Hands On Nashville

Family & Children’s Service (FCS) serves all people in crisis and transition by meeting them where they are, understanding their needs, and connecting them to the resources they need. FCS often ‘fills in the gaps’ in social services, creating a safety net to ensure that all children and families can be safe and healthy. Each year we provide services to more than 60,000 Tennesseans.

Our mission is to connect individuals and families to hope, to healing, and to one another.

Founded in 1943 by volunteers who helped find adoptive homes for children orphaned during WWII, FCS is one of Nashville’s oldest and most venerated nonprofits. Throughout our history, FCS has focused on the most vulnerable children and families, adapting our services to meet the changing needs of our community.

From the 1950s through the 1980s, FCS focused primarily on family and individual counseling and adoption. Though Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services (DCS) took over the adoption process in the 1970s, FCS continues to provide important supportive services for children in DCS custody and families preparing for adoption.

In the 1980s, FCS greatly expanded its charitable and private practice counseling programs, which served thousands of Middle Tennesseans for nearly two decades until many insurance plans began covering mental health care. For most of its history, FCS was a primary mental healthcare option for thousands of Middle Tennesseans.

Today FCS offers a wide array of safety net social services directly to clients and through its many partnerships, collaborations, and referral networks.