Center of Excellence

for children in state custody

Who We Are

The State of Tennessee has designated The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine's Department of Family Medicine as a Center of Excellence to serve children who are at-risk for or in state custody. The University of Tennessee Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody's services extend to 16 East Tennessee counties.

Who We Serve

The University of Tennessee Center of Excellence serves the following TN counties: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, and Union.

What We Do

The COE provides consultation for children with complex medical, behavioral, psychological, and psychiatric problems. Services include: case triage (brief phone consult), monthly case review (on-site, brief records review with recommendations), comprehensive consultation (full records review, meeting with key players in the case, report and recommendations), psychological or psychiatric evaluations, limited medication management, and medication gap filling.

Make a Referral

Referral for a Case Review

The following information is needed for all COE referrals:

Social history or non-custodial assessment
All previous psychological/all psychiatric intakes and progress notes/intake summaries
Last three progress notes from current therapist and treating psychiatrist
Hospitalizations: intake summaries and discharge summaries
Specialized Evaluations: psychosexual/neurological screenings and reports
All previous medical assessments: EPSD&T and all medical records
Permanency plan/current notice of staffing/IPP
Insurance card and release of information
Placement history with dates (include all foster home placements)
School records/academic testing and IQ testing/behavior records

Make a Case Referral

Referral for Therapy Assistance

Therapy Request are to be submitted for assistance in identifying a community provider for specific evidence based therapy model ( PCIT, CPP, TF-CBT, ARC).

Referral for Therapy

Statewide Lunch 'n Learn

The Centers of Excellence are committed to promoting best practices and providing no cost educational seminars to community providers who serve at-risk children and families.

All sessions are held via Zoom the second Friday of every month from 12:00pm-1:30pm ET/ 11:00am-12:30pm CT. Once registered you will be sent an email with a link to the sign in page that you will use on the day of the training to login. A certificate of completion will be offered after a short survey following the presentation.

June 14, 2024

Practical and Evidence Based Intervention Strategies for Direct Care Staff Serving Youth with Complex Trauma in Residential Treatment Settings

Dr. Liz Paiml and Dr. Caleb Corwin

Register

May 10, 2024

Adapting Clinical Skills to Address Challenging Behavior among Children on the Autism Spectrum

An Intro to the RUBI program

by Dr. Karen Bearss

Register

View Past Lunch ‘n Learn Sessions

Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship

The UTGSM fellowship program provides advanced training in trauma-informed care and the child welfare system. Fellows conduct clinical case reviews, assessment, psychological testing, and care coordination with child welfare staff; provide education and consultation to trainees and other community providers; assist with coordinating statewide projects aimed at dissemination and implementation of best practices; and provide intake assessment and evidence-based treatment.

For more information about the postdoctoral fellowship program, please see our brochure. Questions may be emailed to Dr. Kristin Dean at mailto: kdean@utmck.edu.