Tennessee Domestic Violence Coordination Framework

DV partnership and regional agency coordination guidelines for Tennessee organizations.

Tennessee

Regional Collaboration

Tennessee’s domestic violence response ecosystem operates across urban, suburban, and rural contexts, with notable regional variation in capacity, transportation access, and available specialty services. Effective collaboration often requires clear regional structures that connect state-level initiatives with local implementation partners.

Common regional collaboration models in Tennessee include:

• Regional Coordinating Hubs – Lead organizations (e.g., major shelters, family justice centers, or multi-service agencies) convene local partners within a defined catchment area to coordinate referrals, case conferencing, and shared outreach.
• Judicial District–Aligned Networks – Partners align coordination to Tennessee’s judicial districts, facilitating consistent engagement with courts, probation, law enforcement, and legal aid across county lines.
• Health System–Anchored Collaboratives – Hospital systems or regional health networks serve as anchors for multidisciplinary partnerships that include advocacy, behavioral health, child welfare, and public health entities.
• Rural-Urban Partnership Corridors – Agencies in metropolitan areas (e.g., Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga) establish structured agreements with rural agencies to support overflow capacity, specialty services, and tele-based coordination.

Operational planning for regional collaboration in Tennessee typically addresses:

• Standardized referral and warm handoff procedures between agencies and regions
• Mutual expectations for response times and information exchange
• Use of shared tools (e.g., common referral forms, standardized intake fields)
• Regularly scheduled cross-agency case review or coordination meetings
• Mechanisms for identifying and resolving cross-jurisdictional barriers

Eligibility

Eligibility criteria for participation in Tennessee-focused coordination initiatives are generally designed to be inclusive across the domestic violence response spectrum while maintaining clear expectations regarding scope, professionalism, and information handling.

Typical eligibility parameters for agencies engaging in multi-organization collaboration include:

• Organizational Type
  • Nonprofit organizations providing domestic violence–related services
  • Government agencies (e.g., courts, law enforcement, child welfare, housing authorities)
  • Healthcare entities (hospitals, clinics, behavioral health providers)
  • Educational institutions and campus-based response programs
  • Community-based organizations with defined roles in the response continuum
• Service Alignment
  • Delivery of services relevant to domestic violence–impacted households, including legal, housing, advocacy, healthcare, or coordinated entry functions
  • Commitment to non-discriminatory access consistent with applicable federal and state frameworks
• Operational Capacity
  • Designated staff contact(s) for regional coordination and data reporting
  • Ability to participate in scheduled cross-agency meetings or virtual coordination sessions
  • Basic infrastructure for secure information storage and exchange
• Data and Information Practices
  • Use of internal policies or protocols governing collection, storage, and sharing of client-related information
  • Willingness to align with regional data-sharing parameters and documentation standards, without disclosing confidential information beyond what is authorized and operationally necessary

Some Tennessee collaborations also define tiered participation categories, such as:

• Core Partners – Agencies with high-volume coordination, shared planning responsibilities, and regular reporting
• Network Partners – Agencies that receive and provide referrals but have limited planning or governance roles
• Adjunct or Specialty Partners – Entities that provide specialized services (e.g., forensic health, disability-focused supports, culturally specific programs) on a case-by-case basis

Agency Workflow Integration

Agencies operating in Tennessee frequently need to integrate regional collaboration agreements into existing internal workflows, information systems, and staff roles. Effective integration focuses on minimizing duplication while ensuring predictable coordination touchpoints.

Common workflow integration elements include:

• Defined Intake and Triage Pathways
  • Incorporating regional partner options into standard intake scripts and decision trees
  • Flagging cases that require multi-agency coordination (e.g., housing plus legal plus health)
  • Documenting partner referrals in existing case management systems rather than in parallel tools
• Standardized Referral Procedures
  • Adoption of shared referral forms or minimum required data fields across Tennessee partners
  • Clear internal guidance on when to use warm handoffs versus information-only referrals
  • Tracking referral outcomes for use in regional performance discussions
• Role Clarification
  • Assigning a primary coordination lead within each agency for Tennessee regional work
  • Clarifying front-line staff responsibilities versus supervisory or administrative tasks
  • Embedding collaboration expectations into job descriptions and onboarding materials
• Documentation and Information Flow
  • Aligning note-taking practices with regional documentation expectations
  • Using standardized tags or fields in case records to indicate multi-agency involvement
  • Establishing internal review steps before sharing any case-related information externally
• Feedback and Continuous Improvement
  • Generating periodic internal reports on referrals, time to connection, and coordination gaps
  • Bringing aggregated observations to Tennessee regional meetings for system-level problem-solving
  • Adjusting procedures when partners modify capacity, service scope, or contact channels

For many Tennessee agencies, integrating these elements is more effective when supported by short, operational guides tailored to front-line staff, supervisors, and data/reporting teams respectively.

Additional coordination resources and multi-jurisdictional examples are available through the broader ecosystem hosted at DV.Support, which agencies can review to inform Tennessee-specific adaptations.

Recommended Articles

• Coalition Frameworks for Multi-Agency Coordination
• Defining Partnership Eligibility Across Agencies
• Data-Sharing Structures for Domestic Violence Collaborations
• Integrating Cross-System Workflows
• Regional Alignment Standards and Practices