parent, the court shall consider such conduct in determining whether to terminate parental rights, regardless of whether the parent intended such parent’s conduct to constitute a relinquishment or forfeiture of such parent’s parental rights. When the interests of a child and those of an adult are in conflict, such conflict is to be resolved in favor of a child, and to these ends this part shall be liberally construed.
(d) The department of children’s services shall strive to identify and finalize a safe, stable, and permanent home for children in the custody of the department.
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