NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Many are concerned that children in foster care could suffer if the budget of a million dollar program is slashed.
The program is called Children's Outcome Review Team or C-Port for short. Currently budget plans call for 19 people in that department to lose their jobs.
"There will be no independent review of children in custody, to really insure services are being provided, that they are getting the kind of support they need to be safe, to move to permanency," said Linda O'Neal with the Commission on Children and Youth.
O'Neal testified before state lawmakers on Wednesday making her case for why $1.5 million in cuts just should not happen. She told legislators if this program goes there will be no other service or program out there to pick up, where C-Port left off.
"It's a layer of oversight that really tries to look at the system -- one child at a time, and see how we can not only improve outcomes for that child, but how we can make the system more responsive, and how we can make the system better for all children in state custody," she said.
Some of the lawmakers on that committee were sympathetic towards Linda O'Neal's fight, but unfortunately, this is just one of many cuts that lawmakers may have to make in these tough budget times.
Lawmakers will debate C-Port's future over the next two months.
