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In
collaboration with the Nebraska Supreme Court’s Office of Problem
Solving
Courts, the Nebraska Court Improvement Project has been awarded a
5-year grant
from SAMHSA (the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration)
to implement Project Safe Start - Nebraska. Project
Safe Start - Nebraska will focus on
addressing mental health
needs of infants, toddlers and pre-school children whose families are
affected
by methamphetamine use and part of the Family Treatment Drug Courts in
Lancaster and Douglas Counties. Through
this grant, it is anticipated that approximately 200 children will be
screened
for developmental delays, assessed for social-emotional development and
participate with their parent in Child-Parent Psychotherapy conducted
by local
mental health service providers, who will provide regular progress
reports to
the Family Treatment Drug Court. For
more information, please contact Vicky
Weisz.
The Youth
Court Questionnaire has now been released by the Nebraska
Foster Youth
Council and the Through the Eyes of the Child Initiative as a method
for
children and youth to provide input in their cases. If
you are a Guardian ad Litem, caseworker, Service
Coordinator, or someone who works with youth, you are urged to
encourage them
to complete it. The Youth
Court
Questionnaire is intended for any youth with an open CPS case,
regardless
of age or placement, at anytime and as often as they would like,
especially
since circumstances frequently change. Contact
Cassy Blakely with questions at 402-817-2003
or
cblakely@nebraskachildren.org.
Complex Issues
in Juvenile Court Practice III will be held at Creighton University on
Friday,
November 5, 2010. This all-day training will address the ICPC and UCJ,
understanding psychological evaluations, developmental disability and
more.
More information is available on the
brochure. Please note that
this training is not sponsored by Through the Eyes.
A Note from the Chief Justice: Beginning
the Fifth Year of the Initiative
by Chief Justice Michael Heavican
The end of the 2010 regional conferences has
ushered in the fifth year of the Through the Eyes of Child Initiative.
Training, projects and other activities are always a critical part of
any
change process. However, it remains the overall goal of the Initiative
to show
actual, measurable progress in our court processing of abuse/neglect
cases in
order to reaffirm that our efforts are producing results.
Read
more
Final 2010 Training for Phase II (Advanced) Helping
Babies from the
Bench in Papillion on November 5th
What can
cause
social-emotional delays in infants and toddlers and what are the signs? Is there any treatment available? What
can we do in our court processes to
improve infant/toddler outcomes?
Register for the final 2010
Phase II trainings of Helping Babies from the
Bench in Papillion on November 5th to find out the answers to these
questions. This training is a combination of a
morning
session (open to anyone) and an afternoon workshop (for core team
members only)
that addresses implementation of best practices for babies and toddlers
into
court practice. The agenda
is
available to view.
For more
information about the trainings or to register, click here. If your local team is interested in hosting a
Phase II training in your community, please contact Kelli Hauptman.
Oral
Argument of Abuse/Neglect Cases
Oral arguments in abuse/neglect cases
made before the
Nebraska Supreme Court and Nebraska Court of Appeals are available on
the
Through the Eyes website. You may stream
the audio on your computer, or download it to play on an iPod or other
mobile
device.
Oral arguments held in September:
-
In re Interest of Merlyn R.,
S-10-0407, Nebraska Supreme Court (dismissal of petition for failure to
locate
interpreter)
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In re Adoption of David C.,
S-09-1044, Nebraska Supreme Court (jurisdiction, approval of adoption
based on
finding of father’s abandonment)
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In re Interest of Nyreeco H.,
A-10-0141, Nebraska Court of Appeals (father’s termination of parental
rights,
incarceration, best interests)
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In re Interest of Kennedy B.,
A-10-0274, Nebraska Court of Appeals (substantial compliance with case
plan,
termination of parental rights)
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In re Interest of Ayla R.,
A-10-0209, Nebraska Court of Appeals (3a jurisdiction for lack of risk
for harm,
termination of parental rights)
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In re Interest of Ramon N.,
A-10-0265, Nebraska Court of Appeals (lack of ICWA compliance in
proceedings)
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In re Interest of Jamyia M.,
A-10-0208, Nebraska Court of Appeals (use of aggravated circumstances
in ICWA
cases)
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In re Interest of Shireen S.,
A-09-1156, Nebraska Court of Appeals (adjudication of neglect,
termination of
parental rights)
-
In
re Interest of Justin H., A-10-0094,
Nebraska Court of Appeals (termination of parental rights)
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In
re Interest of Vincent L.,
A-10-0197, Nebraska Court of Appeals (adjudication, delay of hearing)
Caselaw Summaries
Trying to find an abuse/neglect case
but can’t remember the
case name? Use our search engine for
abuse/neglect cases since 2006. Cases
can be searched by keyword. To begin a
search, click here.
In re Interest of Arica S. et al. (unpublished opinion, September 21, 2010)
Evidence establishing the mother’s
repeated substance use, subsequent drug treatment programs and ongoing
failure to provide stability for the children showed that termination
was in the children’s best interests regardless of the loving
relationship she had with them. The judge’s statements at the
disposition hearing encouraging the mother to consider all options,
including open adoption, did not prove that the outcome of the
termination trial was unfair or partial. Full
Opinion
In
re Interest of Kennedy B. & MacKenzie B. (unpublished
opinion, September 28, 2010) Termination was
improper where the mother had substantially
complied with virtually every requirement specified by the court, had
improved significantly as a parent and, while there were still some
concerns about the cleanliness of the home, there were no concerns
about the children’s safety with the mother. Full
Opinion
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