With the Nebraska Legislature due to come back into session in only a few short weeks, I thought I’d take this opportunity to reflect on one of its big child welfare successes last year – and the work that’s left to be done. In Nebraska, about 70% of state wards…...
Child Death Report Highlights Need for Prenatal Care
A news release issued by the Child Death Review team, who operates under the Department of Health and Human Services, reported that between the years of 2007 and 2008 there were 551 child deaths in Nebraska (http://www.dhhs.ne.gov/newsroom/newsreleases/2011/Nov/childdeathreviewteam.htm). Of this number, over 165 of those were a result of some form…...
Race Matters
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a training in Washington, DC put on by Voices for America’s Children on using the Race Matters Toolkit. The training highlighted the role that past policies have played in shaping current inequities and suggested ways that organizations can work to integrate a racial equity lens…...
Early trauma can last a lifetime
When looking at the numbers of kids who are experiencing maltreatment of some kind, we might feel pain on their behalf or outrage at what they’re going through. It’s certainly an appropriate response. Kids don’t deserve to be treated badly, and that’s something that most adults know because we feel…...