Background And Purpose

(1) In July 1998, the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration was designated the single state agency to administer the family violence programs funded with State monies under Public Chapter 930, Acts of 1984 (T.C.A. 71-6-201, et seq.) and for administering the Federal funds under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. The Department of Human Services previously administered these funds and had convened a subcommittee of the Family Violence and Child Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee to develop performance standards for family violence shelters and shelter services which obtained funding from this legislation. (2) These performance standards developed for family violence shelters and shelter services are stated as minimum requirements to be addressed in order to receive funding from State and Federal family violence sources. Services provided through other funding sources or to individuals deemed ineligible under State or Federal guidelines are not subject to these performance standards. (3) These performance standards: (a) provide a framework within which family violence shelters can develop a secure environment for residents and within which quality shelter services can be organized, delivered and evaluated; (b) define and describe the components of the service; and (c) delineate requirements which must be met during the service delivery process. (4) Compliance with these standards is a condition of the contract between the Department and each agency which provides a family violence shelter and/or shelter services. Each agency must meet all the requirements established by the standards in order to be in full contractual compliance.