These are the most recent Spotlight Issues:

• Immigration Issues in Nebraska Juvenile Courts
  The issue of immigration has moved into the spotlight in Nebraska and all indications suggest that it will be a significant issue for the next several years. Groups and governmental entities have narrowed their focus and analysis to specific issues of immigration, such as granting or prohibiting qualified undocumented […]
• Pre-Hearing Conferences in Nebraska
  By Kelli Hauptman

  Pre-hearing conferences has become a term increasingly used in the Nebraska abuse/neglect court system. Since their introduction to Nebraska stakeholders in September 2006, pre-hearing conferences have become widely used by courts as a method to front-load the system and shorten the time necessary to place a child […]

• The Dangers of Foster Care? – Should new study findings lead to overhaul of child removal protocol
  In a provocative new study, MIT professor Joseph J. Doyle asserts that children who are “at the margin of placement” suffer from “higher delinquency rates, along with some evidence of higher teen birth rates and lower earnings” when removed from their home, than those children allowed to remain at home.1  […]
• Youth in Court – More than Just a Good Idea
  Child welfare cases are about doing what is best for the youth involved.  Youth need and deserve to be part of that process, and court hearings are one way to do that.  Having children involved in court hearings helps the court learn more about the children than what is presented […]
• There’s the Rub: Court-Agency Friction in Nebraska
  Amoria M.: 1184 Treatment Team Speaks, Courts ListenIn Amoria, the Court of Appeals affirmed the juvenile court’s retention of jurisdiction despite a request by HHS to terminate jurisdiction. The Court of Appeals found NRS 43-246 created for children a right to “a safe and stable living environment”, the permanency goal […]