What’s next for Nebraska’s child welfare system?
This afternoon, Nebraska’s child welfare system once again takes the legislative spotlight. The Health and Human Services Committee is hosting their first briefing of the new legislative session. The...
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LB 265: Improving Kinship Care in Nebraska
When children cannot remain safely with their own parents, the best place for them is often with adults whom they know, love, and trust. Research has shown that living with relatives or other close...
View ArticleLB 265: Increasing and Improving Kinship Care in Nebraska
One of the bills we are working to get passed this session is LB 265, a bill to improve kinship care for children and youth in foster care. We testified in support of the bill earlier today and are...
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Why economic stability matters in child welfare
After a crazy couple of weeks of work on child welfare bills, this week is the first since legislative hearings started where I won’t be making the trip to the state capitol in Lincoln to testify....
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Providing permanency for youth in care
Safety, permanency and well-being are goals for all children and youth, especially those in foster care, but what does permanency mean and what is being done in Nebraska to ensure that children and...
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A push for prevention
Though millions of dollars have been invested and countless initiatives have been developed to “fix” children and youth in the child welfare system, maybe Desiderius Erasmus said it best and...
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National Foster Care Month an opportunity for real change for Nebraska’s kids
Today, President Barack Obama signed a proclamation making May National Foster Care Month. Since 1988, May has been designated as the month to recognize the contributions of foster parents and call...
View ArticleDon’t cut home visiting services – Oppose AM1297
This week, the Legislature has spent many hours discussing our state budget and just how Nebraska will invest in kids and families over the next two years. One important decision was the overwhelming...
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LB 265: A Positive Step Toward Increasing Kinship Placements
CC by 2.0 via flickr user amslerPIX All children deserve to be raised by responsible adults with whom the child feels a bond. When children cannot safely remain with their parents, the best choice is...
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Meet FERPA, the HIPAA of education records
Child welfare agencies across the country are responsible for the well-being of more than half a million children. Unfortunately, children and youth in foster care are the most educationally at-risk...
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New path for crossover youth
CC 2.0 by GlacierNPS_flickr Achieving positive outcomes for youth involved in the child welfare system can be challenging, as is achieving positive outcomes for youth who have been involved in...
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“One size fits all” doesn’t work for child welfare
One size doesn’t fit allCC by 2.0 via flickr user TwisterMc When it comes to keeping children safe and providing the best possible outcomes for youth in care, one size does not fit all. The...
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A closer look at Nebraska’s child welfare progress
It wasn’t too long ago that newspapers across our state were full of bad news about Nebraska’s child welfare system and reform efforts. The front pages were full of tales of constant turmoil,...
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Child Welfare’s Changing Front Door
In case you missed it, there’s some very good news coming from Nebraska’s child welfare system: fewer children are becoming state wards and we’re keeping more families together successfully. Last...
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Child Welfare’s Changing Front Door: The Data
In order to better understand the dramatic drop in the number of Nebraska children entering the child welfare system and becoming state wards, we have to dive a little deeper into the data. Two...
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Has the child welfare pyramid been flipped?
I recently marked my 3rd anniversary at Voices for Children in Nebraska. During my tenure at Voices for Children, one topic has dominated the child welfare conversation: Nebraska’s habit of making...
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The Child Welfare Pyramid by Age
Earlier this week, we discussed the change in Nebraska’s child welfare system and how it has reduced the number of children who are state wards. In the past year, Nebraska has experienced a decline in...
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How permanent is permanency?
Over the past couple of weeks, we have been digging into the data to take a look at the decline in the number of Nebraska’s state wards. We found that in 2012, just over 24% of the children and youth...
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Kids in the Child Welfare System Reaching Permanency: Where Do They Go?
A permanent, safe and loving home should be the goal for every kid who is served by our child welfare system. We don’t want kids to be raised by the system, we want the system to help them get to...
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Maintaining our Child Welfare Commitment
At the core of our child welfare system are two key objectives: strengthening families to prevent abuse and neglect; and responding thoughtfully and swiftly to ensure all Nebraska’s kids have the best...
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