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 delinquent behaviors. The challenges become even greater for youth who have been maltreated AND were convicted of a juvenile crime. This group is commonly…...
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 of all student populations. Due placement interruptions and the school transfers that tend to follow, only about 54% of foster…...
LB 265: A Positive Step Toward Increasing Kinship Placements
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 usually for them to lie with extended family members, family friends, or other trusted adults. This practice is commonly referred to as…...
Don’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 rejection of an amendment that would have decreased funding for home visiting programs. Voices for Children has long…...
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 attention to the needs of children in our nation’s foster care systems. Nationally, 382,400 children under 18 currently are in…...
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 youth in foster care achieve permanency? In short, permanency refers to the need of all children and…...
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 family friends minimizes children’s sense of loss after parental separation, increases stability in children’s lives, often…...
