This Saturday is National Adoption Day! All through November, advocates, families, and communities from across the country have celebrated the importance of adoptive families with the goal of raising awareness of barriers to adoption for children in foster care. This year’s theme is “We Never Outgrow the Need for Family,”…...
Bipartisan Movements in Federal Child Welfare Legislation
With the 2016 session of the Nebraska Legislature just around the corner, our policy team is gearing up to continue building pathways to opportunity for children in our state. Although much of our work at Voices is centered on advancing policies in the Unicameral, we also monitor federal legislation that…...
Pro-Kid Policy Changes 2015: Child Welfare
In Nebraska, bills that advance out of the Legislature and are signed by the Governor typically become law three months after the Legislature has adjourned sine die, unless the bill contains an emergency clause, rendering it in effect upon approval by the Governor. With all bills passed during the 2015…...
Happy Grandparents Day!
This week, we are celebrating Grandparents Day! Grandparents are an important part of many families, and they are especially important to the 2.6 million American children who live in homes where a grandparent is their primary caregiver. Living arrangements with grandparents arise for a variety of reasons, such as financial hardship,…...
The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline: The Girls’ Story
Last week, the New York Times highlighted a newly-released Georgetown University Law Center report on the “sexual abuse to prison pipeline.” The report focuses on girls who become involved with the juvenile justice system after being charged with prostitution, although they are victims of sex trafficking. The researchers estimate that approximately…...
Legislative Resolutions 2015
While most of our work during the legislative session focuses on legislative bills, we also keep an eye on legislative resolutions with the potential to impact the lives of Nebraska children. Legislative resolutions are formal, written motions that can be adopted by the Legislature. Resolutions can create committees and…...
Child Welfare Financing in Nebraska
Last week, the Nebraska Children’s Commission released a back-to-basics primer that lays out in detail the full picture of how child welfare is financed in Nebraska. Authored by the national nonprofit ChildFocus, the document is the result of meticulous investigation. The authors completed a comprehensive review of state and federal…...
National Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which presents an opportunity to consider child welfare issues from a wider context before allegations of maltreatment come about. In 2013, 3,993 Nebraska children were victims of maltreatment (at a rate of about 8.6 per 1,000 children), marking a slight increase from the…...
Ask Your Senator to Support LB 243
All children deserve loving and permanent relationships with adults that they can trust and learn from, especially as they transition into adulthood. This is particularly important for children and youth in the child welfare system. In addition to the trauma that led to their initial placement, children in care often…...
