Through the Eyes of the Child Initiative

On November 19 and 20, 2010, seven courts across Nebraska celebrated National Adoption Day. Judges in Scottsbluff, Norfolk, Hastings, Kearney, Grand Island, Lincoln and Omaha opened their courthouses to finalize adoption and celebrate the creation of permanent relationships of children in foster care to their caregivers. In Norfolk, Judge Ross Stoffer led a celebration that included swimming, laser tag, face painting, gifts and door prizes. An online photo album of the adoptions of eight children in Grand Island which was led by Judge Mac Martin is available here. The Omaha courts celebrated their 11th National Adoption Day where 29 children were adopted.

In collaboration with the Concord Center and Nebraska Office of Dispute Resolution, the Sarpy County team led by Judge Bob O’Neal and Judge Larry Gendler has secured funding from DHHS for a pilot mediation project beginning in October 2009. The pilot project will involve two types of structured facilitated discussion: Pre-Hearing Termination of Parental Rights Conference (PHTPR) and Permanency Pre-Hearing Conference (PPHC). Over 20 current cases have been selected to be included in the pilot, which is expected to run through June 2010. The goal is to replicated this pilot project in five other juvenile court settings. Mediators from the Concord Center will lead the structured facilitated discussions. Both mediations are governed by Neb. Rev. Stat. section 43-247.01, in that all discussions are considered confidential and privileged.

According to Judge Randin Roland, Lead Judge of 12th District – Team 2 of the Through the Eyes of the Child Initiative, team collaboration has allowed cases to get resolved more efficiently and effectively.  His local team of approximately 30 individuals who are involved in the abuse/neglect court system in a myriad of ways, whether through substance abuse counseling, mental health services, legal representation of parents, children, and the county, foster parenting or representing HHS, have been meeting monthly to address systemic and procedural barriers that are impacting children under their care.

Lead Judge Roland and Team Secretary Cherie Smith at the Children’s Summit

For one local team of the Through the Eyes of the Child Initiative in southwest Nebraska, the development of a collaborative group of stakeholders in the abuse/neglect court system has provided them with an effective way to improve the court process. According to Anne Paine, a guardian ad litem and parents’ attorney and a [...]