The number of child abuse and neglect cases nationwide has been decreasing and that's also the case in West Virginia. While victims' advocates say this provides some hope, the problem is still prolific. In West Virginia, child abuse cases were increasing until four years ago. “There is just no way of denying that child abuse is decreasing, which is great and means a lot of things that we have done to try to prevent child abuse and intervene in child abuse has been making a difference and so that is a reason for hope,” said Emily Chittenden, state coordinator for the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network. [...]
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LINCOLN — A few bumps in the road are expected when states turn over large parts of their child welfare systems to private agencies. Tell that to Debbie O'Shea's grandchildren. Three of them spent an extra month away from home. They were moved through three foster placements in four months this spring. They missed Easter weekend and other court-ordered visits with their parents. And the middle child was delivered two hours late to his 4th birthday dinner. Advertising “It's been a horrible, horrible thing,” the Bellevue woman said. O'Shea's family became entangled in the turmoil that followed Nebraska's latest effort to overhaul its child welfare system. The effort involved contracting with five private agencies to take on many responsibilities previously handled by state workers. [...]
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At the end of this month, Cedars will step out of its lead-agency foster care contract with the state of Nebraska, and KVC will become the sole provider in the 17-county southeast service area. KVC is making some changes in how it will go about doing that job, said Sandra Gasca-Gonzalez, president of KVC's Nebraska operations. Lead providers now are KVC, serving the Lincoln and Omaha areas, Nebraska Families Collaborative in the Omaha area, and Boys and Girls Home in the rest of the state. The Lincoln area lost its two other lead providers when Visinet closed in April after filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Cedars opted out of its contract as of June 30. [...]
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McCOOK, Nebraska -- Prairie Plains CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, is saying goodbye to two volunteers after more than a decade of service. Betty Allen and Luanne Haller have retired after 11 and 15 years respectfully of service to the McCook children's advocacy group. Luanne Haller was a part of the first group of advocates sworn in by now retired County Court Judge Cloyd Clark. "There has always been a need for child advocacy in the court systems," said Clark, who attended Allen and Haller's retirement party at Sehnert's Bakery and Bieroc Cafe on Wednesday. [...]
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The questions came up over and over in Wednesday's legislative committee meeting. Where are the kids? Is access to the most appropriate treatment for kids' behavioral health disorders worse now than it was during the 2008 safe haven crisis? If fewer youths and children are being admitted to more expensive residential treatment programs, is cost driving care rather than need? And are kids being stalled in the child welfare system and not getting the treatment to help them become well-functioning adults, as Lincoln Sen. Kathy Campbell, chairwoman of the Children's Behavioral Health Oversight Committee, suspects? [...]
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Omaha Daily Record [...]
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Nothing good comes easy, and it seems that fundamental changes in Nebraska’s child welfare and foster programs are no exception. The system wide changes were aimed at decreasing the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’s hand on involvement while allowing the department to remain oversight. The idea was capitalism, that competition would drive costs down while ensuring the quality of care stayed high. [...]
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A agreement reached with a bankrupt provider of child welfare services ensures that the company's employees, foster parents and subcontractors will be paid, state officials say. The Department of Health and Human Services announced the agreement with the Omaha-based Visinet late Monday. Under the agreement, HHS will directly pay foster parents and subcontractor agencies, and Visinet will pay its former employees. [...]
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A report presented to members of the Nebraska Foster Care Review Board on Friday showed concerns about foster care as the state moves to a partnership with private agencies. Between January and the end of April, the review board's staff reviewed 1,606 cases -- 1,275 of which were assigned to one of five private providers. [...]
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Nebraska officials expect to learn some lessons from the two private agencies that dropped out of the state's child welfare reform effort. Department of Health and Human Services CEO Kerry Winterer said Wednesday the success of the reform depends on understanding what happened with the two agencies. He said the department plans to audit the agencies as part of its search for answers. [...]
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