Over the few final days of bill introduction, Senators have introduced a number of proposals that have the potential to ensure a brighter future for many of our vulnerable youth by making crucial improvements to Nebraska’s juvenile justice system. “For many years, Voices for Children has been advocating for…...
What’s Next for Nebraska’s Juvenile Justice System?
On Thursday, December 6, nearly 250 Nebraskans gathered in Lincoln for Voices for Children’s first ever Juvenile Justice Summit. For the past 25 years, Voices for Children has been working to improve Nebraska’s juvenile justice system, but we know we haven’t gotten where we need to go for children and youth.…...
Following up on Children’s Behavioral Health (LB 603)
On October 30, 2012, The Children’s Behavioral Health Committee discussed the progress in the implementation of LB603. LB603’s intention is to address the lack of support for families with children dealing with a behavioral health crisis. Support systems have been created, however barriers and gaps continue to exist within the…...
Cutting Our Future: Behavioral Health Services
In 2008 during our state’s Safe Haven crisis, parents relinquished custody of 36 children to the state of Nebraska. Most of these children were struggling with behavioral health challenges that had left their families feeling helpless. The message was clear: Nebraska’s families and children weren’t getting the help they…...
Cutting Our Future: The Need for Juvenile Justice Reinvestment
Nebraska’s juvenile justice system may just be on the verge of a dramatic transformation. It’s not only the reform initiatives that are underway in certain parts of the state that signal change being around the corner. Buried on pages 419-429 of the recent Health and Human Services preliminary budget, is…...
A better response to child maltreatment in Nebraska
The first goal of any child welfare system is simple—protecting children from abuse and neglect. But how states respond to reports of child maltreatment is changing significantly. Fewer states are relying solely on traditional investigations of abuse and neglect, and are instead opting for a variety of approaches that allow…...
A Different Approach to Child Safety: The impact on child welfare systems, children and families
In recent years, many states have been exploring new ways to address child maltreatment. Differential response, an approach that allows child protective services more than one way to respond to these reports, has seen promising outcomes. As Nebraska considers what child welfare reform looks like, please join us as…...
