The goal of the child welfare system is to keep kids safe in permanent, loving homes. After reading Martha Stoddard’s article in the Omaha World-Herald last weekend and reviewing the Foster Care Review Office’s quarterly report (mentioned in the article), the current state of Nebraska’s child welfare system looked pretty…...
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 possible chance to grow up in safe, stable, and loving homes. This is no easy feat. It requires…...
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 children state wards and relying on out-of-home care. For years, Nebraska has had one of the highest rates…...
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 week, we highlighted this good news, but with a promise to dig a little deeper into all of the changes…...
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, transition, fiscal mismanagement, and few improvements in how kids and families were actually faring. If you’ve been…...
“One size fits all” doesn’t work for child welfare
When it comes to keeping children safe and providing the best possible outcomes for youth in care, one size does not fit all. The alternative response model allows child welfare agencies to divert cases to different response paths in order to address the individual needs of the family. Under our…...
