|
10/3/2007 HHS officials dispute foster care payment
study
Lincoln Journal Star 10/3/2007
9/15/2007 Family and Children's Services' overhaul
aims for efficiency
Omaha
World Herald 9/15/2007
|
All children in Nebraska must have protection from
physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect and
exploitation.
There were a total of 10,797 children in out-of-home
care in Nebraska in 2005. In Nebraska, a child can
be placed in out-of-home care for a number of reasons
ranging from abusive or neglectful parental behavior
to their own delinquent behavior or runaway status.
Most are placed with the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) as state wards. Children may
be placed in a variety of placements such as foster
homes, group homes, residential treatment facilities
or juvenile correction facilities. There are a small
number of children placed in private residential facilities
that are not considered wards of the state.
Unfortunately, it is not unusual for a child to be
moved repeatedly while in out-of-home care. The Foster
Care Review Board tracking system counts each move
as a placement; therefore, if a child is placed in
a foster home, then sent to a mental health facility,
then was placed in a different foster home, three
placements would be counted. Of the children in care
on December 31, 2005, 45% had experienced 4 or more
placements.
Caseloads are large nationwide because of a short
supply of trained child welfare workers who are given
limited time and resources to work with children whose
needs are increasingly complex.
Foster Care
Licensed foster homes are required to pass background
checks consisting of reference checks, a local criminal
record check, and child abuse registry checks. These
providers must also participate in a series of interviews
and complete initial and ongoing training. On the
other hand approved providers are usually relatives
or individuals who have known the child or family
prior to placement and are not required to pass the
same approval process as licensed providers. Due to
the lack of training required, approved providers
may provide care for the child or children from one
family only. Approved providers must pass an in-home
evaluation, a child abuse registry check, and local
criminal record check.
Foster care providers are desperately needed as individual
homes are the most ideal and least institutionalized
environment for children placed in out-of-home care.
Permanency and Adoption
Adoption is the preferred permanency plan for children
who cannot be safely reunited with their biological
family. On April 10, 2000 Governor Mike Johanns signed
into law a bill that provides financial assistance
to families adopting children who are state wards.
This law provides a $1,000 payment to adoptive parents
for up to five years for adopting a child up to age
19 who is a ward of the state. This helps remove some
barriers associated with adopting children who are
older, need to be placed with one or more siblings,
are of minority races or who have special behavioral,
emotional or physical needs.
Passed in 1998, the Adoption and Safe Families Act
improves procedures for termination of parental rights
and adoption. In 1999, Nebraska passed LB134, which
gives adoptive parents the right to take a leave of
absence upon the commencement of the parent-child
relationship as is provided for birth parents upon
the birth of their child. Adoptive parent leave of
absence is not required of employers if a child's
adoptive parent(s) were previously his or her foster
parent(s).
State Foster Care Review Board
The Foster Care Review Board (FCRB) is an independent
state agency created in 1982. The plans, services,
and placements of children who have been in out-of-home
care for six months or longer are reviewed by over
350 trained citizen volunteers who serve on local
Boards across the state. Reviews are shared with all
legal parties to the case. The Board also maintains
an independent tracking system for all children in
out-of-home care, and regularly disseminates information
on the status of children in out-of-home care in Nebraska.
Download:
Issue Brief: Child Welfare
Nebraska Foster Care
Review Board
http://www.fcrb.state.ne.us/
Sydney's Story
Sydney, age 19, was in foster care since he was 3
years old. Sydney had a lot of behavioral problems
and when he was in junior high things got to the point
that his parents could no longer deal with him and
he was sent to Boys Town. While at Boys Town, Sydney
had several disrupted foster placements before finally
being terminated from the Boys Town program. After
Boys Town, Sydney spent time in several different
foster homes and a group home.
When Sydney was 18 years old, John, his Family Support
Worker, became his foster parent and his life began
to improve. Sydney says, "When you are in foster
care there is not much more that you have than your
foster brothers... you're sitting in a foster home
and you know that you are going to be there, you don't
like the foster home and don't have much reason to
change, because you can't see past tomorrow. It is
a lot different here because of the safety factor
and because John is a lot younger. John was really
there, like I told him absolutely everything I did
even when I did something bad... because he cared."
Sydney received high enough scores on the GED to get
a full scholarship to college, has a job working in
customer service, and plans to start Metropolitan
Community College in December (Kids Count 1998).
Another factor related to the growth in the number
of children in foster care is the continuous time
in care. A child's stay in foster care may be as short
as overnight or as long as it takes to achieve a permanent
plan for the child. If children are not discharged
within a short time after the initial placement in
foster care, they are likely to remain in care for
longer periods of time.
If you are interested in adoption or becoming a
foster parent, please call 1-800-7PARENT.
|
